Hi, I am planning a round the world trip, likely to depart in February
2004. My problem is trying to find a suitable Round the World Ticket,
or more to the point a suitable way of moulding a Round the World
Ticket to my requirements. I am aware that from here in the UK there
are 3 main alliances that I could use: The Great Escapade, Star
Alliance and The Oneworld Explorer. The cities (or countries) that I
wish to visit are shown in order below, note that I intend to fly into
Calcutta,  make my own way over land to Delhi and fly out from there.

Start UK / Calcutta / (overland)Delhi / Bangkok / Cambodia / Vietnam /
Papua New Guinea / Australia / Fiji / Tonga / Samoa / The Cook Islands
/ Tahiti / Easter Island /Finish UK

Notes: 1) If needed I wouldn?t mind going overland from Bangkok though
Cambodia to Vietnam and fly out from there.
2) I realise that some flights will require change overs i.e. possibly
having to fly into Australia to get a connecting flight to Papua New
Guinea and back out to Australia, and for the pacific Islands which
often depart from Auckland (New Zealand).
3) I am not too worried about the order of the pacific Islands, or
indeed if one or two are not possible, however Fiji is important as I
am intending to get a charter flight out to Tuvalu from there (any
extra info on this would be great). The exception to this is Easter
Island which should be included if at all possible.
4) The answer must of course fit into the restrictions of the ticket
(alliance) used.
5) The preference of course would be for the cheapest ticket
available, as such if I was unable to fly to country "A" without
increasing the cost of the ticket by say £500 and yet if an extra
charter flight from was only £250 I rather do that.

Please do not hesitate to ask if I have confused you.

Many Thanks.

Hello cardguy-ga:

Please try http://www.airtreks.com and http://www.airbrokers.com for
this type of journey. They specialize in around the world tickets and
you will get a better pricing from these reputable companies rather
than go by any other program. You may also check approximate prices
for your journey by their trip planning program. Although, I think
that for a complex trip like yours, you probably have to consult one
of their travel agents. (As Paupa New Guinea and Easter Island might
pose a problem for online prices).

Thanks.