World_Traveller_2009

Author: World_Traveller_2009
Date: 09/15/2008, 06:36 pm
Hi Fellow Travellers

I am planning around the world trip and battling with the A. best flight options and B. the itinerary. Do you know good round the world tickets? Are we doing too many countries? (Argentina and Brazil we are not planning on doing all of it.) We are wanting to travel from:

1) Jan 2009: South Africa (Johannesburg/Cape Town) to Canada_Vancouver for a couple of weeks skiing,
2) Feb/March 2009: Guatemala and Costa Rico
3) mid March-July 2009: Equador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil
4) Aug 2009 (1 week): Australia, Sydney
5) Aug-Oct/Nov 2009 : Malaysia,Borneo, Thailand, Cambodia
6) Nov/Dec 2009: India

7) Back to South Africa in Early Dec

Website ideas or travel agencies and any other advice is much appreciated.

Thanks

Gardyloo

Hi WT2009 and welcome to Fodors!

Round-the-world (RTW) tickets can offer great value but they're not the easiest travel products to understand. They all have complicated rules and all have their strong and weak points. You're limited to specific carriers or routes; the number of flights, number of continents and/or the total mileage, or the number of stopover points are limited. In some cases they utilize booking "classes" that airlines may limit severely on some routes.

One thing to note is that they're priced differently depending on where you begin and end, and where you actually buy the ticket.

Now some good news - for the time being (and these things can and do change without a lot of advance warning) South Africa is in general the cheapest place in the world to buy RTW tickets. Of course a lot has to do with currency fluctuations, and the Rand is not exactly the strongest currency out there, but nonetheless for a trip like yours you're fortunate to be where you are. January is not that far off, so I would strongly suggest you start firming up your plans as soon as possible.

I would suggest you do a little homework on the routing options and rules. The best sources for basic knowledge are the websites run by the various global airline alliances, who sell the vast majority of RTW tickets. (You actually buy the ticket from one of the member airlines, but the price is fixed throughout the alliance.)

Start with Oneworld (British, Qantas, American, Cathay Pacific, Lan etc.) at www.oneworld.com, and look at their two RTW products, the Oneworld Explorer and the Global Explorer. The Global Explorer is mileage based - the price goes up with the maximum mileage allowance purchased; the Oneworld Explorer is based on the number of continents visited. Starting in SA you'd need a minimum of four continents - your itinerary in fact would require six, the maximum.

Then go to Star Alliance (South African, Lufthansa, Singapore, Thai etc.) at www.staralliance.com. Their RTW tickets are sold on the basis of the mileage covered, and given your itinerary you'd be looking at the top tier of mileage allowances.

One note is that Star Alliance is quite weak in South America, owing to the absence of a member based there, so given your tentative itinerary I'd recommend paying special attention to the Oneworld offerings.

The main thing you should examine is how to mix a RTW ticket with additional travel. All RTW tickets sold since the middle of this year have been limited to 16 segments, which includes any "surface" segments, e.g. Joburg - Madrid, (train to) London - Vancouver would require three segments, just two of which would be flights. With a very ambitious itinerary like yours, you could well run out of available segments before you're done, which the airlines would not ticket.

I recommend to people that they think of the RTW as a travel "backbone" - use it for long-haul flights and for flights where other options are very inconvenient or expensive, then supplement the backbone with side trips or single-continent "air passes" that are purchased separately from the RTW ticket itself. You might pay special attention to Oneworld's South America air pass, the information on which is also on the Oneworld website.

Another excellent knowledge base for RTW tickets can be found in the "global airline alliance" forums at www.flyertalk.com. You can see FAQs, learn about the tricks and trip-ups that lurk, and become quite the expert yourself. Believe me, this knowledge is worth real money when it comes time for you to drop the penny - a helluva lot of pennies - on your own ticket. Knowing the rules can turn a hair-pulling experience into one that is merely exasperating.

I know this all sounds complicated, and it is, but the rewards can be significant, and the value excellent. Welcome to the wacky world of RTWers.

Sarvowinner

World Traveller

Get onto it right away. I know Flight Centre is in J'burg. They might be a good TA to use as they are global.

My husband is on a OW RTW ticket leaving in December. We initially started booking in January and even then there were a lot of flights he couldn't get on. For instance, DD & I are flying FF Geneva-Orlando (via Gatwick) on BA. We had to go Business Class, but my husband couldn't get on the flight so is flying Zurich-Orlando via JFK.

Where you are lucky, is that Qantas has just started flying out of Buenos Aires to Sydney. When we started booking, it was really tough to get OW seats on Lan.

As I said, get going because IMHO the OW airlines treat RTW passengers as if they are the lowest category when it comes to seat availability.

Paulchili

Gardyloo - you've done it again.
Great job explaining a very complicated subject!

World_Traveller_2009

Thanks so much for that info. Good to know that I have to pay attention to the rules, cause normally rules on flights are pretty standard.

When using a RWT do you have to book all legs of the flight in advance? Are these flexible?

DonTopaz

Not only are the rules for RTW tix very different from the rules for other tickets, but the RTW rules vary from alliance to alliance.

As to your specific question, that's one area where just about all the RTW formulas are the same: You do not have to book all of your flights when you buy the ticket. You <i>do</i> have to book your first international flight, and you <i>do</i> have to have your full routing, but the dates and flight times for any flight after the 1st international flight can be left open. Also, you can change the date and time of any flight (sometimes including the 1st flight) for free, as long as you don't change the routing. If you want to change the routing, you can do so by paying a fee ($125 in most cases, I believe), though of course the new routing must adhere to the rules of the RTW ticket that you've purchased.

Gardyloo

Actually with the mandatory changeover to electronic tickets (hence the 16-segment maximum - the most that can be e-ticketed) many airlines' systems can't handle open-dated segments, due to the limitations of the reservations software.

The work-around is just to insert &quot;dummy&quot; dates into the itinerary, then change them once your detailed schedule is known. There is no charge for date changes, nor for changing carriers on the same route (e.g. switching from British Airways to Cathay Pacific on London - Hong Kong) although some airlines are now nickel-and-diming &quot;service fees&quot; - &pound;25 or AUD50 for instance - to make <i>any</i> changes. American Airlines doesn't, at least for now, and I don't know about the others.

World_Traveller_2009

Thanks again for all the responses. Learning lots. Some more questions:

1) What is L Class?

2) The alliances refer to &quot;surface Sectors&quot;. What exactly is this? At the moment I understand it as being: If I fly from South Africa to Brazil on my RWT that is x no of sectors, and then if I go by bus from Brazil to Argentina (on my own account not related to the RWT), then I will have to count the air miles as if I had flown from Brazil to Argentina in my total mileage calculation. Is this correct? This rule sucks, if I understand it correctly!

Gardyloo

<i>1) What is L Class?

2) The alliances refer to &quot;surface Sectors&quot;. What exactly is this? At the moment I understand it as being: If I fly from South Africa to Brazil on my RWT that is x no of sectors, and then if I go by bus from Brazil to Argentina (on my own account not related to the RWT), then I will have to count the air miles as if I had flown from Brazil to Argentina in my total mileage calculation. Is this correct? This rule sucks, if I understand it correctly!</i>

1. &quot;L&quot; class is the economy fare subcategory (&quot;bucket&quot used in Oneworld RTW tickets. Each airline makes so many seats available on each flight in various sub-categories of economy (L), business (D) or first classes (A). The fare category letters (L, D, A) may vary from one airline alliance to another; Oneworld has standardized them across the member airlines' fleets.

You can't tell them apart by looking at the passenger sitting in the seat, but each sub-category has different restrictions regarding changes, refunds, etc. If you're buying an economy RTW ticket you will &quot;book into L&quot; class, and if a particular flight doesn't have any available &quot;L&quot; seats, you won't be able to take that particular flight.

In most cases it's not a big deal - most routes have adequate L inventory. However some routes, for example Lan's Santiago - Auckland - Sydney flight, which is very popular with economy RTW pax, almost never has any L class availability, requiring days, weeks, or even months of delay before any come available. London - Australia can have similar difficulties.

2. A surface sector is whenever the arriving airport is not the same as the next departing airport - even if it's a different airport in the same city, e.g. Heathrow and Gatwick, or LaGuardia and JFK.

On mileage-based RTWs, yes, you're charged for the standard mileage distance between the arriving and departing points (the airlines all have distance tables) and, yes, it's a pain but it is what it is.

With the Oneworld Explorer, there is no mileage limitation, but you're still charged the segment. So, for example, you fly from Joburg to Heathrow, then want to fly to Naples. The only Oneworld service between London and Naples is from Gatwick airport, so you will need three ticket segments (of 16) even though you're only flying two of them. The bus around the M25 costs a segment.

That's why it's best to set up the RTW &quot;backbone&quot; I described as continuous, and make &quot;loops&quot; out of any side trips so as not to waste a valuable segment of the RTW (and, if applicable, the miles as well.) It's not always possible, but advisable.

cwn

World Traveler,

Gardyloo is giving you good information. Wish I had known all that when I started planning our trip. I did soon figure it out, but took several redos of our plan before I got it right.

We are flying with Star Alliance. It fit our itinerary best. They don't have internal flights in Australia so we are doing a driving/train/Qantas loop to cover the country out of Sydney. We are doing two other loops, a flight loop out of Bangkok and a driving loop out of Frankfurt to cover some areas we wanted to see without using up more segments.

Our seats are D Class/Bus Class so the labels may be the same across the system.

We are using all the segments allowed, traveling to 5 continents and are charged with 34,000+ miles which is the next highest price group. It is still a good deal for us since we figure we are actually traveling lcose to 50,000 miles including the connecting &quot;land&quot; segments change to the milage.

I did make the trip work using FF tickets home from Europe and Amex two-for-one BusClass to New Zealand, two of the three longest legs. Even with buying eco tickets for the other flights, the RTW ticket in BC was a better deal.

Have fun planning.

smarty

What a great concept: a trip around the world! I am wondering if there is a time limit for trip?

Also, wondering if one could use FF miles for such a ticket--and if so, any idea how many miles?

Hmmmmmm...just fun to think about!

Gardyloo

Purchased RTW tickets from the alliances are good for one year.

Because the prices are different in different countries, often it's best to fly (on miles, say) to a &quot;cheap&quot; starting point, pick up the RTW ticket and use it to travel around and then end up at home, then later &quot;complete&quot; the RTW with, in essence, a second vacation (maybe the next year) and then use the return portion of the original (award) ticket to get home.

Yes, you can use FF miles for such a trip - look at your FF program's website. One important thing is that paid RTW tickets, especially in business and first class, can provide a very rich harvest in FF miles/points. So it's entirely possible to leverage a second RTW trip using miles, out of the proceeds of a paid one.

Patty

<i>Also, wondering if one could use FF miles for such a ticket--and if so, any idea how many miles?</i>

Here's DL's mileage requirement for RTW Skyteam award http://www.delta.com/skymiles/about_...ndex.jsp#world

Keep in mind the rules can be very different for paid RTW vs award RTW. For example, with the DL award there's no limitation on total mileage only stopovers.

cwn

I really didn't spend too much time trying to figure out which country would give me the cheapest fare, because our trip has two cruise parts that we needed to conect with.

However, I think that from now on we will do RTW tickets for our overseas travel and use FF points if we can.

We are able to be more flexible with travel time, now that we are both retired. Not having to fly on one set date helps in getting this kind of ticket also.

aby

Gardyloo
i must thank you for a superb <u>Review</u> of RTW ticketing
aby

Gardyloo

I'm topping this thread to mention, mainly for the benefit of US-based travelers, that the recent strengthening of the US dollar relative to other major currencies has led to some significant dollar savings for RTW tickets purchased in many countries. As you may recall, alliance-based RTW tickets are priced differently (and in local currencies) depending on where you buy your ticket and begin and end your trip.

It's hard to say if the airlines will revise their prices to reflect currency shifts - all it would do would be to make tickets more expensive for everyone else. So there may be a longer window for this advantage than one might expect, subject of course to the dollar staying as strong as it is.

But for example at present a business-class round the world ticket for 16 flights in three continents (Asia, Europe, N. America) purchased in Korea will cost under US$4,000 at current exchange rates. A 4-continent business class RTW trip purchased in Korea is under $5,000 and under $4,000 if purchased in South Africa. Still a lot of money for most travelers, of course, but a substantial savings for, say, business travelers who have global operations.

Just a heads-up, anyway.

Paulchili

Gardyloo,
That is an excellent point.
How does one living in US purchase these tickets in S. Korea or S. Africa?
Do you have to be there in person(or have business there)?
We will be in S. Africa next January - maybe something to think about?
If purchased in S. Africa can you still originate your trip in N.America?

DonTopaz

Paulchili, in some (many?) cases you can purchase the tickets in the US; they essential element is that your RTW begins in the country with the low price. (I'm most familiar with Star RTW tickets: with these, you can purchase them in the US -- from United Airlines by telephone, for example -- and it is the same price as if you purchased them in the country where the RTW begins.)

That said, one of the better and most convenient places to start RTW trips has been Japan. And the dollar has plunged against the Yen recently -- down to 92 Yen to the dollar, compared to 110 just a very few months ago.

Gardyloo

Paulchili, for Oneworld the price you pay is either the published price in the country where you buy the ticket, or the country in which you begin and end the RTW, whichever is higher. In the case of Korea or SA, many of the Oneworld airlines have ticketing offices or general sales agents, either of whom can issue the ticket. For US residents, the easiest way to go (and cheapest as a rule, owing to differing interpretations on fuel surcharge rules) is to set up an itinerary with the American Airlines dedicated RTW desk in the USA, and have them send the particulars to the AA office (ticket office or GSA) in the country from which you want to begin the trip. They submit the itinerary to the relevant AA tariff office to get the taxes etc. added correctly, then you send them your credit card information or a wire transfer, and they issue the ticket as an e-ticket. You then travel to the origin point (say, Seoul) and check in for the first flight, bingo. I've done the whole process in something like 30 minutes - get off the incoming flight, go through immigration and customs, go up the escalator to the departure level, check your bag, and off you go.

Oneworld has a new policy in which tickets sold in Canada can be priced according to the country of origin, rather than the Canadian price. (Don't ask why Canada, nobody's really sure.) So you can get a Canadian travel agent to issue a ticket priced according to the Korean or South African (or German or Indonesian...) price, convert it to Canadian dollars, you pay the TA and fly off to wherever to activate the ticket. You still have to begin and end in the country where it's priced, and you may be nicked for a service fee from the TA (it's a lot of work) but easily doable on the phone from the USA. That said, it's also really easy to do the steps I mentioned above, so not hard at all.

Considering that a business-class RTW will earn enough frequent flyer miles to cover at least a business class trip to Europe or Asia later, you can leverage quite a lot of travel out of the one-time investment.

Rizzuto, Japan was relatively cheap (and incredibly convenient) for Oneworld RTWs until around a year ago, when the combination of price increases and the strengthening Yen made it less desirable. The &quot;cheapest&quot; (in US dollar terms) places is a moving target.

Paulchili

Thanks rizzuto &amp; Gardyloo - it's something to think about.
From the west coast it would be a lot easier to start in Korea than in S. Africa.
We'll see.