Need some help planning a RTW trip! Complete Noob, and long :)

[slodki]

Hey everyone!

I need to turn to the experts for some help! I think this might actually be easy for someone that flies frequently, but I’m pulling my hair out! This will be quite long

Now, a bit of background info:

I finish uni at the end of November this year! So, as a celebration, myself and some uni mates are booking a 2 week trip to Thailand beginning on the 30th November. Most of them have RTW tickets and are continuing their journeys after Thailand. Myself however, im returning back to Melbourne as I don’t want to go to USA/Europe during the winter. I grew up in New Jersey and know how cold winters get..i would rather try to miss most of it.

Late Feb, probably around the 20th or so myself and a mate would like to begin our 6 month world trip. I know I can get a RTW ticket with Star Alliance or One World for roughly 3500 + taxes. Ideally I would love to be able to get my flight to Bangkok and back included in the fare, to save myself from buying a separate return flight.

Is it possible to do something along these lines, and what would be the rough cost?

Melbourne-Bangkok-Melbourne

Then 2 months later do something along the lines of:

Melbourne-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Cancun-Chicago-New York-Krakow (or Frankfurt?)-London-make my own way to Rome and fly out to Athens-then make my own way to Frankfurt and fly back home.

I have already tried this on the One World and Star Alliance websites, but I can’t backtrack like I want to with Melb-Bangkok-Melb-Tokyo etc. Also I can’t seem to ‘make my own way’ on these websites, its all connected flights.

I know the rules are that I can’t backtrack, but is there something that can be done? Would there be much difference in booking individual flights for each leg? We have a budget of $4500 which includes taxes.

Lastly, if we do go for a RTW fare, which airline (depending on alliance chosen) would be the best for FF points? This will be our first major overseas trip (we havn't been overseas since we both moved here 10 years ago), but will probably do an overseas trip every year after this, if that makes any difference in determining the best one.

I think this is all I wanted to ask. For myself its very confusing, and I wanted to get the opinions of others before I walk into STA or similar to try to make my itinerary, and i also want to know what i am talking about when i converse with the travel agent

Cheers,
Jack

 

[aybee]

You can backtrack with Star, but you can't transit your country of origin which is where you're coming undone.

I'd probably bite the bullet and buy a cheap return to anywhere in Thailand/SE Asia, then use a connection into BKK and start your RTW later. Plenty of LCC's around these days to/within SE Asia to get that part of the 2 itineraries sorted.

 

[slodki]

You can backtrack with Star, but you can't transit your country of origin which is where you're coming undone.

I'd probably bite the bullet and buy a cheap return to anywhere in Thailand/SE Asia, then use a connection into BKK and start your RTW later. Plenty of LCC's around these days to/within SE Asia to get that part of the 2 itineraries sorted.

Hmm...i was also thinking about Departing from NZ-BKK-MEL then off to tokyo, can this work? Or must i finish my trip in country of origin?

 

[somebol]

Hey everyone!

I need to turn to the experts for some help! I think this might actually be easy for someone that flies frequently, but I’m pulling my hair out! This will be quite long

Now, a bit of background info:

I finish uni at the end of November this year! So, as a celebration, myself and some uni mates are booking a 2 week trip to Thailand beginning on the 30th November. Most of them have RTW tickets and are continuing their journeys after Thailand. Myself however, im returning back to Melbourne as I don’t want to go to USA/Europe during the winter. I grew up in New Jersey and know how cold winters get..i would rather try to miss most of it.

Late Feb, probably around the 20th or so myself and a mate would like to begin our 6 month world trip. I know I can get a RTW ticket with Star Alliance or One World for roughly 3500 + taxes. Ideally I would love to be able to get my flight to Bangkok and back included in the fare, to save myself from buying a separate return flight.

Is it possible to do something along these lines, and what would be the rough cost?

Melbourne-Bangkok-Melbourne

Then 2 months later do something along the lines of:

Melbourne-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Cancun-Chicago-New York-Krakow (or Frankfurt?)-London-make my own way to Rome and fly out to Athens-then make my own way to Frankfurt and fly back home.

I have already tried this on the One World and Star Alliance websites, but I can’t backtrack like I want to with Melb-Bangkok-Melb-Tokyo etc. Also I can’t seem to ‘make my own way’ on these websites, its all connected flights.

I know the rules are that I can’t backtrack, but is there something that can be done? Would there be much difference in booking individual flights for each leg? We have a budget of $4500 which includes taxes.

Lastly, if we do go for a RTW fare, which airline (depending on alliance chosen) would be the best for FF points? This will be our first major overseas trip (we havn't been overseas since we both moved here 10 years ago), but will probably do an overseas trip every year after this, if that makes any difference in determining the best one.

I think this is all I wanted to ask. For myself its very confusing, and I wanted to get the opinions of others before I walk into STA or similar to try to make my itinerary, and i also want to know what i am talking about when i converse with the travel agent

Cheers,
Jack

You could buy a one-way ticket to Indonesia (cheap OW RTW fares from there). Start your RTW from there, fly to thailand and back to mel and continue onwards two months later.

 

[slodki]

You could buy a one-way ticket to Indonesia (cheap OW RTW fares from there). Start your RTW from there, fly to thailand and back to mel and continue onwards two months later.

Hmm...that means that i would have to end my trip back in Indonesia, and also i could only have a 24 hour stop over in Japan. Im starting too look into getting the 26,000 Economy fare or whatever it is with Star Alliance with the 5 stop overs, and supplement that with North America and European Air passes..

Dont know if this will be cheaper or not?