Well the first problem with that is that it puts me in the South American cities in the dead of winter, which I really want to avoid (particularly BA and Santiago). I'd take them out altogether before doing that.

But that's a lot to think about. I had totally missed AMM as a destination. I could also see starting with MIA-MAD-AMM-CAI-JNB (that looks pretty great in fact), or my annual pilgrimage to London instead of MAD. I could then do Asia (JNB to HKG would be great, or a stop between) and go from Asia to Australia, then ending in South America in their spring. I've pretty much dropped the Russia idea -- thinking I'll hold off for another year or so and just do it in the middle of summer, which would suit me.

I'm not opposed to starting and ending in Chicago as we usually have cheap non-stops on AA from Ft. Myers to there anyway, and I have ended up focusing on that final flight of PVG-ORD, but then returning of Miami. Saving two segments (starting and ending) would be fine. But starting eastbound to Europe from MIA works even better for me than ORD.

How about the Cathay JNB-HKG route (either way)? Is that just as difficult as the Australia to JNB route?

And here's another thought -- I'm really not committed to returning to Australia on this trip. I had gotten hung up on it as a good way to go from South America to Africa, but it appears that idea was way off base. Perhaps I'm best ignoring it and concentrating more on Africa, Asia, and South America -- although there is still the issue of getting between Asia and South America. Unless I still started with MIA to South America, then to MAD, AMM, CAI, JNB then Asia and then return home. That could work too. So many options, my head is spinning. And it's too early in the morning for a drink!

Juest I realize now I left out the return to MAD between CAI and JNB.

Here's a 15 segment that works for me. It even allows for one more segment to get from JNB to HKG if the non stop is an issued. (By the way the China tour I want to do starts in PEK and ends in HKG). So I might have to do my own flight to PEK from HKG at the beginning of it. The Thailand/Viet Nam one starts and ends in BKK. An alternative to this itinerary after the first arrival to HKG, I'd fly on my own from HKG to PVG (not sure how expensive that is), then do my own travel (train from PVG to PEK) and let the tour return me to HKG. Then after BKK, I could just return home from HKG- stopping in LAX, then direct to MIA. I could do this if I did my own round trip travel HKG to HKG doing China, since the tour would return me there anyway. That would actually reduce the itinerary to 14 segments.

MIA-GIG-SCL-EZE-LHR(or MAD)-AMM-CAI-MAD-JNB-HKG-BKK-HKG-PVG-ORD-MIA

Sorry for the math -- the above itinerary is only 14 segments and has NO open jaw), and the alternative I mentioned --returning from HKG would be 13 but with an open jaw. But either would allow for an additional stop from JNB to HKG and maybe even another one (BOM still comes to mind in there).

The more I think about it, having more time in Africa (especially adding Cairo) and more time within Asia appeals more than the stops in Australia.

You left out Russia; not sure if that idea is history or not.

Regardless, I hate open jaws except at the end - I'd much rather try to max out the mileage allowance - value for money as it were.

I can see a couple of opportunities that might be of interest -

Start at DFW so after S. America you can return home for a brief time to change wardrobes if need be, then use either the ORD-DME nonstop to hit Russia, then on Royal Jordanian down to Amman and Cairo, then Africa.

If you can score the JNB-HKG flight (tough but not impossible) then you can backtrack to Mumbai, then to Bangkok, then through HKG to PVG and end in Chicago, thus:

DFW-EZE-SCL-GIG-MIA-ORD-DME-AMM-CAI-MAD-JNB-HKG-BOM-BKK-HKG-PVG-ORD http://tinyurl.com/d9q5qq

If you can't get the JNB-HKG flight then you can still route through London to Mumbai for a few more miles but still under the 50K limit.

DFW-EZE-SCL-GIG-MIA-ORD-DME-AMM-CAI-MAD-JNB-LHR-BOM-BKK-HKG-PVG-ORD http://tinyurl.com/comusl

Or, if you don't need to come home, start in Miami, and eventually go from GIG to London or Madrid, then to Moscow, then to Amman/Cairo, etc. That would give you a 16th segment to use to get back to Miami at the end, or to add Cape Town (... CAI-LHR-CPT-JNB...) or whatever, e.g.

MIA-EZE-SCL-GIG-LHR-DME-AMM-CAI-MAD-JNB-LHR-BOM-BKK-HKG-PVG-ORD-MIA http://tinyurl.com/cm8blv

"Regardless, I hate open jaws except at the end -I'd much rather try to max out the mileage allowance - value for money as it were."

Well, not when an inexpensive tour is including most of that open jaw travel. If I'm going to include the China tour that starts in Peking and ends in Hong Kong I only have a choice of flying to Peking (or to Shanghai) on my own and then returning to Hong Kong free with them. I'm not sure how there's any alternative -- skipping the China tour I really want to do just to avoid having an open jaw? Or else just taking one segment to create that open jaw, rather than paying for it. I suppose the big question is really what it would cost to fly HKG to PVG or to PEK, because I'd definitely have to do one or the other. And there may be a trip extension to that PEK to HKG tour which would actually start in PVG, so that would take care of all except for getting to PVG. But then I'd still definitely not be flying back out of there.

Yes, I've pretty much dropped Russia all together.

I don't think I'm looking to return home in the middle for any reason and use up segments that way, plus have additional flights to my home in the middle plus at both ends!

That last itinerary you list isn't bad, although I think time will require me to have BKK more at the end -- but I hadn't found that BOM-BKK flight which is intriquing if the time would work.

Here's one:
MIA-GIG-SCL-EZE-MAD-JNB-MAD-CAI-LHR-BOM-SIN-KIX-PVG (then land to HKG-BKK-HKG-LAX-MIA

Just a suggestion but if have never been to Easter Island, why not throw that in. You can fly to the island from SCL and then fly out to (not sure) either NZ or AUS, or do it in reverse.

Also, Easter Island is magical, but it is a very small island so 3-4 days is enough.

Sorry to throw that in the the mix but not too many people get a chance to see the island, and the statues. The tiny population is VERY friendly and you can always boast that you had been to the most remote spot in the world. :-)

<i>fly out to (not sure) either NZ or AUS</i>

Lan flies from Easter Island to Papeete twice a week.

I tried to book an all partner South Pacific award routing LAX-PPT-IPC-PPT-LAX and couldn't find 2 business class seats on the PPT-IPC-PPT portion on any date during a 3 month span this year. I have to admit that I gave up on the idea rather quickly and perhaps something would've opened up eventually had I been persistent. It's also possible that 1 seat is easier to score.

NeoPatrick's itinerary (above) is close to maxing out the 50K mile allowance, so IPC would require giving up something else. I agree, however.

Phew. I have to stop coming here and reading from the bottom up. I was scratching my head for 5 minutes what "IPC would require. . ." meant! Duh. Not many of us would recognize the code for Easter Island. I thought it was some computer terminology!

Fascinating idea though. And just AFTER I cut out Australia, New Zealand from the mix! Maybe I'm not digging deep enough, but I'm only finding codeshare flights from PPT to Australia or New Zealand on Air Tahiti.

On one of the shorter itineraries I was working on though I suppose I could fly SCL to IPC and return. (or $485 round trip if buying). It looked like two nights is the normal stay for the non stops rountrips.

By the way, when I first brought up SCL to IPC and it wasn't a day they fly to IPC, I came up with what may be a new record for getting between two fairly short distances. It showed 112 hours to get from SCL to IPC, going from Santiago to Lima to New York to Los Angeles to Papeete to Easter Island.
I wonder how many people really do that! Too funny.

Sorry; its Spanish name is <b>I</b>sla de <b>P</b>as<b>C</b>ua, which also means Easter Island.

Rapa Nui to the Polynesians.

Yea. It's just then when I came back here and started at the bottom, I didn't even realize that IPC was an airline code, I thought you were saying IPC was a rule that would cause some requirement ("IPC would require giving up something else"). Then I read the others above it and realized it must be a destination code for Easter Island. Duh!

I'm still a little confused what partner code shares to OneWorld airlines count. I called and was told that all the Japan Air Lines codeshares with JO or JL or whatever DO qualify. I didn't realize that. Also that DragonAir can be used. I forget offhand where that was an option for something.

These should be the eligible codeshare affiliates https://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do...Affiliates.jsp