If you’re going on the cliched routes that Gary was talking about, alliance RTW tickets can take you there. But be careful with them because if you’re going anywhere off the beaten path (hopefully you know what that is) as you still have to travel on the alliance’s designated carriers who may not have the coverage to get you to these places. Not to mention their rules say you need a abide by a min and max number of stops. And if they allow you open legs to “fill in” on your own (some do, some don’t) you usually have to pay for the distance you traveled on your own. Most often alliance fares end up being more expensive and take away the very flexibility they’re trying to promote.

Buying your tickets on the go is one way to do it, but who really wants to be sitting in security-prone internet cafe’s throwing your credit card around when you could be going to the airport for your next stop, freezing the prices and hedging for inflation long before you travel.

A method a lot of AirTreks customers choose is to buy a “skeleton trip” with all the long-haul flights included–the expensive flight across the So Pacific for example–and leave the short, cheap and easily booked flights (ie, intra-SE Asia) to get when you decide to do them.

RTW services are good b/c they give you the flexibility to do overland legs on your own without breaking any rules.

AND…ID LIKE TO KNOW…..if i enter india and i have a bus ticket proobing dat im going out in some weeks to NEPAL……is it ok or do i necesairly need a round ticket to my country of origin?

i dont wanna buy mt round ticket from india cuz i wanna move by land and travel to some other countries so i dont know where i would end to take d ticket back to MEXICO……ANY ADVICE???

Whereas on lots of separate tickets, if you need to change at short notice and have any kind of deadline, a last minute change is likely to be very expensive to adjust for.

While on many itineraries it may well be possible to find cheaper deals booking lots of separate tickets a long way in advance (I’ve done this many times also and still use it sometimes), it then costs more to make changes. The initial savings can easily be eroded.

Some destinations can only be flown to cheaply by booking well in advance. Eg try getting to Easter Island at short notice.

I don’t think RTWs are always the best answer, but neither are separate tickets. On balance though, I do like RTWs for longer more complex trips.

P.S. your #5 travel goal just caught my eye – See the Galapagos Islands.

That is my dream.

Now with the economic climate, I wonder whether these tickets comes with a warranty. Is there a chance that the company issuing these goes into default?

Just a thought.

But as Kirsty says, any trip including crossing the south atlantic or south pacific can often be cheaper with an RTW ticket, as those legs are so expensive separately.

And I still disagree with the assertion that RTW tickets are only good for major hubs – it really depends on where you are going and which alloance you’re flying with, as I said, with oneworld for example you can reach a huge range of airports, especially in the Americas, Australia and Europe.

But you’re limited to 12 months and can travel only between cities that are serviced by the partner airlines for whichever RTW provider you choose (One World or Star Alliance). These are two huge limitations for me. Plus buying as you go affords a flexibility and freedom that is difficult to put a money value on.