When we started talking about buying RTW tickets, i was under the impression that a "RTW ticket' meant we would create a route at a set price, and that our dates would be flexible. I'm not sure if that is the way it used to be or if it was a complete fantasy, but regardless, that's not the way it works.
RTW tickets are a package of tickets purchased through a travel agent. The plus is getting travel insurance included (a must), the negative is that you are locked into a route and schedule (no skipping, no date changes).
The consensus on the internet is that Airtreks through Boots 'n All is the best customized RTW ticket agent. While we debated buying all the flights on our own, between the travel insurance included in the package, and a few legs where the agent was able to get a better deal than on commercial sites, it was worth it.
If you leave it to the travel agent to do all the work, you will end up with an expensive trip with a pretty crappy schedule. Here are my tips to avoid that. Basically, in order to have the best experience, do their job for them.
Notes on buying tickets through a travel agent:
- BE FLEXIBLE - Start with an extensive list of places you want to go. Group them by region and try to find the cheapest routes from region to region. Set your dates to be flexible by 3 +/- days where you can. Be prepared to chop some destinations out.
- DO YOUR HOMEWORK - You would like to think that agents have your best interests in mind. They don't. They're not going to do the hard work for you until they know for sure that their time isn't going to be wasted. Even then they'll only do so much. Erin and I priced out our trip before committing to the travel agent. Vayama.com consistently had the best flight prices and options of the airline search engines we used, but many budget airlines like Easyjet (Europe) and Jetstar (Australia) don't list their flights on these. A Google search for "Budget Travel in [country/region]" is an easy way to find these gems.
- KNOW YOUR OPTIONS - Agents get special deals on specific routes and regions. They also have limited airline options. When you're on the phone with them, know the lowest possible prices for each leg (even if the route/schedule sucks). It will get the agent to look a bit harder before quoting you, or they'll be honest if they can't match the price. We found flights from Edinburgh to Copenhagen for $100 and he couldn't get it for less than $200. Also, know the peak seasons, and know which routes the agent gets special pricing on. The short trips way in the future may be worth buying separately.
- BE VIGILANT - When you're actually scheduling flights, definitely be on the travel websites. Our agent told us we could only get to Tel Aviv at 3AM. We quickly found flights getting in at 11:30pm.
-SB
RTW tickets are a package of tickets purchased through a travel agent. The plus is getting travel insurance included (a must), the negative is that you are locked into a route and schedule (no skipping, no date changes).
The consensus on the internet is that Airtreks through Boots 'n All is the best customized RTW ticket agent. While we debated buying all the flights on our own, between the travel insurance included in the package, and a few legs where the agent was able to get a better deal than on commercial sites, it was worth it.
If you leave it to the travel agent to do all the work, you will end up with an expensive trip with a pretty crappy schedule. Here are my tips to avoid that. Basically, in order to have the best experience, do their job for them.
Notes on buying tickets through a travel agent:
- BE FLEXIBLE - Start with an extensive list of places you want to go. Group them by region and try to find the cheapest routes from region to region. Set your dates to be flexible by 3 +/- days where you can. Be prepared to chop some destinations out.
- DO YOUR HOMEWORK - You would like to think that agents have your best interests in mind. They don't. They're not going to do the hard work for you until they know for sure that their time isn't going to be wasted. Even then they'll only do so much. Erin and I priced out our trip before committing to the travel agent. Vayama.com consistently had the best flight prices and options of the airline search engines we used, but many budget airlines like Easyjet (Europe) and Jetstar (Australia) don't list their flights on these. A Google search for "Budget Travel in [country/region]" is an easy way to find these gems.
- KNOW YOUR OPTIONS - Agents get special deals on specific routes and regions. They also have limited airline options. When you're on the phone with them, know the lowest possible prices for each leg (even if the route/schedule sucks). It will get the agent to look a bit harder before quoting you, or they'll be honest if they can't match the price. We found flights from Edinburgh to Copenhagen for $100 and he couldn't get it for less than $200. Also, know the peak seasons, and know which routes the agent gets special pricing on. The short trips way in the future may be worth buying separately.
- BE VIGILANT - When you're actually scheduling flights, definitely be on the travel websites. Our agent told us we could only get to Tel Aviv at 3AM. We quickly found flights getting in at 11:30pm.
-SB
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