Q – My wife and I are in our mid-sixties and we want to start doing some longer trips that might include cruise or train components. I think you would define us as really good travelers and we’ve enjoyed a wide range of terrains and accommodations during our travels. Now, we are planning a four month odyssey that will take in portions of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Before even talking to a travel agent, I’m trying to figure out a starting point and how to begin this project. For instance, at what stage do I deal with the airlines? My real question has to do with Around-The-World fares. Do they still exist and what are the restrictions? We are also wondering if cabin classes can be mixed or must all segments be in Business? Thanks for any advice you can provide. Much of our destination planning is based on your Q&A insights.
A – Those fares definitely still exist. Many of the rules have been thrown out so all options have to be examined carefully. Your agent should refer you to one of the nation’s better RTW specialists. The growth of airline alliance partnerships has actually made finding applicable fares easier – as has technology. For instance, if you belong to Virgin’s Velocity Program, you can fly on Etihad, Air New Zealand, Delta, Singapore and Air Berlin. That gives you a nice range of flights globally. We want you to be very cautious about change policies. $100 to change a ticket is reasonable. But Around-The-World travelers almost always have to make ticket changes so you need to have clarity going in as to what kind of changes are permitted. You can definitely mix and match classes of service. Many RTW travelers use Business Class on any segment over three hours.
The first step would be to do a list of “Must-Be’s” based on special events like festivals, concerts, or sports events. You would then block out an ideal itinerary and get in touch with your air ticketing specialist. Once you lock in the flight segments, your agent will begin finalizing your itinerary with the assistance of their preferred partners abroad. Allow 3-6 months for the total planning time.
