By Jim Klee, Posted Dec 04, 2006
Sections: Travel Around the World Planning Your Journey Whom to go with Purchasing Tickets What it will cost you More Info on the Web
That will be four thousand, one hundred eighty-three dollars and five cents.
There are two options for around the world travelers: to buy package airfare or to buy tickets along the way. Both have their pros and cons, but it is undoubtedly better to allow yourself the freedom of buying fares along the way. That way you never have to be at any place at any time and the joy of travel really kicks in. Why worry about making it somewhere? Isn’t this why you left to travel in the first place?
It is easy to travel leaving your home country with only a one way ticket out. Airfare is almost always cheaper abroad than where you are from. When you are ready to go home it is as simple as buying a ticket from wherever you are back. One snag to this option, though, is that many customs agents require a proof of return fare before letting you into their country. There are ways around this.
Once in a country you can easily buy plane, train, bus and boat tickets that will take you anywhere you want to go. This will be a lot cheaper than buying tickets at home, too. For example, the same ticket from Lima to Cusco, Peru costs $250 online on Yahoo but only $70 if you buy it the same day at the airport in Lima.
The other option for around the world travel is to purchase package airfare in the form of an ‘around-the-world’ ticket. You choose your destinations in a constrained way usually continuing in the same direction around the globe. Usually you have only one year to complete the airfare, and the destinations you have chosen are not changeable. You may or may not be able to change the dates without a fee.
Package airfare sucks for two reasons: 1) you may easily find you need more than a year 2) you will meet other people along the way and your desires on where to go will change.
Many travelers end up throwing out the rest of their around-the-world tickets somewhere halfway into them.
If you still insist on this option, there are two main ticket options for around-the-word travel: One World Alliance and Star Alliance. There are no websites listing fares for these plans for the reason below.
IMPORTANT TIP: The price of around-the-world fares vary depending on the country you are in when you but the tickets. For example, an RTW purchased in the United States typically costs $3000. The same exact ticket starting in London might cost $1200. You would be better off going to London in this case and buying your RTW there.
Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and the UK are all cheap places to purchase RTW fares.
