Round the World Flights – Preparing for the big adventure
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to jet off into the sunset and spend the next few months of your life travelling across the globe? If you’ve considered booking round the world flights and going on the ultimate adventure, here’s some practical information to help you along the way.
Planning your route
So, you want to start searching for round the world flights but you’re not sure where to go? The best way to decide is by writing a list of all your favourites destinations; sometimes it helps to have a map of the world in front of you.
Once you’ve got your top countries jotted down, put them in some kind of sensible order, for example, if you start your journey from a London airport, you shouldn’t head to New York before taking a flight to Thailand if you then plan to stop off at New Zealand and later fly to Chicago. Instead, book your flights in order of location as you make your way around the globe.
After you’ve decided on your route, look up travel websites specialising in round the world flights e.g. Roundtheworldflights.com and then simply fill in all the details to book your trip.
Breaking tickets down
If you want the flexibility of choosing your next destination while you’re away, a round the world ticket from British Airways, the flag carrier and oneworld alliance member airline, could be for you. Alternatively, the availability of cheap flights from low-cost carriers in Europe such as easyJet means you can plan your route while on the move.
Cheapflights has a US and a Canadian site. If you’re looking to buy airline tickets while you’re in the States or Canada, cheapflights.com and cheapflights.ca can help you find great deals on round the world flights.
What to pack
If you’re travelling to Spain, France, across India and to Russia all in one trip, it might be hard to decide what to pack. The following list is a good overview of the various essential items that travellers might take with them after booking round the world flights.
- Passport
- Tickets
- Toiletries
- Clean socks
- Clean underwear
- Change of clothes
- Address book with important contacts & emergency information
- Pen
- Camera
- Insect repellent
- Insurance details
For a list of all the vital things you’ll need to take with you on your trip around the world, check out Cheapflights' Travel Checklist.
Chat online about Round The World Flights
If you’ve decided to embark on your own adventure across the world and you’re feeling a little shaky at the knees, you needn’t worry. There are plenty of online communities to help you when it comes to booking round the world flights. Here are just some of the top internet forums for would-be travellers.
- Travellerspoint.com
For tips and advice on almost any travel issue, this is the place to find answers to any question. This website has everything to help new travellers and offers important information of a variety of subjects, which may prove extremely useful when stepping off your round the world flight. With travel guides, forums, photographs and blogs, you can easily learn, or share, a thing or two from this online community. For more information, visit www.travellerspoint.com.
- aardvarktravel.net
For information on all sorts of travelling issues, this website is perfect for anybody thinking of booking round the world flights. Once you have registered on the site you’re free to post your own forum topics, so whether you want more information on hostels, top destinations or meeting people while away, this is the perfect place to start chatting to other travellers. Take a look at www.aardvarktravel.net.
- attitudetravel.com
The Travellers’ Café is a fantastic meeting place for those who are considering booking round the world flights. There is a buzzing online community at the Café, with a huge number of people who are more than happy to exchange ideas, tips and advice. If you haven’t bought your round the world flights just yet and want help on choosing your dream destinations, get chatting to other travellers at www.attitudetravel.com/cafe.
- The Thorn Tree Travel Forum
If you’re a fan of the Lonely Plant, visit its Thorn Tree Travel Forum. With a friendly online community to help with advice on a variety of travelling issues, you’ll feel totally prepared for your trip abroad. See who is online and add your own comments to the forums by visiting www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa.
For more information on making it an adventure, check out Cheapflights’ travel tip on Backpacking.
Updated April 2008
