Savvy flier plots 9-city round-the-world ticket for only $1,179 using budget airlines
Low-fare airlines have revolutionized shoe-string travel around the U.S., Europe and Asia. They often lure bargain hunters and penny-pinching road warriors willing to put up with a seat that won't lean back and a lack of free water. For most of us, it's not worth flying such airlines long distance, but one savvy traveler has masterfully strung together a dirt cheap round-the-world trip to take the kind of back-breaking trip that would give most of us nightmares.
Drew Macomber of TravelIsFree.com started researching the idea after noticing that airlines like Norwegian, Wow Air, and Air Asia are stretching the concept of low-fare travel to long-haul flights. This kickstarted his thought process to see how far he could go on the cheap.
He actually put a hypothetical trip together for $1,179 routing Boston-Paris-Budapest-Dubai-Colombo-Kuala Lumpur-Sydney-Honolulu-New York, with stops all along the way. He used airlines like Wow Air, Ryanair, flydubai, and Jetstar, each of which could be purchased as separate one-way tickets. He even threw some mainstream airlines in there, like Alaska.
According to Macomber, round-the-world tickets (often sold as one ticket through airlines and their alliance partners) vary in price depending upon the number of stops you make. They often include detailed routing rules that can make piecing together the ideal trip cumbersome. It would be very difficult to find a trip with such a low price and so many stops through traditional airlines. The trip he put together would probably cost at least $6,000 using traditional airlines.
Yes, traveling budget airlines does mean that you must travel light or pay hefty luggage fees. And we mean, featherweight light, since many airlines (we're looking at you Air Asia) charge mightily for each pound (well, kilo) if you go over their already low cabin bag allowance. Of course, airlines like Allegiant and Spirit even charge you for cabin bags if they don't fit underneath the seat in front of you.
If you're willing to hit the road with just the clothes on your back and a few extras like toiletries, a good guidebook and an adventurous spirit, this discount plan could be for you! With the extra cash you save, there is plenty leftover for a massage and fancy wine-paired dinner in each stop you make.