There once was a time when round-the-world airline tickets purchased in advance made a lot of sense. Like, oh, when Bill Clinton had just started his first term and we still carried cassettes around in our backpacks. Then came more airline competition for international routes. Then came the Internet to shop for prices. Then came the likes of EasyJet, RyanAir, Air Berlin, Nok Air, JetStar and Air Asia.
Still, if you wanted peace of mind and were willing to pay a premium for it, a package of tickets to carry you around the world still wasn’t such a bad idea. But last week someone who bought one of my books sent me an e-mail and asked, “We’ve been quoted a price of $5,500 each on the Star Alliance for our itinerary; does that sound like too much?”
Gulp. Yes, that’s too much, but that’s really the wrong question now. “Does it still get me peace of mind?” is the new question and the answer is “No way.” I can say with full confidence now that my advice for the past decade—just wing it—actually makes you safer now than if you buy in advance.
Like most travel bloggers, I’ve expressed my wrath at the idiotic moves from American Airlines and USAir, but let’s face it: Delta, Northwest, and United are looking pretty shaky too. Otherwise why would the first two be spending $80 million just to explore a merger ? Alitalia’s rescue plan is on shaky ground. Austrian Airlines is already nationalized, but it lost 60 million euros in just four months.
So, what happens when the couple that bought that Star Alliance ticket is halfway around the world and the member airlines start going under? Let’s see, will it be United? USAir?Austrian Air? Swiss International? (That would be failure #2 by the way.) Asiana? Who knows; it’s a total crapshoot.
How about the One World Alliance ? Well, if you love paying to check bags , it’s a great option since American Airlines is one of the biggies. You’ve gotta figure that Qantas and Cathay Pacific will find a way to survive. But Malev and Finnair? I don’t know…
OK, so there is the smaller Sky Team option instead. I give Continental the best odds for survival after Southwest in the U.S., but who else do you trust to survive 12 more months there? What if you’re eventually stuck with just Aeroflot and Kenya Airways? After all, Korean Air just grounded a whole slew of international flights in order to stay afloat.
The best thing you can do, as a round-the-world traveler, is get used to not having everything planned out in advance. Start with your flights. Buy the first one. Then stop. Or maybe buy a basic skeleton round-the-world ticket from a broker that will get you covered for routes with little competition, like from South America to Africa or Australia. Then fill in the other routes as you go.
Hit the streets and get to know the local travel agents. You won’t have to look very hard. You will find them wherever backpackers congregate in cities with an airport. They know the routes, they know the players, and they know how to find the best price. Often that price is half what you would have paid at home, especially if you’re in Bangkok. The big bonus is, you’ll have a seat on an airline that’s really flying. And you’ll have more money for beer.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but winging it will result in far less stress.
