Hi there,
Are you starting to think someone should write a book just on this subject, they would sell thousands of copies. I am ready to pull my hair out from trying to plan an year or travelling. Buy an RTW ticket or do it on our own???? We are leaving October 2005, returning end of Sept 2006. We will be leaving from Vancouver, Canada. We want to do Europe, Asia, New Zealand for sure. Don't care where we land in each place, just get there and then wing it from then on. Seems like it is such a list of pros and cons to RTW ticket or not. Half say yes, the other half say no. We don't want to be restricted in anyway, but we don't want to end up spending a ton of money that we don't have to either. Here is a price and itineary we got from air alliance.
Vancouver to Hong Kong
Hong Kong to Auckland
Auckland to Singapore
Singapore to Frankfurt
Frankfurt to Vancouver
Cost $4449.00 plus about $350.00 in taxes
Seems really high to me, it will be $10,000 total for the both of us for airfare alone!!! Does anyone have any comment on this price? Any suggestions of a better way to go about our travel? Route suggestions, we can start in New Zealand first instead of Hong Kong if that helps matters?
Thanks for any help.

I have booked a RWT for October 2005 with "STA Travel". STA have branches around the world. We are going to Hong Kong, Thailand, (Malaysia & Singapore overland), Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the USA for £863 British pounds.

I bought a book by Rough Guides, "First Time Around The World" (ISBN 1-84353-057-0). This is full of helpful information.

Good luck and Happy travelling!

Let me know how you get on.

Leona23_@hotmail.com

Hi,

We are setting up a website to help travellers with issues like RTW and all the kinds of worries that bug people before they set off on a world trip.

The link will be http://www.thetravelmonkey.net, due to go live on September 1 2005. In the meantime you can email us on info@thetravelmonkey.net and we will do our best to help you with any travel related issues you have. This is a free service.

Thanks for your time!

Richard

==============================
Richard Fletcher
The Travel Monkey
www.thetravelmonkey.net

Hey,

Im planning a trip for next September for a year (or until im ready to come back)and have the same problem.I want to go
London - NYC
Overland to LA and then down to Lima (overland)
Lima - Fiji
Fiji - Auckland
Christchurch - Sydney
Cairns - singapore
and then just have a look around as much of Asia as poss.

Ive had a quote for a RTW of £1800 not including Lima from staralliance,but was wandering if buying as i go would be cheaper.Any ideas?How does my itinerary look,dya rekon i could fit it into a year if i had to?Any comments greatfully excepted.

Cheers

[This message was edited by Dale on August 23, 2005 at 05:37 PM.]

We are partway round our tour,
almost the same tour as dale's,

London to NYC
overland to LA
LA to Fiji
Fiji to NZ
NZ to OZ
OZ to singapore
singapore to Hong Kong
overland to shanghai
Shanghai to London.

Tickets booked thru trailfinders at about 1000 GB pounds

Gives usual? flexibility to change dates eetc.

i guess theres a canadian trailfinders, they are certainly worldwide and they (manchester branch, england) seemed to look after us.

hope this helps

Audrey,
While I'd imagine it's a bit too late for this to help you, others may save a ton of cash over the prices your quoting. When it comes to RTW tickets IMO [I am not affiliated w/ them-thank you :) just very happy!] you cannot be beat http://airtreks.com/for flexibilty and price. Check 'em out. Enjoy your travels!

If you have nowhere specific to be, you cannot be lost