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Big travel: RTW package or pay-as-you-go?
My wife and I are considering taking six months off from work to
literally travel around the world -- US, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, tiny islands, etc. Some big touristy places, but also off-the-beaten path and more advenurous destinations as well. We're looking to spend between 3 and 7 days at each location. Originally we assumed that a round-the-world ticket was the way to go, as we've been told that the discounts involved are tremendous. The plan was to use the RTW ticket as the backbone of our trip, taking us from continent to continent, but then use alternate means for local travel around each RTW stop. This is because the RTW packages we looked at all had a maximum number of stops far too limiting for what we want to see, not to mention the difficulty of putting together a plan that actually goes to the areas we want to go. Now we're wondering if there's a new option, due to the recent emergence of low-cost airlines, especially in Europe and Asia. From what we've gathered, it's possible to skip the whole planning-months- in-advance thing and plan the trip while we're on it -- visit someplace until we're ready to move on, pick a new place to go, and buy a ticket the week or day of the flight. That sounds too good to be true, though, and we fear that the cost of those last-minute tickets will be immense. Is this more suited to some regions than others? For example, should we maybe get a package way in advance for South America but hop around on last-minute tickets in Europe and Asia? Any wisdom on this would be much appreciated. Thanks |
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Big travel: RTW package or pay-as-you-go?
wrote:
Originally we assumed that a round-the-world ticket was the way to go, as we've been told that the discounts involved are tremendous. The plan was to use the RTW ticket as the backbone of our trip, taking us from continent to continent, but then use alternate means for local travel around each RTW stop. This is because the RTW packages we looked at all had a maximum number of stops far too limiting for what we want to see, not to mention the difficulty of putting together a plan that actually goes to the areas we want to go. Have you looked at the actual RTW rules? Star Alliance allows up to 15 stopovers, durations up to a year and distances of 39,000 miles. It's hard to see how you travel plans could exceed that - even with some in country travel. www.staralliance.com And if you reall think you'll be doing lots of intra region/country travel, you can still buy the odd local ticket. I haven't looked at the other alliance RTW rules recently, but I suspect they are similar. Now we're wondering if there's a new option, due to the recent emergence of low-cost airlines, especially in Europe and Asia. From what we've gathered, it's possible to skip the whole planning-months- in-advance thing and plan the trip while we're on it -- visit someplace until we're ready to move on, pick a new place to go, and buy a ticket the week or day of the flight. The RTW rules permit you to pretty much show up and go for every leg except the first one, so there's no benefit to the low cost carriers there. To get the cheapest LCC tickets, you must buy in advance. This also assumes you have identified all the LCC options available. That sounds too good to be true, though, and we fear that the cost of those last-minute tickets will be immense. Is this more suited to some regions than others? For example, should we maybe get a package way in advance for South America but hop around on last-minute tickets in Europe and Asia? I'd buy an RTW fare that covers the majority of your travel. You always have the option of using local train or LCC service. |
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Big travel: RTW package or pay-as-you-go?
Originally we assumed that a round-the-world ticket was the way to go,
as we've been told that the discounts involved are tremendous. The plan was to use the RTW ticket as the backbone of our trip, taking us from continent to continent, but then use alternate means for local travel around each RTW stop. The usual rule of thumb is that a RTW ticket is a good deal in business or first class, but you can do bettern with consolidator and now LCC tickets in coach. Considering that you're going to be spending 70 or 80 hours on the plane, including several overnight trips, biz class is a reasonable investment so you spend more time doing what you want to do and less recovering from sleepless nights and leg cramps. RTW is one area where a knowledgable agent is still worth using. Take a look, for example, at http://www.airtreks.com/ Regards, John Levine, , Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "More Wiener schnitzel, please", said Tom, revealingly. |
#4
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Big travel: RTW package or pay-as-you-go?
On Mar 10, 3:03 pm, wrote:
My wife and I are considering taking six months off from work to literally travel around the world -- US, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, tiny islands, etc. Some big touristy places, but also off-the-beaten path and more advenurous destinations as well. We're looking to spend between 3 and 7 days at each location. Originally we assumed that a round-the-world ticket was the way to go, as we've been told that the discounts involved are tremendous. The plan was to use the RTW ticket as the backbone of our trip, taking us from continent to continent, but then use alternate means for local travel around each RTW stop. This is because the RTW packages we looked at all had a maximum number of stops far too limiting for what we want to see, not to mention the difficulty of putting together a plan that actually goes to the areas we want to go. Now we're wondering if there's a new option, due to the recent emergence of low-cost airlines, especially in Europe and Asia. From what we've gathered, it's possible to skip the whole planning-months- in-advance thing and plan the trip while we're on it -- visit someplace until we're ready to move on, pick a new place to go, and buy a ticket the week or day of the flight. That sounds too good to be true, though, and we fear that the cost of those last-minute tickets will be immense. Is this more suited to some regions than others? For example, should we maybe get a package way in advance for South America but hop around on last-minute tickets in Europe and Asia? Any wisdom on this would be much appreciated. Thanks RTW tickets are generally not a good deal at all (except in business or first class), and can really restrict your itinerary. There are so many cheap flights within Europe, Asia and North America, both on low- cost airlines and discount flights on regular airlines, and many relatively cheap flights between those continents, that there are almost always cheaper ways to do it than a RTW ticket like Star Alliance or One World. By buying tickets as you go, you would usually save money and have much more flexibility. There are exceptions. Most flights to or from, or between countries in, South America, Africa, and Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific are expensive (there are cheap domestic flights in most of those places), and if you plan on hitting a lot of non-major destinations in those places (i.e. not just Buenos Aires or Rio and then back out), you can use a mileage-based RTW ticket to take a large number of short flights in those regions that would otherwise be very expensive. An RTW based on a certain number of stops per continent is useful if you have already visited a lot of the major destinations on the continents you're visiting, and mostly want to reach far-flung places with limited and expensive connections. Can you say where you are leaving from? Also, do you have any more specific ideas about your route? |
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