Around the world airline ticket: Who's done it?

[motion]

The first class thread and a comment by Dr Phil got me wondering..... I looked up Delta's RTW and I can get one ticket for 180,000 skymiles. I have nearly that banked now. Not sure what another ticket would cost. Anyone done it? Good deal?

[Shadetree930]

Done it many times on United.

At the time, an around the world in Biz class was close in cost to a round trip biz class ticket to Asia. With the right FF status, a biz class ticket was a certain upgrade to 1st for the entire trip.

I preferred to go East to West for my body clock. If I recall the rules correctly, minimum of 3 stops required and travel must last at least 10 calendar days. You cannot backtrack, so just make sure you go west young man. Other than that, you could build as many stops as you could pack into your schedule.

[porsche4life]

What's it cost if one is paying cash? I'd like to try sometime....

[Shadetree930]

I think they usually came in around $8,000ish. It wasn't my money so the details escape me. I got off that hamster wheel 6 six years ago so your mileage may vary now.

You could do it cheaper. They offer RTW fares in coach as well .... but Sweet Jesus I pity anybody doing butt time in international coach for more than 4-5 hours at a stretch. The seat pitch will kill mere mortals.

[motion]

A quick search and I am seeing $2500ish, which would jive with 180K miles.... Gotta dig further.

[jyl]

I did it with wife and baby a decade ago. Recall nothing about the price, process, etc. Sorry.

[MBAtarga]

I had a buddy how traveled one for business. He submitted his travel expense statement and it got rejected. They claimed he showed staying at two different hotels/different cities for the same Saturday night. It seems they didn't quite understand what the International Date Line causes.

[Shadetree930]

Originally Posted by motion

A quick search and I am seeing $2500ish, which would jive with 180K miles.... Gotta dig further.

$2,500 for RTW in Business Class? Jump on it man!

[motion]

I'm sure that's coach pricing.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Shadetree930

so just make sure you go west young man.

West is best.

I've done it a couple of times. A travel agent will find you a nice cheap ticket. Ummm, I did get caught out when they said the ticket only lasts 12 months from the date of purchase NOT from the date of the first flight. The best one was New Zealand to Australia, Zimbabewa (sp been there just can't spell it), England, New York, Hawaii, Fiji, and back to NZ. That was with an ailine that had affilations with other airlines.

I got back on the same ticket due to a British Airways mistake where they had booked me on a flight that didn't even exist when i was in Zim.

The ticket was only about $2,500.

[tweezers74]

I haven't done this but so want to! Will be paying close attention to this thread! Thanks for starting!

[Rick Lee]

180k miles sounds like a pretty good deal. I've done nonstop from Newark to Hong Kong in coach a few times. Wasn't too bad. It sure makes flying to Europe seem like a short hop.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

West is best.

I've done it a couple of times. A travel agent will find you a nice cheap ticket. Ummm, I did get caught out when they said the ticket only lasts 12 months from the date of purchase NOT from the date of the first flight. The best one was New Zealand to Australia, Zimbabewa (sp been there just can't spell it), England, New York, Hawaii, Fiji, and back to NZ. That was with an ailine that had affilations with other airlines.

I got back on the same ticket due to a British Airways mistake where they had booked me on a flight that didn't even exist when i was in Zim.

The ticket was only about $2,500.

Bill, how long ago?

[motion]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

180k miles sounds like a pretty good deal.

I thought so, too. Biz class is 280K miles.

Max stopovers is 6. I'd value the ticket at around $4,000 or so (thinking $700ish per ticket x 6 to get around the world). I think the value is going to some of the out of the way places in Asia, NZ, Africa, Eastern Europe, etc.

[futuresoptions]

Did it once, cost me three months of my life and helping kick Saddams A$$ outta Kuwait...

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by motion

Bill, how long ago?

Actually it was a long time ago.


But.. I have done another one since which was NZ, Australia, Bankok, Rome, Athens, Rome, Hongkong, Australia and back to NZ. That was only a few years ago and that was also about $2,500.

I can fly to Los Angeles and back for about USD$1,200. For some really strange reason it costs a lot more from LA to NZ to LA. I had a gorgeous friend in Milwaukee who told me about you guys paying more. I don't know if that is still the case.

PS we are heading into summer in a few months.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

What's it cost if one is paying cash? I'd like to try sometime....

Don't forget about the other expenses. I'm looking at around $400 a day for my trip to Europe.

[HardDrive]

We have done it once. Its not crazy expensive, but it really depends on the standard question with a ticket: How far in advance are you booking, and what cities do you want to hit?

I seem to recall our tickets were $4000 each. Stops in Beijing, HK, New Delhi, and Amsterdam.

[Bob Kontak]

I did it but it was bidness class and the company paid. Too damned expensive.

Cle Chi Seattle Tokyo Singapore Frankfurt Chi Cle

[Joeaksa]

I was based in Europe at the time I did it and the company had to get me home business class. I made a deal with them that if I could get home cheaper than the $7000 they were quoted for Kopenhagen to Dallas, that I could do anything.

Kopenhagen around the world on American Airlines First Class was $4500 at that time so I jumped on it, heading first to London then non-stop to Hong Kong and continued on to CONUS. Did the last leg on Cathay Pacific in first and thought I had gone to heaven...

Company was happy, I got a very nice vacation on the way home.

Give it a shot!