What time of year is best to travel and where should I go to avoid one country's sunny season and another's typhoons? suggestions for the 4 seasons would help rather than specific months.

Posted By Thomas Poray on October 22, 2009, 7:36 AM

I recommend www.airtreks.com you make your own trip or get one of their specials that feature a specific set of cities that you can explore at your own pace (usually you have to be back within 6 months). They have something for every budget range.

Posted By Black Brad on October 22, 2009, 11:15 AM

If we are interested in a trip of this magnitude do we need to search for a travel agent that specializes in this sort of endeavor?

Posted By Colleen Nelson on October 23, 2009, 1:43 AM

I've had many friends do an Around The World Vacation. The most flexible way is to book a "Round The World Pass" through one of the major airline alliances via your travel agent. These passes are valid for only airline members within the alliance, but offer you the flexibility of traveling for as short as 10 days to one year. You purchase these "Round The World Passes" in mileage increments which vary in denominations with each airline alliance. If you’d rather not travel the world, but within geographical regions, they also offer special passes for that (Think along the lines of an all day metro pass, but on a much LARGER scale).

While you could book these through the alliances yourselves, booking with a travel agent would ensure that you are getting the most out of your around the world experience.

Posted By Anthony Bandolon on October 25, 2009, 12:12 AM

The amount of planning relates to the trip length. I took an around the world trip in 7wks. (30th wedding anniversary) which required careful flight schedules etc. I planned it for about 6 months using the Northwest around the world ticket. I booked local travel agents in Cambodia, Vietnam, Maldives, Kenya with no issues. A really Great trip. Trip was not low budget but I was very careful in my expenditures as there definitely a budget amount.
Itinerary was in Dec. Jan. Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur,
Bangkok, Chang Mia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Maldives, Sir Lanka, Dubai, Kenya, Sweden and home to U.S. I plan to do it properly in the future (I Hope) taking about 4-5 months and a low key as you go itinerary.

Attached is picture URL if you are interested of our trip.
http://home.comcast.net/~anneforte/world

Joe

Posted By Joe Forte on October 25, 2009, 8:44 AM

Ralph and grandsons encountered a major snafu of US Airways, July 31st, on an Affordable Tours trip to Norway. Weather was known to be bad between Kansas City and Philadelphia, the first leg of the trip. However, US Airways did not provide adequate fuel for their plane to enter a holding pattern over Philadelphia for a turn to land there. Instead the plane had to divert to Harrisburg, PA, due to inadequate fuel. Passengers were then bussed back to Philadelphia, but not in time to board their flight to Norway. Ralph was told at the US Airways desk where flights had to be rescheduled for the following evening, there being only one US Airways flight per day, to go to the Courtyard Marriott Hotel & that US Airways would pay for the room. However, when he arrived at the hotel, hotel staff insisted he must give them his credit card, which, being exhausted, he did. Big mistake! Now, US Airways is refusing to reimburse Ralph. How can he get his money back? (He missed a full day of the tour, the one that would have let him see some of the buildings his great grandfather built in Hamar, Norway, because of US Airways lack of planning. That alone is heartbreaking, and that is not the half of the story, but I won't go into those sad stories here. He just needs you to help him get the reimbursement for the hotel from US Airways.)

Posted By Mrs. Ralph Holliday on October 26, 2009, 9:51 AM

i'm looking to do a back packing type trip around europe, what are the places to hit in each country/best way to travel/hotel deals/sites to see/things to stay away from/things to know before going/converting money between countries/best time of the year to travel...

Posted By arelis on October 26, 2009, 11:09 AM

Hi--
I tried to put together a round-the-world trip last year and thought it would be fun to do it on Continental, where I am a frequent flyer. That way, I would be on my way to earning elite miles, while seeing the world. Is there a chance of addressing this...of course, not necessarily on Continental, but taking into account one airline and its frequent flyer partners?
Many thanks - Kevin Walsh

Posted By Kevin on October 26, 2009, 11:44 AM

Which airline gives the best "bang for the buck" on around the world trips. I wish to do a business class ticket. Perhaps adding air passes in some countries to avoid backtracking is worthwhile. Thanks.

Posted By M. Anderson on October 26, 2009, 11:50 AM

Please discuss the different alternatives available through the different airline alliances, since I believe this should be understood before beginning to plan such a venture, for example, whether distance is calculated by miles, sectors, etc. Also, variations in the maximum time made available for such travel, is it one year, six months or 100 days? Is mileage calculated from one stop to the next, or does it include detours necessary because an alliance does not fly directly to your destination. Thanks for the chance to ask.

Posted By Barry D on October 26, 2009, 11:53 AM

I believe these round-the-world trips are available as a reward on mileage programs. Please include information on the costs, benefits and drawbacks of doing the RTW trip on a free pass, or perhaps as an upgrade using miles.

I'm looking forward to this feature because I've been contemplating such a trip for some time.

Posted By David B. on October 26, 2009, 12:01 PM

How do you keep up with changing money in each country? Years ago eleven european countries nearly drove me crazy-changing when entering-none to be reconverted, etc etc.

Posted By chuck on October 26, 2009, 12:17 PM

Please compare the different airfare options or packages and which airlines and their partners have the around the world fares? Are there any good compare & contrast websites?

Posted By marty DeVine on October 26, 2009, 12:56 PM

I've done a 'round the world' trip and it was a total blast. Even with the distress of a hernia and severe dysentery for half the trip. I winged the planning, but was much younger so was able to roll with the inevitable. Yes, it would be very helpful if we had a comprehensive overview of all the parameters. Now that we can link through on the computer to all kinds of info, your article might also cover these links and how best to utilize them.
I have traveled extensively for most my life and the one constant is serendipity. No matter how well we plan, the unexpected has always trumped and given the best experiences and memories. There is no way to 'plan' for that but needs to be included in ones ground of being. I now love just stepping off a plane or transport and take it as it shows up. The adventure of in the moment discovery is exhilarating. And it's amazing how you can meet such great new local friends this way!
Instead of 5 star hotels I find 5 star friends.

Posted By Jas on October 26, 2009, 1:04 PM

How do you assure that airline tickets are flexible - especially if you find you've allocated 1 week to a place where you want to spend 2 weeks or you've allocated 1 week to a place that's "yikes get me out of here now!" Those types of changes could add to the cost of the
RTW ticket. Also, is it true you can travel only in one direction - always east or always west?

Posted By Lynne on October 26, 2009, 1:05 PM

We'd love to do this but have had trouble finding a way to do both Northern and Southern hemispheres without major headaches. Is there a way to go both east-west and north-south? For instance, we'd like to do part of Europe, Southern Africa, Japan, Australia, etc.

Posted By Judy in MT on October 26, 2009, 1:20 PM

I hope your story provides a good review of Edward Hasbrouck's book "The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World." I recently read the first third of this book and its an extremely detailed look into how to plan such a trip.

Posted By Iolaire McFadden on October 26, 2009, 1:55 PM

I'm planning a trip for next spring. After looking at climate charts, it is clear that India and Moscow don't belong on the same itinerary unless you have more time than I do. I'm going for a northern hemisphere trip--Japan, China Russia, Scandinavia--all places I haven't made it to yet, although I've traveled quite a bit. So far I've booked 'adventure' tours in Japan and on the trans-Mongolian between Beijing and St Petersburg, and am still looking for the right tour for China during the month in between. With the drastic language and cultural differences, I'm hoping these tours are enough to deal with logistics efficiently without being too constricting. Once I'm in Scandinavia, going on my own will be easy and definitely less expensive. I'm looking a broker like Air Treks for the flights.

In the future there may be a winter trip picking up more of Asia/India/Egypt when the weather is cooler.

Posted By Marge on October 26, 2009, 2:29 PM

We will be traveling to Saigon, Viet Nam end of Feb. Are there any reasonably priced massages or spa's in that area anyone would recommend? Also, recommendations of what NOT to miss and what to pass on. Thanks, we will be there 10 days.

Posted By Chris on October 26, 2009, 3:37 PM

I have heard that a lot of the around the world flights only allow travel in one direction, i.e. to the east only. Are there any that don't have that restriction, that maybe just have a maximum number of legs?

Posted By Kaye on October 26, 2009, 4:08 PM

Is it possible to purchase a first class RTW ticket and with premium awards for air miles flown have that ticket cost less than or close to a business class and/or coach class RTW ticket when one considers the resultant free trips?

Posted By Douglas Dockey on October 26, 2009, 5:17 PM

We are going on a RTW cruise and will be stopping in many Muslim countries. Can you help with what to wear, proper customs and so on when visiting mosques or other Muslim holy places?

Posted By JoAnn on October 26, 2009, 5:17 PM

Are there certain places that are off limits with an around the world pass such as Nambia or New Zealand? Which airline gives you the most flexibility? I did an around the world on PanAm in 1968 to and from East Pakistan and it was great!

Posted By Lynn Glesne on October 26, 2009, 6:30 PM

Round the world travel requires a signifent amount of travel arrangements prior to taking off and depending on where you want to go and what you want to see these differ.Most of the large airlines have a round the world ticket and are members of alliances with other partners.I have done this twice.Once with United and once with Delta and their airline partners (Singapore,Northwest.Air New Zealand,ThaiAirlines,Royal Nepal.Aeroflot,Air France,Al Atallia,Chezk Airline to name a few)Most tickets are for a fixed number of stops in a east or west direction and don't allow backtracking.I reccomend traveling west or you lose a lot of sleep and the body clock adjusts better.

After transportation and visas I budget $100 per day in 2 and 3 star hotels and meals,The internet is full of hotel bargains and I eat where the locals eat.

I am planning a third trip now for Feb/Mar 2010.I arrange plans in this order 1. Tickets 2. Passport and visas 3, Travel insurance
4, Shots if you are going to certain countries 5. Hotel for your first night at first few stopovers 6.Packing list for where you are going (PACK LIGHT)

This trip will be with Delta/Northwest with a Skymiles Award ticket,Stopovers include: Shanghai,Saigon,Delhi.Nairobi,Rome,
Buenos Aries and back to Atlanta for six stops allowed on this type ticket. I plan to be gone about seven weeks.Out of these hubs I will take side trips to Suzhou,China ,Da Lat and Hoi An, Vietnam, Seim Reap, Cambodia (Angor Watt),several places in Rajasthan,India,National parks in Kenya,Train to Gremany to see der Kinder, and a swing thru Patagonia.The value of the US Dollar against local currencies seems to work with this itinery okay.

First trip in 2002:
New Zealand, Australia, Singapore,Kuala Lampur,Bangkok,Ching Mai, Nepal, Agra/Delhi,Istanbul, Athens,Venice, Germany. Spain, England, Atlanta.

Second trip in 2006:
Tokyo,Nara,Nieko,Kyoto in Japan, Hong Kong,Guangzhou,Xian, Beijing in China,
Ulan Baator,Mongolia,Moscow, a day in a Third World Hotel/jail in Belarus for not having a transit visa,Prague, Germany, Milan, Rio de Janero,Atlanta.

Patience, a sense of humor and a handful of words in the language of the country your in go a long way to make for a rewarding trip.Make friends and enjoy your travels.I should mention that any preconcieved ideas you have about the way things happen if you venture off to Katamandu in Nepal should be discarded.Truly a whacky delightful place.

Try Airtreks.com for Consalitor tickets
Try SmilinJack.com for World Airlines

Posted By Mickey B on October 26, 2009, 7:28 PM

I di a round the world a umber of years ago. in 1985 I purchased a tour of Russia, China Burma, and Japan due to political requirements, eg pre 1989.

Cost is probably about the same now if you take inflation and competition into account.

Yes you do need an experienced agent to help.

I'd never traveled alone before,(middle aged womean) and my planning consisted in circling every interesting city and connect the dots (hence the tours--very cheap above)

Spent 2 weeks in Paris ( about $ 1,000) train and stops Belgium, NL, and Hamburg, Rusia (Moscow, Siberia, Taskent, Samarkand, Bukara, Tibilisi, S Leingrad) Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Istambul, Kuwait, Karachi, India (3 weeks) Nepal Burma, Tailand, HK, PI (10 days) Chain (Shainhai,Beijing, Xian, Chendu, Tibet, Guilin, Canton,) Japan (2 weeks) Hawaii, US, Vancouver, Home.

Left in mid June and returned in early Nov. Perfect weather--Rained I day. Total cost was around 12K and worth every penny. I sold my house to finance it, because I knew my life would never be the same, nor would I --a life altering trip.

Posted By samisamisme on October 26, 2009, 7:40 PM

Want to spend December 2010 in Thailand then
Jan Feb and March in Australia. Travelling from YEG or Vancouver Canada and returning to same.
Which would be the best airline to do this with,
prefer one airline or world Alliance. Looking for economy return.

Posted By Janice Blake on October 26, 2009, 10:51 PM

How can you get a visa for countries like Russia when you are already abroad?

What's the most affordable way to get between countries, especially when you might be hitting a smaller city (like Florence, Italy) and want to fly from there instead of the capitol?

Posted By Ellen Miller on October 27, 2009, 12:00 AM

My wife and I took a 12-coutnry, 4.5 month RTW trip last year (mytb.org/aarandcos). I did extensive research into the round-the-world tickets offered by the major air alliances. We did the math, and (for our planned itinerary) it seemed to work out slightly cheaper to just book the flights through expedia as we went along. Even if you do save a slight amount with the RTW ticket, it's still not worth it b/c of the rules and restrictions of the RTW ticket. Plus, different alliances focus on different areas. One (I forget which) is very weakly represented in Africa. The other was weak in Asia.
I would say that I would only recommend the RTW packages to those who are doing a whirlwind trip (4 days or less per destination), or if you will be concentrating on the areas covered by that particular air alliance. Check the website of the alliance first to know their offered destinations and restrictions (READ ALL FINE PRINT). This made the difference for us. We did the math first comparing the total cost of an RTW vs. booking individual flights through expedia with one week's notice (that's the key). The second way ended up being cheapest and most flexilbe.

Posted By Aaron Nolan on October 27, 2009, 9:57 AM

I've been around the world twice. The first time was in the 70's, I went to Australia from the US and returned 2 yrs later via ship to Singapore, Bahrain,UAR, London,and NY. Quite the adventure!
The second was in '96 lasted 3 wks and took 3 wks to plan. I went on United from Atl, San Francisco,Hawaii,Tokyo,Hong Kong,Delhi, India,London, Washington. On this trip, I was sick(India's revenge)and my sister sprained her ankle. Nothing slowed us down and we had a wonderful and memorable trip. The second trip cost each approx. $1500 total

Posted By Sherrie on October 27, 2009, 10:42 AM

Which countries are the best for a US Citizen to find temporary work in order to replenish funds for their trip around the world?

Posted By Sara McBride on October 27, 2009, 3:11 PM

I completed a RTW trip this summer in 4 weeks. Started planning & researching 16 months before the departure date. Checked the various airline alliance programs to get sample prices & itineraries. Also checked w/ online brokers based in San Francisco (Air Treks, etc) which were considerably cheaper than purchasing RTW tkt directly from the airline. After reading many online blogs from people around the world who've done this, best option for me in terms of price and flexibility was buying all separate one-way tix either directly from an airline or via travel websites, particularly UK-based travel websites. For example, via UK-based Kelkoo Travel website, in November '08, found a one-way economy tkt LAX to LHR on Virgin Atlantic for 210 UK Pounds for my travel date of June '09. Exchange rate was favorable at the time, so that one-way cost US $300+change -- a real steal one-way for LAX to London Heathrow in late June. Then via another UK-based website (ASDA Travel) found a one-way LHR to Johannesburg for 350 UK Pounds for early July. Mind you, this took time checking those websites regularly 6-7 months in advance of departure date to watch prices and having a favorable exchange rate. With some digging and patience online, you can catch some good prices on airline tix if you know where and when you want to go. Also, two good carriers to check for a RTW trip are Qatar Air and Emirates Air. Thru their own websites and thru these UK-based sites, you can find some good one-way prices on flights to bridge the RTW route between Europe and Asia, if you don't mind hubbing via Dubai or Doha. Also, Asia-based travel sites such as Asiatravel.com can get you good one-way tkt from say Bangkok back to US west coast, if you know well in advance when you want to travel. Bought all my one-way tix online -- trip went smoothly with no glitches. All my e-tickets were in the system, double checked confirmation #'s and airline record locator #'s before I left just to be sure. No problems whatsoever in terms of credit card statement and charges. In the end, my RTW ticket cost US $2500, having chosen cities I wanted to see and airlines I wanted to travel. That was the way to go for me, and that's how I'll do it on next RTW trip.

Posted By Margie on October 27, 2009, 5:29 PM

I don't suggest doing a round the world trip all in one long trip, unless you have to (terminally ill and this is in your bucket list to do) You might want to purchase as much vacation time from your work as you can (most places let you buy an extra week) then schedule your trip into 1 or 2 long trips and 2 - 3 short trips. For example, 3 weeks off could be three, 5 day jaunts (using weekends and a holiday plus 2 vacation days each) two, 9 day jaunt (two weekends and a holiday with 4 vacation days.

Posted By vince paradise on October 27, 2009, 6:03 PM

(continuation from prior post)
you can then properly examine a region with more detail. If you're in the East coast, You can use a 5 day vacation in the fall in Paris. Then in the winter do a 9 day vacation around Northern France. In the Spring take another 9 day vacation in Northern Spain/ Southern France, then return in Summer for a 5 day short vacation in Madrid or Barcelona. In one year you would have seen half of western Europe with a focus on two huge cities of culture. If you have more than three weeks, add another 9 day vacation to Northern Italy/ Austria and a 5 day vacation in Vienna/Munich. In little more than 4 years you can see the world without being so hurried and with a better understanding of how the "locals" live.

Posted By vince paradise on October 28, 2009, 2:17 PM

Any tips for a 20something female traveling solo around the world? What is the best way to handle foreign currency when hopping around the globe?
How do you handle medications and prescriptions that are needed throughout the entire trip?

Posted By McKey on October 28, 2009, 10:19 PM

With grade-school-aged children, what recommendations do you have for a round-the-world trip during a summer vacation? Much of Europe is vacationing in August - is this true with other countries? Any tips for unique places both parents and kids would enjoy, somewhat off the tourist map? Is there a good resource/business/cooperative for staying in private homes, to live in neighborhoods for a week or so at a time, to enjoy the local scene? Any special vaccinations for kids? Thank you.

Posted By Lisa Bangert on October 29, 2009, 12:58 PM

I've been considering a round the world trip but I really don't like to plan much in advance. How organized do you have to be to do something like this successfully within a budget? Flights and hotels before you leave? Visas? What is you change your mind on which countries to go to mid-trip?

Posted By Kirstin Cattell on October 30, 2009, 4:47 PM

What cruies lines would you recommend for a RTW cruise if you're on a budget?

Posted By Wendy Barnett on November 2, 2009, 3:17 PM

It would seem everybody is asking about RTW trips via airlines. What about driving & transporting your vehicle or train travel. What is the point of an around the world trip with a different city every two or three nights? I for one am not into collecting cities or tourist spots in my scrapbook but taking my time to get to know an area. This is a plan we have for the day we retire but it is very hard to find info on transporting our small camper, insurance issues etc. I know you will not take time to address this issue but is there at least a recent book you can recommend

Posted By sherry on November 2, 2009, 4:59 PM

Hi - Several questions:
1. How much $ do you recommend allocating for a year-long continual trip? (No 5 star hotels, but lots of backpacking, youth hostels, etc.)
2. Do you recommend taking a laptop or using internet cafes? (I take a lot of photos and want to keep up a blog and photo site without a lot of hassles and expense, but worry about safety and getting my laptop and camera stolen).
3. I'm interested in a flexible itinerary leaving me time to explore random places and not be pinned in by a flight that I pre-booked. So, what's the best way to go about transportation (trains instead of planes?) and getting Visas when you're already on the road?
4. Is there a website that details Visa requirements/contact information/procedures for all countries?
5. What type/s of health insurance do you think is best? Is there a particular company you recommend?
6. Is there a comprehensive language book that gives basic travel phrases for around the world travelers?
7. Any tips on comprehensive websites for the following: getting jobs abroad, local customs in popular countries (don't want to be the bad American!), train schedules, unsafe places to avoid.

Thanks!

Posted By Beth F on November 2, 2009, 5:33 PM

We have two families traveling together to Germany, Austria and Switzerland next summer. We have 5 boys between 9-16 and one 14 year old girl.

We have traveled to southern europe before on a cruise ...more experience rather than museums. The boys said it was too educational.

Ideas on what not to miss? Family friendly places with rooms that are large enough to accomodate.

Posted By karen on November 3, 2009, 3:00 PM

We'll soon have enough mileage for two RTW on USAir's partners. Any obstacles ib booking on an award ticket?

Posted By Phil G on November 5, 2009, 7:29 AM

What is the most economical way to book airfare on a trip that is more than just a round-trip? I want to go to a destination and then fly to other cities before coming home.

Posted By Brad on November 16, 2009, 7:57 PM