For years you’ve dreamt of quitting your job to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and now you’ve finally decided to take the plunge - well done! Making this momentous decision is incredibly exciting, as a whole world of adventure opens up before you. Once the dust settles, you’re often left pondering the question - now what? Hundreds of other questions also start buzzing around in your head….where should I go, when should I go, which anti-malaria tablets should I buy, should I visit weird Uncle Derek in Adelaide….?

Deep breaths

My advice is to sit down, take some deep breaths and have a serious think about the following: what do you want to get out of your trip? Where in the world have you always dreamed of going? Are you a beach bum, culture vulture, adrenaline junky, all or none of the above?

Where to go…

Armed with this information, you can start deciding where you’d like to go. Write down all the places you’d most like to visit and then prioritise them into ‘must see’ places and those that ‘would be nice’. Next, with the help of a world atlas, arrange the destinations in a logical geographical order. As a general rule, the further off the beaten track places are, the more expensive your ticket will be. So, if you’ve always had a hankering to visit Guinea-Bissau, just bear in mind that that the price of your ticket will increase accordingly.

Round the World tickets

Once you’ve got your wish list of destinations, it’s time to look at which round the world ticket is going to suit you best. It’s a good idea to enlist some professional helps at this stage; a specialist travel agent will help you negotiate the minefield that is round the world tickets. It doesn’t hurt to do some initial planning of your own first though.

Flexibility

Most round the world tickets are very flexible and will allow you free date changes and a year’s travel from the date of departure. Other than that, each ticket has its own rules and regulations. Here’s a lightning quick guide to some of the major round the world tickets:

GREAT ESCAPADE

Main airlines you can use: Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic & Silk Air
Where can I travel to? This ticket is excellent for stops in Asia and the South Pacific. It’s great if you want to combine South Africa with Asia and also covers Australia, New Zealand, USA and the Caribbean.
Key facts:
- Unlimited stops (Maximum of 29,000 miles)
- Ability to add extra mileage - up to a maximum of 33,500 miles
- One stop in each city
- Several booking classes available to give you a better chance of getting availability on the dates you want
- Can upgrade to premium economy on certain sectors

ONEWORLD EXPLORER

Main airlines you can use: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malev, Qantas & Royal Jordanian
Where can I travel to? Pretty much anywhere! This is the only round the world ticket that does not have any mileage limitations which opens up some really exciting possibilities. It’s especially good for South America, as it includes flights on LAN who operate throughout the continent.

Key facts:
- Unlimited mileage
- Travel to up to six continents
- 4 different fare levels (3, 4, 5 or 6 continents) - fare rises as you add more continents
- Fly up to 4 sectors in any continent (6 in North/Central America & the Caribbean)
- Same price all year round

WORLD WALKABOUT

Main airlines you can use: British Airways, Qantas, Air Pacific
Where can I travel to?
It’s particularly good for South America in particular, with flights from Santiago to Auckland and Sydney and vice-versa, as well as lots of options on six continents.
Key facts:
- Up to 7 stops
- Must include a transit or stopover in either Australia or New Zealand
- Two fare levels, one with a maximum mileage of 25000, the other 29000
- Cheapest way to include South America in your round the world itinerary

TIKI TOUR:

Main Airlines you can use: Virgin Atlantic & Air New Zealand
Where can I travel to? This ticket is great for stops in the South Pacific in particular, including Raratonga, Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii. It’s also good for the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Asia & South Africa.
Key facts:
- Several different fare levels to maximise availability
- You can upgrade your flights on certain sectors to premium economy
- One of the cheapest round the world tickets around

Happy planning!

Jeffrey Nevil writes on a number of subjects including round the world trip.

Packing your life into a backpack and heading off to see the world is one of the most exciting things you can do in your lifetime. The opportunity to visit far flung places and experience the new, exciting and exotic is one that should be grasped with both hands. It’s something that only a fraction of the world’s population will ever be fortunate enough to do and should be regarded as an incredible privilege.

Once you’ve made the decision to go travelling around the world, there are lots of advantages to booking an around the world ticket rather than a series of single flights:

Value for money
Round the world tickets offer outstanding value, particularly if you break down the cost of each flight and compare it to a standard point to point ticket. They are also one of the very few things in life that have actually fallen in price over the past decade or two, a rare commodity indeed. In real terms, the cost of round the world tickets is lower than ever before.

Flexibility
One of the great things about going travelling is the liberating sense of freedom; to be able to go where you want, when you want. If you book a series of separate flights, you are likely to be constrained by fixed dates or expensive date changes. Dates on around the world tickets are generally free to change as many times as you need to, giving you unbeatable flexibility. They are also valid for a year, giving you lots of time to tick off everywhere on your ‘wish list’ of destinations.

Choice
There are several different types of round the world tickets and between them there are literally thousands of different routes, giving you a huge choice of exciting itinerary possibilities.

Convenience
If you book a series of one way flights, the chances are you’ll have to contact each airline or travel company individually with any questions or to make any changes. Each ticket will then have its own terms and conditions to get your head round. With a round the world ticket, there’s just one point of contact (normally a specialist travel agent) and one set of very flexible conditions.

Quality airlines
Airlines that are allowed to enter alliances and participate in round the world tickets have to reach a required standard of service and safety, so you can be confident of a relaxed, comfortable flight. Making individual flight reservations leaves you open to all sorts of airlines, meaning you may get more of a white knuckle ride than you anticipated!

Jeffery Nevil writes on a number of subjects including getting an around the world ticket and around the world flights

Deciding to take some time off to travel the world is the first step towards the adventure of a lifetime. Now comes the tricky part: with the whole world to choose from, the question is where to go? Not to mention when to go, how long to go for, how much to budget for, what to pack, which songs to download onto your iPod… the list goes on and on, until the whole thing can start to feel a bit overwhelming. However, planning your round the world trip of a lifetime should all be part of the fun, so here are a few tips to help you to plan effectively and get the very most out of your trip:

1) Research
Take the time to do some research. There’s no shortage of information out there on round the world trips: travel magazines, specialist websites, books, blogs and travel forums are all great sources of information. Also, don’t forget to talk to fellow travellers - speaking to friends and family who have been there and done it is a great way to pick up tips and get recommendations on places to visit, where to stay, which restaurant not to eat in because your uncle Bernard got food poisoning there just after the Korean War, and so on.

2) Destinations
It’s always best to start with your ideal wish list of places to visit. Write down all the places you’d like to visit and prioritise them into ‘must see’ places and those that ‘would be nice’. You may well find that to get a round the world ticket within your budget you’ll need to compromise on certain places, but always start with your ideal trip. Next, with the aid of a world atlas, arrange the destinations in a logical geographical order. As a general rule, the more off the beaten track places are, the more expensive your ticket will be. So, if you’ve always had a hankering to visit Equatorial Guinea, just bear in mind that your budget will need to stretch accordingly.

3) On the ground
Once you’ve decided on where to go, have a think about what you want to do when you get there. Round the world tickets are very flexible and will generally allow you to incorporate ’surface’ sectors, in other words fly into one place and out of another. This is a great benefit as it saves you backtracking to the place you flew into. There are lots of great travel passes and group tours that you can book to help you get the most out of your overland travel.

4) When to go
Decide on when you would ideally like to depart and how long you’d like to be away for (round the world tickets are valid for up to a year). The cheapest time of year to depart is mid-April to mid-June and the most expensive is mid-December to mid-January and July to mid-August. Work out what the weather is going to be like in each place but accept that it’s impossible to guarantee sunshine everywhere you go! However, you’ll want to make sure you avoid trekking in monsoon season, or swimming during jellyfish season….

5) How much
Prices for round the world tickets can vary dramatically depending on your route and when you depart. The most basic round the world fares start from around 1000GBP but can cost anything upwards of 5000GBP.

6) Enlist expert help
Round the world tickets are complex and can be a mind boggling minefield for the uninitiated. Enlisting some expert help will be invaluable to help you find your dream trip. Bon voyage!

How to plan a round the world trip: Jeffery Nevil writes on a number of subjects including going on a round the world trip and around the world flights

Nervous flyers are warned: the following airports are infamous for their problematic, and often downright terrifying, runways. So, if you’re heading off on a round the world trip and don’t fancy hair-raising take offs or nail-biting landings, I’d suggest that you give the following airports a wide berth.

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport - Saba, Netherlands Antilles
Perching precariously on the very north-eastern tip of the island, this airport requires pilots to use all their skill and experience to tackle stormy trade winds and spin drifts (spray blown from the cresting waves during strong winds). As if this were not enough, the runway is only 1,300 feet long - if the landing or take off is not timed to perfection, you could end up hitting the cliffs just before the runway or ending up in the vast sea beyond. Nice.

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Nepal
Renamed after the famous climbers who conquered Mount Everest, this runway is characterised by a monstrous mountain at one end and a drop of nearly 3,300 feet at the other. Add in to the mix one of the steepest uphill runways in the world (or downhill for take offs) and the fact that at an altitude of 9,500 feet aircraft can’t run on full power, and you have yourself one nerve-racking experience.

Tioman Island, Malaysia
The reward for braving this perilous runway is the beautiful, tropical island of Tioman, located off the east coast of Malaysia. Your pilot is made to work hard for it though: the approach involves taking the plane on a heading straight for the mountains before performing a 90 degree turn to line up the runway, which is worryingly short with a cliff at the end. Valium, anyone?

Paro Airport, Bhutan
The approach into Paro Airport requires such skill and expertise that only eight pilots in the world are qualified to make the landing. So the good news is that you’re in safe hands. The bad news is that the runway is tucked away in a narrow valley, surrounded by 16,000 foot high Himalayan peaks and the area is prone to strong winds that whip across the mountains and up the valley. Stomach droppingly scary.

Toncontin Airport, Honduras
Located in a bowl-like valley, pilots must perform a dramatic 45 degree, last minute bank in order to touch down safely. Surrounded by mountains, the runway is too short to accommodate anything larger than a Boeing 757. Buckle up and hold on tight.

Jeffery Nevil writes on a number of subjects including round the world flights and around the world travel

If you’re fortunate enough to be vacationing in the great American southwest, you really need to consider taking a Grand Canyon airplane tour. The Grand Canyon is universally recognized as one of the natural wonders of the world, and seeing it in person is far more dramatic than seeing it in photographs or on TV. And Grand Canyon airplane tours make it even better by giving you aerial views of this magnificent natural feature.

Several canyon airplane tours leave from various nearby cities, including Las Vegas. This allows you to enjoy dazzling views of the city in addition to the canyon itself. You’ll have several tour operators to choose from if you’re considering a Grand Canyon plane ride, and there are a few things you’ll want to think about before picking one.

When you’re evaluating different tour operators, begin by finding out exactly what their Grand Canyon airplane tours have to offer. If possible, choose a company that flies to both the West Rim and the South Rim. This type of flight will give you the finest views of the canyon and the surrounding area. Wouldn’t it be a shame to spend all that money and only get to see part of the National Park because the company isn’t licensed to fly over the entire region? Of course it would, so find out in advance.

Your tour should also be narrated. Interesting details and background information will make it much easier to understand what you’re seeing. This type of narration is typically included in a tour’s cost, but before you book you should check the company’s website to make sure.

Plane tours aren’t as expensive as you might think, and the companies give you a variety of tour choices. This truly is the experience of a lifetime, so it’s worth pulling out all the stops.

Spectacular views and great photos are what you really want during one of these aerial excursions, so ask the companies you’re considering how easy it will be to take photographs from their aircraft. Many of the planes used for these trips are designed with large viewing windows that provide superb vistas of the entire canyon area.

You’ll be able to choose how long your sightseeing trip will last because different tour operators offer tours of different lengths. Don’t choose a tour that will make you feel as though the experience will be over before it even gets started. You can avoid this by talking to the different tour companies. Before you book anything, find out how much time each company’s tour spends in the air and exactly how long you’ll be over the Grand Canyon.

As you can see, you’ll need to check with different Grand Canyon airplane tour companies to determine exactly what you’ll be getting for your money. Once you have the information you need and then book one of these fabulous tours, all you’ll need to do is make sure your camera is working properly. After all, you’ll want a number of photos to help you remember your aerial tour of the national park.

Looking for spectaclar canyon air tours? Take a look at these Grand Canyon airplane reviews, where the Top 3 are ranked based on safety, quality and price!