Here are the March RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through March 31, 2010.

• South American Highlights: Los Angeles – Lima – Buenos Aires – Sao Paulo – Santiago – Los Angeles from US$1099 (plus taxes)
• Ultimate Asia: Los Angeles – Beijing – surface – Xian – Hangzhou – Bangkok – Angkor Wat (Siem Reap) – Luang Phrabang – Hanoi – surface – Saigon / Ho Chi Minh – Singapore – Tokyo – Los Angeles from US$1799 (plus taxes)
• 5-Continent RTW: New York – Berlin – surface – Rome – London – Johannesburg – Sydney – Saigon / Ho Chi Minh – Singapore – Bangkok – Hong Kong – New York from US$2399 (plus taxes)

Or create your own adventure with the round the world trip planner. Happy savings & travels! (photo by: pfala)

Still, it’s not surprising that February inspires wanderlust in many people. With the holiday break already a month in the past and the next three-day weekend not even visible on the horizon, it’s enough to make someone throw their hands up and just book a trip already.

But what if you’re ready for something more intense than just a quickie winter getaway? Now is the ideal time to start planning for a long-term trip. And there’s no better way to get motivated for such an adventure than by booking a round-the-world ticket – especially when the destinations on those tickets are to places boasting loads of sunshine and a distinct lack of cold.

Here are the February RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through February 28, 2010.

• Miami – Rio de Janeiro – Buenos Aires – Montevideo – Asuncion – Santiago – Lima – Bogota – Miami from US$1299 (plus taxes)
• San Francisco – Hong Kong – Bangkok – Bombay / Mumbai – Bangalore – Singapore – San Francisco from US$1549 (plus taxes)
• New York – Frankfurt – Cape Town – Kuala Lumpur – Bali (Denpasar) – Singapore – Bangkok – Hong Kong – New York from US$1999 (plus taxes)

And if none of these itineraries looks like the one you’ve been dreaming of, you can customize your own trip with a few clicks of your mouse on our easy- and fun-to-use round the world trip planner. If nothing else, it’s an excellent diversion from that dreary grayness outside your window…

We decided the best kind of navel-gazing we could do right now would be the kind that would also provide you, the soon-to-be-RTW traveler, with useful information as well. (We’re giving like that.) Which is why we’re proud to say that what we found in our metaphorical navels is a little nugget of informaiton that could radically impact your RTW planning.

It’s the ability to plan without a compass.

What do we mean by that? Well, with traditional RTW tickets you’re forced to continue moving in one direction for the duration of your trip. Once you set off on your journey, you can’t backtrack on that RTW ticket. This can certainly still get you around the globe, but it’s awfully restrictive.

That’s exactly why we prefer the kinds of RTW tickets we sell – the ones that let you zig-zag back and forth all over the planet without regard to what direction you’re going or where you came from. How can we do it? Our tickets aren’t typical RTW tickets – they’re really a series of one-way tickets, which give you the ultimate in flexibility.

And we still have some of the best prices on RTW air tickets that you’ll find anywhere.

Here are the January RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through January 31, 2010.

• New York – London – Amsterdam – Frankfurt – Beijing – Seoul – New York from US$1099 (plus taxes)
• Los Angeles – Nadi (Fiji) – Sydney – surface – Brisbane – Auckland – Tongatapu (Tonga) – Los Angeles from US$1599 (plus taxes)
• San Francisco – Singapore – Saigon / Ho Chi Minh – surface – Hanoi – Luang Phrabang – surface – Vientiane – Angkor Wat (Siem Reap) – Bangkok – surface – Koh Samui – Hong Kong – surface – Beijing – Tokyo – San Francisco from US$1649 (plus taxes)

If you don’t fancy any of those itineraries enough to book it, then we welcome you to design your own – with as many zigs and zags as you like – with our RTW trip planner.

Like I’m doing now.

See, as I was scanning this month’s round-the-world ticket deals, I saw the word “Tahiti” as the first stop on the first itinerary – and I sighed. And I stared off into space. And I had to force myself to keep reading and get back to work. Because even though I’m not a beach person, all it takes is the word “Tahiti” to make me think of the ultimate escape – a trip to the end of the world to do nothing upon nothing for as long as you like.

I think that’s one of the fun things about any trip, actually – fixating on one location and then building a trip around it. So maybe Tahiti isn’t the place you obsess over, or the one that makes you stare off into space, but with all the destinations listed on this month’s set of RTW deals, there’s sure to be one that does capture your imagination in a similar way.

Here are the December RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through December 31, 2009.

• Los Angeles – Papeete (Tahiti) – Sydney – surface – Melbourne – Christchurch – surface – Auckland – Los Angeles from US$1099 (plus taxes)
• San Francisco – Hong Kong – Bangkok – Bombay / Mumbai – Bangalore – Singapore – San Francisco from US$1499 (plus taxes)
• Los Angeles – London – Paris – Cape Town – surface – Johannesburg – Abu Dhabi – Kuala Lumpur – surface – Bangkok – Hong Kong – Beijing – Los Angeles from US$2599 (plus taxes)

If none of these itineraries includes that ideal dream destination for you, then create your own – it’s easy (and addictive) with our RTW trip planner.

If you’re lucky, you can have the best of both worlds – a cheap ticket and a place you actually want to go. Chances are pretty good you’ll get one of those so-called “win-win” situations with these special deals for RTW tickets this month.

Looking over the itineraries for these really inexpensive multi-stop tickets, you’ll note the heavy emphasis on cities in Asia and the South Pacific. At this time of year, if your home is in the Northern Hemisphere and you’re looking to get away from the oncoming winter, those are some of the places you’d want to go anyway. And if you’re on a budget, Asia is an excellent place to make your money go further.

So have a look through this month’s special RTW fares, and see if one of them doesn’t strike you as the perfect balance of a budget-friendly trip that also happens to include some pretty exciting destinations.

Here are the November RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through November 30, 2009.

• Los Angeles – Nadi (Fiji) – Sydney – surface – Brisbane – Auckland – Tongatapu (Tonga) – Los Angeles from US$1169 (plus taxes)
• New York – Singapore – Bangkok – Cairo – Rome – London – New York from US$1399 (plus taxes)
• San Francisco – Singapore – Saigon / Ho Chi Minh – surface – Hanoi – Luang Phrabang – surface – Vientiane – Angkor Wat (Siem Reap) – Bangkok – surface – Koh Samui – Hong Kong – surface – Beijing – Tokyo – San Francisco from US$1599 (plus taxes)

And, of course, if you want to tweak any of these itineraries slightly – or start over and create your own from whole cloth – you can do that easily with our RTW trip planner.

So with that in mind I’ve done the research for you. Of course the lists below could potentially change a bit over time, but at least this will give you a place to start your research. I spent a long time going over databases and using various tools that I could find on the internet, and some of the results were a bit surprising, though others were exactly what I expected beforehand.

Cheapest airports in Asia for long distance flights

The list below represents the six cheapest airports in EAST Asia, since everyone will go through this region at least once. I didn’t include India on this list since it’s not too easy to get around overland from India. Most people fly into India and then fly out of India. And besides, the prices for flights coming from Europe into East Asia should correspond with flights coming from India, so you can use that list as a place to begin.

• Tokyo (NRT)
• Beijing (PEK)
• Hong Kong (HKG)
• Singapore (SIN)
• Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
• Bangkok (BKK)

Cheapest airports for those flying from North America

1. 1 – Tokyo (NRT) – During promotions it can actually be surprisingly cheap to fly to Japan.
2. 2 – Beijing (PEK) – Beijing is the best bet for those skipping Japan due to expenses once there.
3. 3 – Hong Kong (HKG) – Hong Kong used to be incredibly cheap but not so anymore.
4. 4 – Bangkok (BKK) – For those looking for a dirt-cheap destination, it’s worth it to pay a bit more and come straight to Bangkok.
5. 5 – Singapore (SIN) – Singapore has an awesome airline, but it’s not too cheap to get here.
6. 6 – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Kuala Lumpur is a great hub for cheap flights around Asia, but is pricey to reach from long distances.

Cheapest airports for those flying from Europe

1. 1 – Beijing (PEK) – It’s a bit surprising that one of the more distant (from Europe) airports is often the cheapest into this region.
2. 2 – Hong Kong (HKG) – This one is no surprise, at least to me.
3. 3 – Singapore (SIN) – Singapore can be cheap out of Europe, unlike out of North America
4. 4 – Bangkok (BKK) – While this one isn’t the cheapest, it’ll always be popular with cheapskate travelers looking for a base.
5. 5 – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Malaysia isn’t much more expensive than the others, and this is a great base for further cheap flights.
6. 6 – Tokyo (NRT) – Not surprising that the most distant one costs the most here.

Cheapest airports for those flying from Australia

1. 1 – Bangkok (BKK) – Folks coming from Oz can get great deals into SE Asia.
2. 2 – Singapore (SIN) – It’s a bit surprising to me that Singapore is this cheap from Down Under.
3. 3 – Tokyo (NRT) – As the most distant one, this is a surprise as well.
4. 4 – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Again, flying into Malaysia is great for flights within the region.
5. 5 – Beijing (PEK) – Strange that this one isn’t one of the cheaper ones.
6. 6 – Hong Kong (HKG) – This is a big surprise, but things have changed in Hong Kong in the past few years.

Conclusion

In most cases you’ll be better off flying into where you want to actually be, rather than flying into a big hub that has cheap tickets. On the other hand, this list can be very handy if you want to go someplace that might be considered obscure. For example, if you want to fly to Brunei, then it might save you money to find a cheap ticket to one of these cities and then another onward ticket to Brunei.

At least this should give you a place to start your research for when you want to make it to Asia.

As long-term travelers know, there are many destinations around the world in which it’s cheaper to live than your current home – so what better way to save some cash than by taking a trip to one of those locations? Luckily, many of the stops on this month’s featured RTW itineraries include places with a pretty low cost of living. And if the named stops listed aren’t the cheapest, they’re probably close to fairly inexpensive places where you could stay for awhile, too.

So if you need to escape the bad economic news for awhile, or want to ride out the rest of the downturn with different surroundings, or just spend less money on a daily basis than you are at home, this could be the perfect time to get out of town for a few months.

Here are the October RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through October 31, 2009.

• San Francisco – London – Beijing – Hong Kong – San Francisco from US$1199 (plus taxes)
• Los Angeles – Bangkok – Overland On Your Own – Singapore – Bali (Denpasar) – Darwin – Cairns – Overland On Your Own – Melbourne – Nadi (Fiji) – Los Angeles from US$1599 (plus taxes)
• New York – Frankfurt – Cape Town – Kuala Lumpur – Bali (Denpasar) – Singapore – Bangkok – Hong Kong – New York from US$1995 (plus taxes)

And, as always, if you don’t see the ideal itinerary, you can dream up your very own custom RTW itinerary with our RTW ticket planner.

Once again, the idea behind this series is that the USA is a monstrous place and visiting anything approaching it “all” would take a lifetime and also be really boring. So in that spirit I’ve identified places around the country that are different enough from other things you’ll see so you can determine if they work into your trip or not. Just like any other country on the planet, the US has plenty of cities that are great to live in or even great to visit if you’ve got a reason to go, but that just aren’t different enough from one another to justify the trip for most people.

West Coast cities to consider

Seattle, Washington – It’s been a while since Kurt Cobain and a few other musicians helped put Seattle on the global culture map, and that phenomenon has faded a bit in the last few years. Still, Seattle has plenty going on and it’s somewhat unique, at least if you aren’t also visiting Vancouver, BC or Portland, Oregon. It’s also fairly cheap compared to the California cities, which is another plus. If you go between November and April then you should expect cool and drizzly weather, but it’s not really as bad as many say it is. If you are looking for something to explore between California and Canada, this has got to be on your list.

Portland, Oregon – To me this is a perfect example of a nice city with a great quality of life that is also cheap, but honestly there isn’t anything here (it’s where I live now) to really distinguish the place. There are no tourist attractions at all, unless you count the huge and awesome Powell’s City of Books. It’s like a smaller and less chaotic version of Seattle, with cheaper beer, so it’s a fine stop if you are taking a car or the train up or down the coast, but don’t get your expectations too high.

The coast of Oregon – If you have rented a car and are driving up or down the coast, this is an excellent detour. The scenery is similar to most of California, but it’s almost empty by California standards, so finding cheap camping or a cheap hotel in summer is relatively easy. The whole area feels a bit forgotten by most US standards, so it has a slightly eerie feeling to go along with the natural beauty. Driving up and down the coast of Southern California is like being in a parade, so if you have the choice this is better.

San Francisco – Everyone always says, “San Francisco is America’s most European city” so naturally Europeans would want to go there, right? Everyone should definitely try their best to work San Francisco into their itinerary, but don’t expect to be reminded of Europe. There are homeless people panhandling everywhere, for example. This is a very interesting and unique city with plenty to see and do, but unless you are staying in a tourist district you’ll find the public transportation sucks and things are still weirdly spread out. It’s also a beautiful city, mostly because of the flowing hills in each direction, so make this a stop and try to stay somewhere central if you can. You won’t regret it.

The California coast – If you are driving between Los Angeles and San Francisco, then you have a few choices, and one of those is doing much of the trip on Highway 1 along the coast. During summer you can expect terrible traffic, and every hotel or motel you’ll see will be really expensive, but it is quite scenic so it can be worthwhile for some people. There are a few interesting cities along the way, plus the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, but if your time is limited you could skip this whole thing.

Santa Barbara – This isn’t an obvious choice at all, since Santa Barbara is known as the home and playground of the idle rich, but it’s actually a very cool city to spend a day or two in. The downtown area (on State Street) is unique and old school by California standards, and everything is walking distance, including a huge selection of bars that attract university students as well as locals. There are a few cheap hotels and hostels downtown, and if you can stay in one of those for a day or two you will probably love it.

Los Angeles – This is where I grew up, and I still have a love/hate relationship with the place, but even when describing the parts of it I hate I still contend that this is one of the world’s great cities and you have to visit at least once, at least for a few days, or you have no right to criticize the place. Hollywood sucks and isn’t nearly as fun as it should be, but if you are into entertainment at all you should probably check it out anyway. Downtown is getting better but still doesn’t have much to see unless you are really interested in some extreme ethnic neighborhoods.

Santa Monica and Venice Beach are probably the best places to stay and hang out, and you might think about the South Bay (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach) if you aren’t in too much of a hurry, since those areas are really nice yet don’t have too many tourists to worry about. Orange County doesn’t offer much that is special, though a drive along the beach in Huntington and Newport is worth a few hours at least once in your life.

Try to spend at least 3 nights here, and also think about basing yourself in more than one place during your stay. This city is so spread out that it’s impossible to deal with or understand if you try to see it in a day or two just to say you have.

San Diego – I put San Diego in the same category that I do Portland, Oregon, in that it’s a nice place to live but there aren’t many unique things to see. It’s all exactly like Los Angeles and Orange Counties, but with fewer hyper-aggressive people. If you just want to chill by a decent beach for a few days then San Diego is probably better than Los Angeles, but it’s all pretty forgettable if I’m being honest. Taking a day trip down into Tijuana is a must though, as it’s unlike anything you are likely to see anywhere else in the world, including other parts of Mexico itself.

What’s great about that is you’re better able to tailor your itinerary to make it exactly the trip you want to take, regardless of whether Point B is actually backtracking a bit from Point A or not. But then an itinerary special pops up that is quite literally a round-the-world ticket – where you’re essentially flying around the globe until you’re back home again – and for some reason that makes us take notice.

It’s not that the other itineraries aren’t great, it’s just that the idea of a RTW trip that will truly have you traveling around the world is so cool that we get a little giddy about it. If you do, too, then take a peek at the 3rd itinerary on the list below and see if it doesn’t make you think about packing a steamer trunk and setting sail…

These are the September RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through September 30, 2009.

• Chicago – Cape Town – surface – Johannesburg – Nairobi – London – Chicago, from $US1249 plus taxes
• Los Angeles – Papeete (Tahiti) – Auckland – Sydney – Saigon / Ho Chi Minh – Da Nang – Hanoi – Hong Kong – Los Angeles, from US$2149 plus taxes
• New York – London – Paris – Prague – Rome – Athens – Johannesburg – Kilimanjaro – surface – Nairobi – Bombay / Mumbai – Delhi – Bangkok – Singapore – Bali (Denpasar) – Sydney – Auckland – Nadi (Fiji) – Los Angeles – Honolulu – New York, from US$3999 plus taxes

And if none of those itineraries is the one you’ve been dreaming of, then play around with our RTW trip planner (warning – it’s addictive!) and create your very own RTW itinerary.

Now, the good news with these monthly specials is that between the three that come up each month there’s probably one that includes many of the places you’re thinking of including in your itinerary. But there are so many more places you could add to any of these special itineraries, it’s a little hard to narrow it down. A quick glance at our list of where to go on a RTW trip is enough to make you want to extend your trip indefinitely just to hit them all!

But for starters, most of the people who set off on long trips will eventually come home (wherever home may be by that point) and settle into some kind of routine for awhile. That’s not saying they don’t pack up and head out again, it just means that when you do buy your RTW ticket you can’t be completely cavalier about where you’ll go – it pays to make sure your itinerary is one you love from the start.

So, the bottom line is that if you don’t see exactly the itinerary that makes your heart sing when you browse through the specials for this month (or any month, for that matter), be sure to click through and work on tailoring your very own itinerary, custom-made for you and by you. It’ll help you have the trip of your dreams, not to mention heighten your excitement about the journey.

These are the August RTW ticket deals – these prices are good through August 31, 2009.

• Los Angeles – Lima – Buenos Aires – Sao Paulo – Santiago – Los Angeles, from $US1099 plus taxes
• San Francisco – London – Bangkok – Sydney – Honolulu – San Francisco, from US$1999 plus taxes
• New York – Hong Kong – Bangkok – Singapore – Saigon / Ho Chi Minh – Sydney – Johannesburg – Frankfurt – Paris – London – Athens – New York, from US$2899 plus taxes

Don’t see the itinerary you’ve been looking for? Create your own with our RTW trip planner.