Cover_Drive

Anyone have experience with US-based travel agents who can help with RTW tickets?

It seems less popular here than in the UK and via google I could only find a couple US sites to try to book RTW fares.

Bob

Should have asked a few weeks back, but perhaps Cindyabs might be able to help...

Englishmum

I guess it's less popular here as Americans usually get much less vacation time than people from other countries, I should imagine that the main demand for RTW tickets would be from students...

....which leads me to suggest trying the international STA travel agency which specialises in student travel but will also sell tickets to everyone else and they have a couple of offices in NYC:

http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xch...avel_insurance

Also suggest you buy a weekend edition of the 'New York Times' and look through the travel section and also the airline alliance websites:

http://www.staralliance.com/en/

http://www.staralliance.com/en/fares...he-world-fare/ (RTW Fare info)

http://www.oneworld.com/

http://www.oneworld.com/ow/flight-in...your-itinerary (RTW)

http://www.skyteam.com/ (Continental Airlines is about to join *Alliance)

http://www.skyteam.com/about/product...dtheworld.html (RTW)

Hope this helps!

Cover_Drive

Thanks! STA is a great suggestion; I'll check them out.

The major alliances' online planners, from what I've seen so far, are not ideal when one is somewhat flexible and is looking for a great deal rather than a fixed set of destinations. E.g., I'd swap Cairns for Sydney or vice versa if it was a huge difference. There are simply too many combinations for a 4- or 5-destination RTW itin to keep plugging into an online planner.

I've found a couple agents via google. A couple more would be great - either I'll find better deals or at least it will serve as a price/sanity check.

Englishmum

I guess you could try Trailfinders in the UK....most RTW fares are apparently cheaper from the UK as it is a major start-point for RTW trips; I remember reading up about it a couple of years ago and it may even be cost effective to fly to the UK and begin your trip with London as the origin city....! (See the Planning Your Trip section here regarding this:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Round_the_world_flights and also this thread here also seems to indicate that it is cheaper to begin a RTW trip from London:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...tw-ticket.html


In any case, Trailfinders should be able to help plan a trip starting from the US (and they also have travel offices Down Under in case you needed to change flights etc when you get to Oz):

http://www.trailfinders.com/ and this London bucket shop here:

http://www.leestravel.com/cms/RunScr...&p=ASP\Pg6.asp (loads of expats based in Asia use Lees)

also info here:

http://www.thetravellerslounge.co.uk...ld/flights.htm

nethead

Yeah, I was thinking of trailfinders too, and found this. It makes me want to go travelling again.

http://flights.trailfinders.com/Econ...the-Continents

http://flights.trailfinders.com/Economy/Max-your-Miles

another bloody yank

Well hell, it takes 80 days. I don't think even Brits get that much time.

Englishmum

Here's another link with useful info:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...el-agents.html

Come to think of it....was the original post in the thread posted by you?