We had made the decision to leave everyday life for a whole year. So where should we go? For some time, we had considered visiting New Zealand and Australia. Those would be our first destinations. From there we planned to fly to Europe and travel by car for six to nine months. When we started discussions with the airlines, things got much more interesting. We first spoke with the international desk at United Airlines, asking them about a New Zealand-Australia-Europe itinerary. Thinking we would be buying two separate tickets, the friendly lady informed us about the "Around The World Fare."
This ticket is unpublicized and can be purchased with as little as seven days advance notice. United, American Airlines and Delta each offer an around-the-world program through their alliances. The pricing was comparable. United offered the best itinerary for our desired destinations. The ticket can be used for up to one year and can include as many as 15 destinations around the world. You must fly in one direction and cannot go backward. Only the departure flight needs to be firm, the rest can be left open. When you are ready to go to your next destination, you call the airline for the next available flight. The price for the whole ticket is determined by mileage. The airline you choose will book you on their flights or with any of their alliance partners, which gives you amazing options.
Here is our final trip
plan:
1) Christchurch, New Zealand
2) Brisbane, Australia
3) Hobart, Tasmania from
Sydney, Australia
4) Melbourne from Tasmania
5) Hong Kong, China
6) Beijing, China
7) Phuket, Thailand
8) Cairo, Egypt -- From Cairo
we will use other means (air or rail) to go to Istanbul, Turkey and on
to Athens, Greece
9) Munich, Germany (from
Athens, Greece)
10) Stockholm, Sweden
11) Chicago, IL from Dresden,
Germany
And the price is ... ??? You
are allowed to be amazed!
Coach fare $ 3,486.00 US
funds, business class, $ 6,400.00.
Three mileage tiers determine
the price:
Tier one:
25,000 - 29,000 miles -- $ 1,800.00;
Tier two:
29,000 - 34,000 miles -- $ 2,800.00;
Tier three: 34,000
- 39,000 miles -- $ 3,486.00.
We are in tier three with a total mileage of 38,950 miles.
Most other travel arrangements were made via Internet. We first booked an eight-day dive vacation at the Heron Island Resort in the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast Australia's. Heron Island is the ideal resort for divers, about 50 great dive spots are within a fifteen-minute boat ride. The resort includes a PADI dive center, which allows the booking of multiple dives each day. Dive packages include tanks, BCD's and boat travel. Divemasters will help novice divers during individual dive excursions. The PADI center offers any type of open-saltwater dive certification.
Since we completed our dive certification prior to this trip, we wanted to include another dive trip at a different location. After friends had recommended a visit to Phuket, we later found the island's general website loaded with praise for Thailand's diving spots. Several live-aboard dive trips leave from Phuket and take divers to the almost untouched archipelago in south Burma. We booked an eight-day cruise on board the Sai Mai. This boat houses eight guests and six staff members. See more information about Phuket.
We also decided to firm our hotel reservations in Hong Kong and Beijing. Hong Kong offers a variety of informative websites about the city itself as well as accommodations. We recommend to also check out a few travel books; most writers include many insider tips about sights in the Hong Kong vicinity. Travelers to Hong Kong do not need to apply for a visa in the United States.
The Beijing websites still need some work and are often outdated. Still, a variety of hotels is featured on the web. An interesting travel fact we found in a travel book: Car rental is not possible in China. In order to travel to the Great Wall, visitors can rent a car with a driver. The price for this arrangement is comparable to renting a car only. China requires a visa!
Most travel books recommend booking a guided tour when traveling in Egypt. Such organized group trips guarantee a higher level of security. We found a combined Cairo-Nile Cruise package from Lotus International, their website can be found at www.lotustravel.com. You will need a visa for entering Egypt.
The rest of out trip - touring in Europe - will proceed in much more spontaneous, leisurely fashion. Hotels and B&B's (called "pensions") are easy to find throughout Europe. For those last six month, we will travel by car and stay longer periods of time where ever we like it. We did book a three-week intensive language course in Lucca, Italy. For this period, we are staying in the home of an Italian family. The family will provide breakfast and a taste of everyday life in Italy. For more information about language courses offered by Koine International visit their Web site.