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Around the World FlightsTopics: International Flights, Travel Agents Round the world tickets are usually only sold in the country of origin. This means that even if you find a dirt-cheap round-the-world ticket from, for example, the USA, you will not be able to use it if you are planning to start your journey in Japan. (There is nothing to stop you from buying another separate ticket from Japan to USA then going around the world from there though.) If you want to fly home the long way around, a round-the-world ticket may be the way to go, but your ticket must finish up in Japan at the end. (Again, there is nothing to stop you buying a Japan-China-India-Europe-USA-Japan ticket and just "accidentally missing" the final flight back to Japan, using only a "half-way-around-the-world" ticket, BUT, round-the-world tickets are calculated on the total number of miles ticketed, so you will have to include your final flight back to Japan in these calculations, whether you use it or not.) Another way to see as many countries as possible is to fly with the carrier of the country you wish to visit. This is why the tickets from USA to Europe via Asia are cheap. If you were in America and wanted to go to Europe, you'd go across the Atlantic. For this reason, the Asian carriers will give super-cheap deals for the same trip, to compensate for the fact that you are flying the long way around to get there. The same applies for even short trips: Japan-Korea-Hong Kong will usually be cheaper than Japan-Hong Kong direct. This way you can visit two countries for less than the price of one! Furthermore, they may even offer discounts on "side-trips". For example, from Japan to Australia with Malaysian Airlines involves a stopover in Kuala Lumpur, but Malaysian Airlines may offer special rates on flights from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, or Singapore, or Bali for passengers already using their services, so you can travel Kansai -- Kuala Lumpur -- Bali -- Kuala Lumpur -- Melbourne for a lower price than a direct fare from Kansai-Melbourne. For the return leg, you might use Thai Airways, via Bangkok and add a side trip to Hanoi. The options are limitless, but if you want to visit as many places as you can, ask your travel agent what kind of side-trip options are available, and remember to use the carrier of the place you want to visit. J Here are a few different round the world tickets I know about: The World Discovery ticket: The OneWorld: The Escapade: The Star Alliance: The World Navigator: The World Journey: FH Round the World Tickets - Websites http://www.bootsnall.com/tripplanner.shtml http://www.roundtheworldflights.com http://www.travel-nation.co.uk KS, SM, FH << Andon Ryokan | Index | Asia Center of Japan >> |