Around the world plane ticket

[jacksam]

Not sure which forum to post this. I was wondering if anyone has had experience of travelling around the world start and finish bkk. Or somewhere in Asia. I have visited a few helpful sites but first hand advice would be great.

I don't care where I go except some of Europe is a must.

Cheers

[CharlieH]

MOVED to Travel forum

[OMGImInPattaya]

Not sure what you want to know...I've never done but researched allot. You pick an airline alliance that has good coverage of the areas you want to travel. You pick how many sectors you want to fly and generally have to fly in the same direction around the globe (no backtracking). I can't recall if you have to start and end at the same city. The savings over buying each sector individually is usually substantial.

[tolsti]

This is a fairly painless way to book make your designer trip and as it is all in one alliance it is pretty seamless. https://www.staralliance.com/en/fares/round-the-world-fare

[sandyf]

May be of some interest.

You can do BKK to Canada, I was looking at Montreal, via London with British Airways or via Frankfurt with Lufthansa.

My nephew came from Montreal to BKK with American Airlines, he stopped off in Vancouver and Tokyo.

[CharlieH]

May be of interest:

http://www.oneworld.com/flights/round-the-world-fares/oneworld-explorer

[IMA_FARANG]

I have never done it either, but when I was younger I did a lot of research on the programs.

Different airlines and different airline alliance have similar programs with slightly different rules.

I am sure you can get a Bangkok to Bangkok around the world ticket, but these days since the airlines have been deregulated, if you would get any real savings buying such a ticket today.

Usually the rules are something like these, but the exact details may vary with the airline:

• There are two types of round the world tickets. One is with confirmed reservations, the other is with no confirmed reservations. You basically have an itinerary but a standby ticket. At each destination you book a further onward reservation at each destination after you arrive.
• Type 2, without pre-confirmed reservations is cheaper, but obviously less certain. Type 2 is something a younger person or backpacker might consider. Type 1, with confirmed reservations is expensive, and to be considered if you can afford the money.
• Normally there is a time limit by which you must complete the travel..... could range from 45 days to180 days depending on the airline involved.
• You can travel basically in one direction around the world.....East to West or vice versa... some airlines will allow you to deviate to places north or south of your direction track...... but NO backtracking is allowed. That means you can not repeat a destination.
• In some areas you may be allowed to use trains to connect two of your destination cities.... Europe is a good example, but even if you use a train or bus to connect destination cities, you must keep traveling in the same direction....again NO backtracking
• If you exceed the time limit on travel your ticket is voided on any unused destinations so you don't need to exactly start and end in the same city, but the unused part of the ticket is just voided when the time limit expires.
• It is possible to do but I would say it's a young person's thing and you need to LIKE traveling and find it an adventure. Also you will need adaptability and initiative to do the complete trip you have planned.... as often something goes wrong and you may need to make changes quickly.

But if you are the type of person who likes the adventure of traveling and are adaptable it is possible to do it.

Edited May 16, 2015 by IMA_FARANG

[CNXBKKMAN]

There are lots of different round the world airfares. Depending on where you want to go some will be much better and hugely cheaper than others. First thing where do you really want visit? Post it on here plus the approx dates you want to travel and be back by. To get the best deal you may need to shuffle dates around by a week or so it helps to be flexible.

The ticket that visits asia, africa, europe, north and south america plus australia will cost thousands of dollars more than one that does asia, europe and north america.

Depending on where you want to visit a series of one way tickets can be better. Bonus places should arise when you decide where it is you would really like to visit. For example say you decide to finish in San Francisco then fly back to BKK you could come back via Beijing, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and have couple of nights city break in one of those cities.. This stop could also make your ticket cheaper.

A good RTW travel agent would normally be the first step in booking a but i dont have any to recommend in Thailand.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I have never done it either, but when I was younger I did a lot of research on the programs.

Different airlines and different airline alliance have similar programs with slightly different rules.

I am sure you can get a Bangkok to Bangkok around the world ticket, but these days since the airlines have been deregulated, if you would get any real savings buying such a ticket today.

Usually the rules are something like these, but the exact details may vary with the airline:

• There are two types of round the world tickets. One is with confirmed reservations, the other is with no confirmed reservations. You basically have an itinerary but a standby ticket. At each destination you book a further onward reservation at each destination after you arrive.
• Type 2, without pre-confirmed reservations is cheaper, but obviously less certain. Type 2 is something a younger person or backpacker might consider. Type 1, with confirmed reservations is expensive, and to be considered if you can afford the money.
• Normally there is a time limit by which you must complete the travel..... could range from 45 days to180 days depending on the airline involved.
• You can travel basically in one direction around the world.....East to West or vice versa... some airlines will allow you to deviate to places north or south of your direction track...... but NO backtracking is allowed. That means you can not repeat a destination.
• In some areas you may be allowed to use trains to connect two of your destination cities.... Europe is a good example, but even if you use a train or bus to connect destination cities, you must keep traveling in the same direction....again NO backtracking
• If you exceed the time limit on travel your ticket is voided on any unused destinations so you don't need to exactly start and end in the same city, but the unused part of the ticket is just voided when the time limit expires.
• It is possible to do but I would say it's a young person's thing and you need to LIKE traveling and find it an adventure. Also you will need adaptability and initiative to do the complete trip you have planned.... as often something goes wrong and you may need to make changes quickly.

But if you are the type of person who likes the adventure of traveling and are adaptable it is possible to do it.

A lot of people do RTW flights with nice hotels and transfers booked at every stop. They might use their whole years holidays entitlement and travel for a month or 6 weeks. Also Popular with retired couples who will also have all the hotels and car hires , motorhomes booked and travel longer. Backpackers will be more likely to try to get the full years validity of the ticket depending on funds.

The route normally depends on the airlines route network not just moving east or west. Back tracking within a continent is not a problem.

Nowadays all sectors will be confirmed when you book but are changeable once you set off. You dont pay more for a confirmed ticket. Its the only ticket you can book.

[jacksam]

Thank you all for those comprehensive replies. So detailed and informative. On a side note,......it's becomes very obvious when one starts to travel, how it so easy for nationals of some countries. Being AU I can waltz into many countries. My thai gf on other hand has a tough time. I have taken her twice to AU and later this year will be 3. Each application is rather extensive. Was surprised that she can go to Japan for 15 days visa exempt. Would be lovely if some other countries like AU and Europe and USA did likewise. I get 90 to Japan and think 6 months to Canada. Very sweet.

Am dealing with online mob now for RWT and will update cost etc when finalized.

[CharlieH]

In case you were not aware of it, this may also be of interest:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/500903-where-can-thai-people-go-without-visa/

Where Thais can go without Visa.

[jacksam]

Thanks Charlie. Was aware of that and now looking at route that would go from Europe to Seth americia rather than north.

The big linch pin is getting her a schengen visa for Europe.

Started another post on that. Seems bit of dead end. I'm AH national.

Anyway if it all comes together it might be good info for non European nationals with a thai gf in tow

[sandyf]

Thanks Charlie. Was aware of that and now looking at route that would go from Europe to Seth americia rather than north.

The big linch pin is getting her a schengen visa for Europe.

Started another post on that. Seems bit of dead end. I'm AH national.

Anyway if it all comes together it might be good info for non European nationals with a thai gf in tow

I would suggest that you think carefully about where you want to land in Europe as this can affect how you obtain the visa. Try and avoid Germany for the visa, the process is not straightforward.

Amsterdam may be preferable, from what I have seen the Dutch are quite reasonable. From Amsterdam it would be quite easy to travel to other countries by train and fly out from there.

There are no land borders in Europe so once you are on the ground it is all very straightforward.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I love RTW tickets. Only done one myself. Doing a RTW on a Thai passport sounds like a lot of visa work. Probably one reason why you dont see RTW tickets promoted in Thailand. When are you traveling? July and August in europe are busy and more expensive. Do you have a big budget for your trip or are you trying to keep it from getting out of hand? Putting south america into your RTW immediately knocks the price up. There are far fewer flights to and from south america.

One thing about europe ( and the same with S america) is less is more. A longer trip in less countries is better than flying from capital city to another trying to tick off as many countries as you can. Your whole time could be spent touring around France or Italy going to the smaller places. A bit of peace and quiet and beauty not just Paris , Barcelona, Rome Berlin etc. Check out rail passes on seat61.com.

Check out gadventures.com for small group trips like Buenos Aires to Rio over 2 weeks or so. Loads of trips in Peru with inca trail permits guaranteed. Galapagos trips. All can be added into your RTW itinerary.

I am more of a budget traveller so this would be my cheap charlie RTW ticket. Cheap charlie is probably the wrong description because the real expense is all the cash you need for the places you visit. A true cheap charlie would never do this trip.

40000 to 50000 baht for the RTW airfare. First bit one way BKK to London/Paris/Amsterdam. Could be Malaysian, Vietnam Airlines or Sri Lankan. I would probably do Sri Lankan and stop in Colombo. Go to the beach , go to mountains Candy? Even two or 3 night would be nice, or longer. Sri lanka is next door to the Maldives if thats interesting ( Check out the gadventures Dhoni sailing boat trip).

Back on Sri Lankan to europe. Loads of Easyjet, Ryan Air, Air Berlin flights to wherever. Trains and Rail Passes. Whatever your europe trip is going to be?

Flight out of Europe to Canada on Air Transat. Check their website for departure cities. Fly to Calgary or Vancouver. Car or motor home between Calgary and Vancouver for a stunning Rockies trip. Take the ferry from Vancouver to Prince Rupert for a stunning cruise. Drive back. Or take a cruise side trip up to Alaska?

Flight out of Vancouver to BKK possibly via China , Taiwan , Korea. Stop in one of those places? To keep within the 40k to 50k price your looking for the cheap one way. Via Japan might be reasonable so no visa for Thai PP holders. A 7 or 14 day japan rail pass before flying back to BKK. Or via Beijing and the Great Wall?

To get the low airfares your trip is working round the days when the airfares are cheap. Theres a thousand ways to do these trips . Fly to Toronto overland to LA or San Fran for the flight back to asia. Amtrak, Southwest Airlines car hires across the USA.

Or do calgary vancouver and overland down to Seattle, Portland , Oregon, Napa, Yosemite to LA , San Diego, San Fran?

RTW trips are brilliant so i hope you get to do one and the visa situation doesn't become a nightmare. Good luck.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Just a quick pricing. Sep 10 BKK to Paris 15320 baht Sri Lankan. Sep 22 or 29 Amsterdam to Calgary 16567 baht Air Transat.

15 Oct Vancouver to Bangkok on JAL and Malaysian 17685 baht. Total 49572 baht . Theres no stop in Colombo or Tokyo built into those prices but you could speak to a travel agent, the Airline to price the stops in or mess about online . I just gave it 5 mins to see what the prices were like.

Alternative to AMS YYC could be a Gatwick or Manchester to Cancun then overland to calfornia for the asian flight home. Same sort of price.

[KhunBENQ]

There are no land borders in Europe so once you are on the ground it is all very straightforward.

Yes, no land borders but some island(s) called UK which will not let you in with a Schengen visa

Edited May 17, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[sandyf]

There are no land borders in Europe so once you are on the ground it is all very straightforward.

Yes, no land borders but some island(s) called UK which will not let you in with a Schengen visa

Taken out of context, the UK is not in the Schengen area and was not mentioned in my post.

[samsensam]

spent 2.5 years travelling round the world over land as much as possible and would certainly recommend doing it this way. the experience of being and travelling with the locals was priceless.

i bought my first flight, then overland as far as possible then bought the next flight e.g. flew to yemen, then flight to lebanon then overland to india, flight to myanmar then overland through asia to china etc.

this gives you flexibility because you dont know how much you will enjoy a place, or not, and therefore how long you will want to stay there. it would be unfortunate to be really enjoying a place or realise you need more time in a place but have to leave because of a pre-booked flight.

flexibility gives you freedom

[sandyf]

spent 2.5 years travelling round the world over land as much as possible and would certainly recommend doing it this way. the experience of being and travelling with the locals was priceless.

i bought my first flight, then overland as far as possible then bought the next flight e.g. flew to yemen, then flight to lebanon then overland to india, flight to myanmar then overland through asia to china etc.

this gives you flexibility because you dont know how much you will enjoy a place, or not, and therefore how long you will want to stay there. it would be unfortunate to be really enjoying a place or realise you need more time in a place but have to leave because of a pre-booked flight.

flexibility gives you freedom

All very nice in theory but an unfortunate fact of life is that the Thai people do not have the freedom to be flexible.

The other side of the coin is the cost involved. I have just paid out about 9000 baht for 2 visas and probably be another 4000 baht for the third. It can mount up very quickly unless you stick to the visa free countries.

[jacksam]

Sandyf , your so right. I'm starting to lean towards bkk into turkey then south America then onto somewhere the thai gf doesn't need visa..i.e Japan.

Eventually will help her with a Shengen visa. Have a topic running in visa to other countries and getting some helpful advice on that.

[CNXBKKMAN]

spent 2.5 years travelling round the world over land as much as possible and would certainly recommend doing it this way. the experience of being and travelling with the locals was priceless.

i bought my first flight, then overland as far as possible then bought the next flight e.g. flew to yemen, then flight to lebanon then overland to india, flight to myanmar then overland through asia to china etc.

this gives you flexibility because you dont know how much you will enjoy a place, or not, and therefore how long you will want to stay there. it would be unfortunate to be really enjoying a place or realise you need more time in a place but have to leave because of a pre-booked flight.

flexibility gives you freedom

If you really want to travel the 1 year validity of a RTW ticket is not enough. Best to do what you did go with flow and be free to go in any direction when you are ready. Pick up a job somewhere start traveling 6 months later whatever. There are a tonne of opportunities and options out there which you are not aware of until you set off. If you are only traveling for a few months or you have to be back by a certain date a RTW ticket can be an amazing trip.

[craigt3365]

Fares are getting cheaper and cheaper and options seem to be opening up now. I just got a one way ticket from Stockholm to BKK for $350. Checked bag, meal, reserved seat, etc, all included. Middle of high season. A buddy just got Amsterdam to Chicago for $600, one way.

You should price this both ways. With an agent and by your self with online tools. A site like rome2rio.com is very useful.

[rocketboybkk]

Go to a travel agent or go online & plan your airports. You need to keep going forward. Simple as that.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CNXBKKMAN]

Fares are getting cheaper and cheaper and options seem to be opening up now. I just got a one way ticket from Stockholm to BKK for $350. Checked bag, meal, reserved seat, etc, all included. Middle of high season. A buddy just got Amsterdam to Chicago for $600, one way.

You should price this both ways. With an agent and by your self with online tools. A site like rome2rio.com is very useful.

What was your one way? Norwegian?

[rocketboybkk]

Fly into main hubs. Then try to travel overland, just enjoy but it's so simple to book

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[craigt3365]

Fares are getting cheaper and cheaper and options seem to be opening up now. I just got a one way ticket from Stockholm to BKK for $350. Checked bag, meal, reserved seat, etc, all included. Middle of high season. A buddy just got Amsterdam to Chicago for $600, one way.

You should price this both ways. With an agent and by your self with online tools. A site like rome2rio.com is very useful.

What was your one way? Norwegian?

Yes. I know it's a budget airline. Most complaints I've read about them have to do with the add on charges or those related to changes. I'll let you know in a month or so how it works out!

I got a flight to Kiev on Ukraine Air for a bit over $400. All in, one way.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Never done Norwegian but thats a great price. A Dreamliner i believe with its special cabin. It should be a nice flight if its not jam packed.

[NeverSure]

The best thing about going around the world with a one-way ticket is that you don't have to return.