Buying a Ticket - RTW, DIY, Budget, Open Jaw...

Round The World

Here are the most popular operators (there are others) - see respective websites to plan where you can stop:

-Star Alliance. Your ticket's based on miles and handy if you are heading for SE Asia as Thai Air is a members so you can get some good little hops. Another recent member South African really opens Africa to round the worlders

-One World, their Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer (better) are based on continents with varying conditions. This is the ticket to get for a serious trip and excellent for South American internal flights and maybe an Easter Island stop off.

-SkyTeam Alliance RTW (Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta and Korean Air).

And finally The Great Escapade who are mileage based (29,000 miles, one Atlantic crossing, one Pacific crossing allowed) with unlimited stopovers (except in New Zealand).

Most RTW options are valued for one year and date changes are free or only a small charge. Changing destinations on route will incur a larger charge.

DIY tickets

The advantage of do it yourself tickets is that you're not tied into a one year fixed itinery schedule. You can change your plans on a whim and take advantage of cheap flights from any operator. For a trip where you want to do some overland traveling this is the only way to go. However you do have to be careful not to hit peak season or a holiday or you might have an expensive flight on your hands, and sometimes customs can be a bit pernickety if you don't have an outbound flight when you enter their country. If you intend to ultimately fly home make sure you will end up in a good place to fly from, e.g. Hong Kong, Tel Aviv or Bangkok, not somewhere like Latin America where it will cost you a fortune to get anywhere but America.

Not Round the Word

Remember not all trips have to be RTW trips. Regional or bi-regional trips for a few months are much more practical, cheaper and just as good (if not better). Many people find that a year is too long to travel for unless working on route, and that a few weeks or one, two, three, four month individual trips are more practical.

The Open Jaw.

An open-jaw ticket is flying into one destination and out of another. These type of tickets work in two ways. The first, most common is to bok both flights with the same airline. The second way is when one-way tickets are available at the right price and you simply just strap two good fares (different airlines - normally code sharing) together.

Locating these flights (the one-way type and 50% of return) is tricky as internet searches are generally not geared up for finding them. A knowledgeable travel agent is the biggest help although they'll robably try to sel you a package. The best tip is to find a cheap airline and find which destinations they serve within the region you are looking at, then search sites like Expedia or Opodo on the multi-stop search option for these destinations - trying as many combinations of dates as you can.

Internal, regional and budget flights

Don't think for a second that your initial ticket need be the main focus of your trip: with a boom in budget airline networks flying regionally, making a big round trip is really quite easy. Just remember that flights are always cheapest in their originating country, don't feel pressured into booking before you go via an agency unless you're on a tight schedule or travelling during a holiday.

Getting a Discount

Getting a good deal normally means picking up a promotional fair. There are two basic types of fares: published fares which are set by the airlines, and unpublished fares which come from consolidators and are often lower priced. You can buy fares at published prices either direct from the airline or a travel agent. You cannot buy unpublished fares from an airline, these have to be purchased either via a travel agent or direct from the consolidator if they deal with the public. This means planning far ahead, being flexible and getting in there early.

Young person's discounts

If you are a full time student or under 26, you may not realise it but you are already getting a great deal as these tickets are heavily discounted. Not only is the price reduced, but so are restrictions on tickets. STA and other agencies specialise in these discounted fares. Under 26 is also the magic age for many discounted rail (particularly European) and flight passes. So what better reason have you to travel before you turn 26?

Timing is Everything

Timing your journey carefully is essential, especially on long flights. Fares will probably go up sharply on July 1st and cheap Christmas flights just don't happen. Likewise going anywhere in August will be expensive. Be as flexible as possible with your dates. Most flights are generally cheaper Monday to Thursday.

Remember a cheaper priced ticket is often endorsed non-refundable and non-transferable. Most cut price tickets can have the return date changed for a fee but only after the outward journey has been completed. Read the terms and conditions of the ticket and understand what you are buying.