Travel a World Tour, is it that complicated?

What you should know is that “round the world” tickets are offered by travel agencies and airline alliances. With this type of ticket, the routes are established before departure and allow you to visit several continents. Different formulas are offered, from the World Tour “express” in 30 days to a full year, giving you enough time to fully discover each country visited. The only condition is that you have to choose the dates, destinations, duration of the trip and of course, the number of stops you want to make. And the cost of such trips is of course based on distance, number of stops and the duration of your getaway. For a quick trip around the world, it takes just over $2,200 for a trip of about six months, around $3,500 to $4,500 and a full year visiting the planet, on a first-class basis, can easily reach $30,000. As we mentioned above, you need to define the itinerary and duration of the trip, set the flight dates (one year maximum) and the number of stops before buying a “round the world” ticket. These tickets often offer some flexibility, but it is very important to find out about the penalties for changing the date or connection. You should also know that if you make changes ‘en route’, they must be made in the country where you are, with the airline with which you travel, and that they are subject to the availability of flights at the tariff that you have reserved. It is very rare to be able to change your route or to use other airlines or airline alliances than the one you have chosen. In addition, be aware that any change brings penalties or a difference in tariff to pay, especially in high season (which is not on the same dates depending on visited regions), this is why it is most important for you to plan everything well before departure.
What is a “World Tour” ticket

Although round-the-world tickets consist of several one-way trips made with one or more airlines, it should be understood that the latter must be adapted to the airline or alliance network chosen. We therefore give you some tips for saving money:

• Avoid high traffic periods
• Use the main air routes
• Limit the use of different airlines and favor alliances
• Pay attention on how many stopovers and lines selected, more stopovers and / or lines equals more expenses
• Make your choice on very busy stopovers

The competition is very fierce in the air sector, which is organized around major axes and busy roads, so it is suggested to build your itinerary around these axes and routes because the competition causes prices to fall. Indeed, the “round the world” tickets that pass through the major axes are offered at truly competitive prices. The lowest fares therefore go through the air routes of Europe, North America, the Pacific and Southeast Asia. You also have to take into account the hubs, these privileged entry doors that you will certainly have to go through.  Tips and advice

The best advice is to get a flight pass from alliance member airlines, the top 3 being Star Alliance, Skyteam and Oneworld. These alliances bring together the world’s largest airlines company and serves hundreds of destinations on 5 continents. All of these alliances offer “round the world” flight-pass you can obtain either directly from airlines or from an agency, the latter being strongly suggested for follow-up before, during and after your trip.

Star Alliance

The world’s leading airline alliance is Star Alliance with nearly 30 different companies, grouped around United Airlines and Lufthansa. In fact, the “round the world” ticket they offer includes a wide choice of destinations. The main companies under Star Alliance are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Egyptair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal, Thai, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and many others. In all, the Star Alliance network represents 1,356 destinations in 193 countries on 5 continents. The main airports in the network are Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Zurich, Vienna, Auckland, Bangko, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Johannesburg, each offering numerous connections. It should be noted that Star Alliance also offers a dozen “regional pass” each covering a continent or a part of it.

Skyteam Skyteam network includes around twenty members grouped around Air France and Delta Airlines and is particularly active on transatlantic routes and in Asia. Its main airlines are Air France, KLM, Delta, Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Alitalia, China Southern, CSA, Korean, Northwest, Tarom, Vietnam Airlines and many others. The Skyteam network includes more than 1,000 destinations in 187 countries on 5 continents. Its main airports are in Paris, Amsterdam, Atlanta, Newark, Detroit, Houston, Mexico, Seoul and Moscow and multiple connections are offered at each of these airports. Skyteam also offers several regional passes that cover Europe, America and Asia.  OneworldThis network includes about fifteen airlines grouped around American Airlines and British Airways. The main airlines in this network are American Airlines, Air Berlin, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, JAL, LAN, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Sri Lankan, TAM, US Airways and a few others. Its main airports are in London, Madrid, Helsinki, New York, Chicago, Miami, Hong Kong, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo and Sydney. Many connections are offered at each of these airports. The network serves 800 destinations in more than 150 countries on 5 continents. Oneworld also offers other regional passes that cover Europe, America and Asia and multi-continent passes. Oneworld stands out with its 2 passes “One World Explorer” and “Global Explorer”. The first pass operates according to geographic area systems, 6 in all, which include Africa, North America (Caribbean and Central America included), South America, Asia, Australia / New Zealand / Southwest Pacific as well as Europe / Middle East. The Global explorer pass, offers you much more choice because it allows you to travel with airlines not belonging to the Oneworld network such as Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines and its affiliates, Horizon Air, Fiji Airways, Gulf Air, Meridiana fly, Bangkok Airways, WestJet and Quantas codeshare flights operated by Air Tahiti Nui, Jetstar, South African Airways and Vietnam Airlines. Oneworld offers other regional passes covering Europe, America and Asia as well as multi-continent passes.
What is an “open Jaw”?

This is a type of ticket that allows you to arrive and depart from a different city within the same country. Plus, it’s like paying less. Here’s an example: you disembark in Auckland, New Zealand, hit the road for a trip around the country, and then, depart from Christchurch, so you save a stop and save money. However, be aware that Skyteam does not offer this type of ticket in their packages.

Why an agency?

To be professionally advised and guided and to be sure that all the factors inherent in a Round the Word journey are properly compared and verified. For example, are these flights are dry or they allow an overnight hotel, is the itinerary chosen will be guided, etc. Travel agents are specialized in this kind of research and comparisons and at Groupe Voyages VP, our travel architects will be happy to help you build the “Round the World Tour” of your dreams at the best price that is.

Now you know that it is possible to take a trip around the world according to your tastes and your budget, all you have to do is contact one of our travel architects who will help you plan the trip of your life.