In ten days I am leaving for my first world tour.
The ticket to go around the world is one of the most difficult to construct, in this article I recount my entire itinerary and how I booked the various stops
SYD
New Zealand
Japan
Australia
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There are those trips that you dream about all your life, there are the destinations you hope someday to visit, there are those experiences that are worth the price of the ticket-no matter if we are talking about the Stones' concert, a ticket to a World Cup final, or the perfect honeymoon.
Here I am about to realize one of those dreams, dreams that as a child you think you will never achieve, but eventually it happens. On July 9, I will embark on my first flight, of seven, which will take me to visit four continents With a single airline ticket.
RTW ticket rules
There are many ways to go around the world, the Round The World ticket is just one. It is a single ticket bought to leave and arrive at the same airport, but never change direction of travel. This means that you can go from west to east, or vice versa, but never "go back."
N.B. Actually going back is possible, but only in case an intermediate stop is planned. For example, taking off in Paris to fly to Chicago, but stopping in Frankfurt or Zurich.
It is possible to do this by paying and you can also do it for free, using only points from airline loyalty programs. Right now then there is an incredible possibility, already taken advantage of by some of our readers: booking one of these tickets with a itinerary all in business class for less than 3000€.
My ticket
As I have recounted in previous pieces, most recently in late May., this note was born out of a madness done in the midst of lockdown, and involved running nonstop, up and down a plane, to make the entire trip in just five days. Today the itinerary changed and I also decided to lengthen the trip a bit, it will still be very quick compared to what you have to budget for such an itinerary instead.
Bad luck eventually helped me because in the series of the many changes and cancellations I have had over the years, today I find myself with a (nearly) perfect itinerary. All it would take to complete the puzzle would be for Japan to decide to reopen its borders by July 10, which is virtually impossible.
I will fly on Lufthansa's 747, will not be my first time, but the queens of the skies are fewer and fewer, and so it is a pleasure to be able to board the Jumbo par excellence. The last "surprise" I had was on the very first intercontinental connection. I was supposed to go through Munich and fly from here with ANA, but the fJapan's closed bridges also have repercussions for operatives.
So I will arrive in Tokyo aboard a 747/8, the largest variant of this model, after about 12 hours of flight time.
The skies over Russia and Ukraine are still closed, so the route of this flight will also be original and obviously over an hour longer than the pre-war routes in Ukraine.
I can hardly get out of the sterile area of Haneda Airport., but this was the only mode I had to try to maintain my itinerary as much as possible. Being a stopover within 24 hours, I will have no problem transiting through Tokyo waiting to depart for the final destination of the first part of the ticket, which is Sydney. Barring any changes, I will lock myself inside ANA's lounge, thanks to my gold status in Star Alliance, and I will wait for the next flight.
I will arrive in Australia at 8 a.m. local time, 1 a.m. in Italy, about 40 hours after the first flight took off from London.
Obviously on this journey I will 100% take advantage of the benefits of my various statuses and most importantly, I will not miss a single opportunity to maximize the accumulation of points. The all Star Alliance itinerary will be credited on my Singapore Airlines Krisflyer card to renew the Gold level, a card that will allow me to have priority boarding, lounge access and fast-track routes at airports.
Similarly, the hotels I chose are only from the Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt groups to take advantage of status privileges (Free room upgrades, late check-out, free breakfasts and more).
In Sydney I will sleep in a hotel in an incredible location, in the heart of the harbor under one of the most famous landmarks of the New Wales capital: the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
This will also be my first time in a brand hotel Autograph Collection of the Marriott Family.
The next leg of my crazy world tour will take me to visit Auckland, where I will arrive aboard an Air New Zealand Dreamliner.
On the left is the original itinerary on the right is what I will be doing
This stop, in my original itinerary, was not there, it was a gift popped up in the various itinerary changes. And considering that I spent only 550 pounds for the ticket, I certainly can't complain.
Here I will stay two nights. The first night I will spend at the Hilton Hotel in Auckland. Chosen for earn points in the Hilton Honors program and because among the options it was definitely the best.
For the second and final night in New Zealand, I opted for a reservation through the American Express travel portal, banking on the Park Hyatt Auckland. The reason is simple: this hotel participates in the Fine Hotels+Resorts by American Express, this means benefits such as room upgrades, free breakfast, 100$ to spend in the hotel during your stay, and most importantly free check-out at 4 p.m.. That is why I chose this facility for the second night: I will be able to relax in the room until the last, since my flight to Hawaii will only leave in the late evening. Also, since we like to maximize our point collection, this reservation allowed me to accumulate as many as 10 MR points instead of the normal 2.
What you cannot miss on a trip these days, no matter if it is a week in Pietra Ligure or a ticket like this one, is travel insurance that covers every possible inconvenience. A delayed flight, a luggage problem, or a more serious reason like a health problem. I no longer buy insurance now. Because I exploit what I think is the best in the market, which is the one included in the American Express Platinum annual fee.
I will be flying from Auckland to Honolulu at night and it will be a special flight: for the first time in my life I will have theopportunity to travel through time. I will take off at 9:55 p.m. on Thursday, July 14, and land in Hawaii at 8:30 a.m. on the same day, which is Thursday, July 14.
In Honolulu, where I recently stayed, I chose a hotel that has one of the most beautiful pools in the world, the Sheraton Waikiki, famous for its infinity pool overlooking the bay of Hawaii's most famous beach.
Again Marriott group and therefore benefits that will allow me to make the most of my stay at 100%, again late check-out at 4 p.m. This will also be my last hotel for this round-the-world trip, then I will depart from Hawaii to Canada, aboard Air Canada.
In my initial ticket I was supposed to fly from Hawaii to San Francisco and from there to London, but instead a 12-hour layover was added in Vancouver.
In the east coast of Canada I will stay just long enough to take a tour of the city and then in the evening depart for London where I will land at 11:50 a.m. on Sunday, July 17, which is eight days after taking off.
In conclusion
It will be one of those experiences to tell, in the boring evenings among friends I will be able to narrate my epic madness. I will be traveling with three airlines I have never used- ANA, Air New Zealand and Air Canada. I will visit Australia and New Zealand for the first time, accumulate enough points in the Singapore Airlines loyalty program to renew my Gold level throughout 2024, and Above all, I will fulfill the dream of watching, as a child, during Bim Bum Bam, Willy Fog's "Around the World in 80 Days" cartoon.
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