Round the world flights avoiding the States

At this time of the year a lot of passengers book their round the world flights. However we are detecting quite a lot of passengers who would like to avoid the States at the moment due to the recent security upset on Xmas day. Our experience tells us that things do settle down fairly quickly, and a lot of passngers do go on RTWs the other way (ie via Asia and Australia first) ie EH (Easten Hemisphere) rather than AP (Atlantic Pacific). Moreover here's a list of all the RTWs that can avoid completely or just transit the States

Via Asia
Australia and NZ Sale
Via Latin America
Cheapest RTW via South America from £956 & tax
Explorer RTW via South America from £2149 & tax
4 Continent RTW via South America from £2149 plus tax
5 Continent RTW via Latin America from £2629 & tax
RTWs via Peru & North America from £879 & tax
6 Continent RTW via Latin America from £3049 plus tax
The Mega 18 Stop RTW from £1686 plus tax
The Darwin 13 Stop RTW from £1136 plus tax
Via Africa
Cheapest RTW via Africa from £549 plus tax
Classic 7 Stop RTW from £847 plus tax
Continental RTWs with up to 3 stops in Africa
Navigator combining Africa, Asia & OZ/NZ
7 Stop RTW via Africa from £956 plus tax
SAA via Africa from £699 plus tax

Mark Eveleigh in Bali

Bali

The old Suzuki was rattling badly as I battered at the last of the potholes on the descent down to Bali’s spectacular Batur Volcano. I’ve been coming to Bali for years and have rented this same vehicle on every visit. Over the course of the last decade it has threatened to explode or simply crumble under me on pretty much every volcano, beach road and jungle track on the island. I’m always surprised whenever I get back to Kuta and my friend Mr Putu tells me that the old Suzuki is still “kuat dan sehat” (strong and healthy).

I was beginning to wonder if the road around Batur might finally be the last straw for the faithful old warhorse. But finally we made it and she was able to gasp to a halt on the waterfront at the village of Trunyan.

According to some, Trunyan is one of the original ‘cradles of mankind’ on The Island of the Gods. This is one of only five remaining Bali Aga villages on the island. The Bali Aga are often said to be the original Balinese, although in reality they too were part of an early migration that forced the first Balinese farther east to islands like Sumba and Flores where, even today the people have the shocks of fizzy hair that are rarely seen even in the remotest Balinese villages these days.

I was working on an assignment on the Bali Aga people and had already brutalized the old Suzuki all the way to the three remote villages in the hills of the north coast. Then I had driven right around the east of the island to the famous walled ‘fortress village’ of Tenganan and finally back up the southern flanks of the volcanoes to the village of Trunyan.

Most Balinese Hindus cremate their dead. But the people on the shores of Lake Batur are unique in Bali. They are known as ‘Hindus of the Wind’ and they simply lay their dead out in the open air to decompose slowly in the, often surprisingly chilled, highland climate.

A young boatman called Nyoman agreed to row me along the edge of the lake to the sacred cove (inaccessible by land) that has been the resting place of the Bali Aga dead for longer than anyone can remember.

“We have to leave before dark,” he warned me. “Even the official guardians cannot stay in the cemetery at night. There are too many ghosts. It is the ghosts that guard the cemetery at night.”

An eerie wind whipped the lake up as we rowed out from the village and Nyoman had to struggle to keep us away from the rocky shore. The short flight of moss-covered steps that lead into the cemetery are like a backdrop from Apocalypse Now. A pair of skulls guard the pillars of the gateway, staring ahead with sightless eyes. Clove cigarettes lay on the plate in front of their mouths. At the top of the steps about a hundred more skulls were laid out across the top of a flat stone and eleven recent dead were laid on the ground to decompose in the shade of a huge tree. The bodies were shrouded with mats and protected by loose bamboo fences but their faces were open to the sacred wind. Nearby lay a rubbish heap of old rags and the ubiquitous plastic bottles and broken flip-flops. Here and there human bones stuck out of the heap. This was the communal dumping ground for the dead of the last generations. Only the most perfectly preserved skulls are saved from this human garbage heap.

I had wondered about the smell but this is one of the great mysteries of the cemetery at Trunyan and researchers have yet to explain it.

“It is the tree that keeps the air fresh,” Nyoman told me, “sometimes we might have to keep a body in the village for up to a week while our priests wait for a good day for burial. The smell in the village can be awful…but as soon as the body arrives here it stops smelling. The wind here is always sweet and pure.”

See more of Marks blog here

Mark in Australia Part 2

Travel photojournalist Mark Eveleigh is on an RTW.
He's now crossing Australia by rail; top drums by #DrumAtweme
Read his blog here

Mark in Australia Part 1

Travel photojournalist Mark Eveleigh is on an RTW.
He's now crossing Australia by rail; top drums by #DrumAtweme
Read his blog here

Mark Eveleigh on the Pan American Highway (Part 2)

Writer and broadcaster Mark Eveleigh is off on an RTW from
roundtheworldflights.com and he's video blogging. Here he travels on
the Pan Am highway from El Salvador to Mexico City

Mark Eveleigh on the Pan American Highway (Part 1)

In 1992 Mark Eveleigh (www.markeveleigh.com) spent six hours reviewing his life while swinging from the end of a fraying cable in the world's highest cable-car, in Venezuela. The psychological shock of this experience was enough to send him plummeting down the slippery slope into the shadowy world of freelance travel-writing. As a photojournalist he has since contributed to 60 magazines and newspapers on 6 continents. Mark specialises in adventure travel and exploration but has written on conservation and cultural aspects of more than 50 different countries. In 1996 he led the first expedition by foreigners into Central Borneo's 'valley of the spirit world,' collecting material for Fever Trees of Borneo.

He grew up in Africa, and returned in 1999 to trek through northern Madagascar with a zebu pack-bull. The full story was told in Maverick in Madagascar. He continues to spend most of each year travelling on assignments in remote parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America but between trips is based in Pamplona, Spain. Hemingway once described Mark's adopted hometown as 'the hell-raising capital of the world' but the man who Maxim called 'a borderline insane modern-day explorer' admits to finding it increasingly difficult to shake off the effects of the world's greatest fiesta. Now Mark is off on a fabulous 7 Stop Discoverer RTW - see his full blog here

Please check your itinerary so carefully

When you receive your e tickets from roundtheworldflights.com, read over everything carefully. While it will usually be correct, errors can happen. Your RTW consultants are only human. Check your RTW destinations, RTW dates, RTW connection times, name spellings and RTW airlines. Make sure everything exists the way you planned it. It really is so much easier to change an RTW ticket straight after its booked, than two days before you go!

Packing for a round the world flight

What Gear will I need?

Essentials

Backpack (About 65 litres capacity should do)
Day pack
Passport - don't forget it - by the end of your trip you will know your passport number off by heart

Insurance
Flight tickets or e ticket receipts - you will always get a booking confirmation from roundtheworldflights.com
Bus pass, Visas - double check which ones you need Immunisation record, Travel Insurance documents, Diary, Address Book, All emergency numbers,

Passport photos (8 minimum), Pens, A pencil, Glasses/contact lenses, Prescriptions Medications, Photocopies of documents, Sunglasses, Identity cards (student or Under 26 card), Discount cards (VIP backpacker card)

Medical

First Aid Kit

Extras for your first aid kit

Anti malarial tablets, Inoculation certificates, Immodium, Paracetemol, Rennies, Nurofen (Ibuprofen), Savlon, Small plasters, Athletes foot powder, Talc, Moisturiser, Throat lozenges, Multi Vitamins, Tweezers, Pointed scissors (or a Swiss Army knife), Water purification tablets, Thermometer

Bedtime

Sleeping bag
Inner sheet Sleeping bag (Save cash and make your own!)
Thermarest

Travel Gear
iPod, Camera (Digital), Mobile phone (Enabled for abroad), batteries, Charging units, Travel adapter, Waterbottle, A good money belt, Combination padlocks, Kindle, Laptop or netbook (Last two really are luxuries)

Money - make sure you've saved enough!
Visa Credit card (get your PIN!)Mastercard Credit Card (get your PIN!)
ATM "hole in the wall" card like a cirrus or maestro (Check the back of your normal ATM card - remember your PIN!) Pre-paid card (get from the post office) AMEX US Dollar Travellers Cheques

Washbag - stay clean - stay well - smell better

Travel toothbrush, Toothpaste, Suncream (waterproof and factor 25 at least), Shampoo, Conditioner Shaving stuff, Sewing Kit, Ear plugs, Contraception, Tissues (big box), Lip balm, Safety pins, Flannel, Female sanitary towels, Brush or comb, Deodorant, Condoms, Toilet paper, Wet wipes, Dental floss, Moisturiser, Nail clippers, Travel towel, Tooth brush guard

Essential Gear
Universal sink plug , Peg free clothes line, Travel wash (for clothes)
Lighter or waterproof matches, DEET repellent , Electronic repellent
Swiss Army Knife (with corkscrew...), Small Maglite torch , Head torch
Knife, fork & spoon set , Compass , Tea spoon, mug (try making a cup of tea on the Trans Siberian with a swiss army knife...)

Clothes and Footwear (travel light)
Long sleeved shirt, Jeans, Smart combat trousers, Sun hat, Travel sandals, Trekking shoes Shower proof jacket, 4 pairs of pants and socks, Shorts, Belt, Cotton T Shirts, Swimming gear Cotton shirts, Long sleeved T Shirts, Sweater, Sarong (for your Beckham moments), Fleece Woolly hat, Scarf and gloves, Thermal underwear

Handy Gear that makes travelling more enjoyable

Books (Dostoyevsky soon gets a little dull on the beach), Guidebooks (We like the maps in Lonely Planet), Phrase book, Address book, Telephone card, Job reference letter, Family photos, Diary, Re-sealable plastic bag, Large black bin bag, A toilet roll (Super Essential!)

Make a list of the following and give photocopies to your family or good friend. Ask them to put them in a safe place in case you need to contact them. Also take a set with you. Also email them to your hotmail or gmail account.

Drivers licence
Embassy Addresses
Serial number of tickets
Glasses/contact lens prescription
Passport number and date issued
Serial numbers of travellers cheques
Serial numbers on valuables e.g. cameras Youth Hostel card / other membership

All insurance details & emergency contacts
Credit card numbers (Do not take copies with you)
Emergency numbers to cancel your card (Do take copies with you)
Emergency Numbers of family and friends

Good news - BA strike off - the official statement

BA are delighted for our customers the threat of a strike has been lifted more here

Excellent post on BA sitiuation by travel agent Murray Harrold

Excellent post by travel agent Murray Harrold
Have uploaded BA info as seen by travel trade - plus a few pointers which may be helpful here
For BAs latest news click here

Latest on the BA strike from the BBC

Yup it looks and feels like a strike; half the time these strike threats are pulled but this looks a nasty one; especially if you are flying domestically within the UK to connect to an international flight; here's the latest from BBC News

Q&A: How the British Airways strike affects you - full article here


The background to the dispute

Union members at British Airways have voted to take strike action.

The industrial action will take place over 12 days from 22 December to 2 January.

This is the first walkout by British Airways cabin crew since 1997.

The action could affect up to one million air travellers.

How disruptive will the strike be?

The Unite union has asked for BA to restart talks, so there is a chance that the strikes might not go ahead.

If they do, the seriousness of the disruption will depend on how many staff decide not to turn up to work on the 12 days of the strikes.

It is not yet possible to say which flights will be cancelled. BA says it is currently reworking its flight schedules for the strike period and aims to announce the new ones as quickly as possible.

During past industrial action, the airline has chosen to cancel domestic UK flights first and keep as many international services flying as possible.

The reasoning is that passengers on domestic routes have the option of taking the train instead.

I've got a flight booked with BA, what should I do?

British Airways says it will inform affected customers directly by e-mail or text by using the contact details provided at the time of booking. So it is asking passengers to make sure these details are correct and up-to-date.

If you have a flight during the planned strike period - or 48 hours either side of it - BA has said you can change it now for another leaving any time in the next 12 months at no extra charge.

People with fully flexible tickets can change them online without charge, but others will need to ring the BA phoneline, or face being charged for changing on the website. One BBC News website reader reported a queue on the telephone line of an hour on Tuesday morning.

But if you do not decide to swap it in advance and your flight ends up being cancelled because of strike action, BA says it will offer you the option to refund your ticket, rebook on to a different flight or reroute your journey on another BA flight.

Full details can be found on the BA website here

In general, customers are extremely unlikely to have any extra claim for compensation, because the cancellation is not "within the airline's control".

What about all those extra holiday costs?

A cancelled holiday means potential losses over other holiday costs such as car hire and hotels.

Rochelle Turner from Which? says people 'just have to wait'

If you booked a package, then the travel agent or operator has a responsibility to provide all the elements of that package.

So customers should contact their agent or operator as soon as possible. The agent or operator will try to find alternative flights but, if that is not possible, will refund the cost of the whole package holiday.

The Atol protection scheme run by the Civil Aviation Authority does not kick in because this is designed for when an airline goes out of business.

For those who booked the separate elements of their holiday themselves, the picture is slightly more gloomy.

If their holiday is cancelled, they will need to try to claim the extra costs through their travel insurance. Alternatively, if it was booked on a credit card, then they might have a claim through their credit card provider for costs of over £100.

This comes under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act explained on the Office of Fair Trading website.

What happens now?

Many details have yet to emerge about exactly which flights could be affected.

It will be one of the first examples of the use of text messages to keep customers abreast of how their particular flight is affected.

There are other issues related to timing.

Buying a second ticket with an alternative airline now, only to find that the strike is cancelled or alternative flights found, would leave a passenger with two tickets and no right to a refund.

Anyone who tries to claim for holiday costs through their insurance, if their flight is cancelled, would need to have bought the policy and made their bookings before 2 November. This was when Unite announced a strike ballot - from which point the strike was no longer "unforeseen".


If your flight is seriously delayed, it would be worth getting some written confirmation of the length of delay if you decide to claim on travel insurance.

Other airlines say that they will find alternative carriers if they have an agreement to use BA flights for connecting services.

Aussie Vastness by Mark Eveleigh

“That’s the thing about Aus. It’s vast!” my fellow passenger was saying, as we shot across the desert at 100km an hour while gulping at frosted glasses of Victoria Beer. “People from outside just can’t grasp the sheer ‘vastity’ of it.”
The Indian Pacific train had been trundling across the Western Australian Outback for close to twenty hours already and I had to admit that I was struggling to come to terms with it myself. We were now in what my friend might have called the complete ‘emptity’ of the Nullarbor Desert. The name derives from Latin for ‘treeless desert’ and apart from a few scraggy bushes there had been nothing worthy of the name for the last two hundred miles. Then we came upon a little collection of a few shacks around a railway watering point. At some point in the past some optimistic (or perhaps just humorous) souls had planted about a dozen scraggy pines here and they had named the place ‘Forest.’
The map shows an enthralling chain of place names: Kellerberrin, Kingoonya, Woomera and, in this sweltering desolation, the wonderfully named Koolyanobbing. In the village of Cook, touted as ‘Queen City of the Nullarbor,’ we stopped to explore the few sun-scorched huts and the old jailhouses while the train refilled its water-tanks. A sign beside the track said that Cook has a population of ‘four people, forty dingoes and four million flies.’
Scarcity of water aside, crossing the Nullarbor is in some ways more like making an ocean voyage. The Indian Pacific sings smoothly along on her silver rails between featureless horizons with never a bump or a lurch. This is officially the longest stretch of straight railway line in the world. You only realise what an unusual sensation this is when you suddenly find yourself careering into the wall when you reach the first kink in the track after 298 miles.
The Indian Pacific connects Perth and Sydney along 4,352km of track but I would be disembarking at Adelaide to catch another train northwards. The famous Ghan follows the supply route once used by the intrepid cameleers who brought supplies from South Australia to the embryonic settlement at Alice Springs. The cameleers came from such diverse places as Punjab, Kashmir, Sind, Rajasthan, Persia and Afghanistan but came to be known to the locals simply as ‘the Ghans.’
The Ghan claws its way for 2,979km from Adelaide right through the great Red Centre. Like a great silver spear, piercing directly into the heart of the island continent, The Ghan still offers the feeling of an expedition (albeit a delightfully relaxing and luxurious one) as it leaves behind the wheat fields of South Australia and heads off into what, even today, is one of the world’s great wildernesses.
It took the great explorer John McDouall Stuart many months to cross the desert from coast to coast. (Having made it that far – and on the verge of starvation – he had to turn around and walk all the way back again because nobody had thought to send a boat to meet him).
Many years ago I hitch-hiked and drove across this same route in a month. With The Ghan I made the crossing easily in just over a week (with a stop at ‘the Alice’). Nevertheless, by the time The Ghan rolled through the steaming tropical rainforests of ‘The Top End’ and into Darwin I had once again found an increased respect for the incredible vastity of Australia.

See more of Mark's blog here

How much luggage can I take?

As of November 2009, a good rule of thumb is that you are allowed one small carry on bag of around 5kgs to bring onboard, and one 20kg checked in bag on most major round the world flights ticket.

The most common system used, is the weight system. This allows you to take the following amount of luggage at no extra cost to you.

• Economy Class 20-23kg (depending on the airline)

• Premium Economy/Business Class 30kg

• First Class 40kg

If you travel via the North America then there are a few airlines who still allow you to take two pieces (the piece system) of luggage (although we expect this to stop at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010); each piece can be up to 62 inches (158cm) in total dimensions (length + height + width) and maximum weight 20kg each.

Important: If you have a ticket with several flights, bear in mind that the same baggage allowance may not apply to each flight on your itinerary! ie if you are flying a low cost carrier within Asia they are very parsimonious in their baggage allowances - 10kg is not unusual.

So if you plan on taking more than your allowance, we recommend that you contact the airline in advance so that you know what excess baggage charges to expect.

At the discretion of the airlines, you may be allowed extra baggage allowance for certain items such as sports equipment, including golf clubs, skis or a surfboard (a lot or airlines have now banned surfboards). It is essential that you confirm these details with the airlines you will be travelling with. Children (paying 50% or more of the applicable fare) will receive the adult baggage allowance. Infants (paying 10% of the applicable adult fare) will be permitted a free allowance of one checked in bag, not exceeding 20kg.

Do flights have to actually go round the world?

Not at all, you can do pretty much anything you want, although prices can vary hugely for the more complicated routes. Some round the world tickets will insist that you actually go round the world but others don't, so it's down to your consultant to find the route that most suits you. As a general rule most RTWs stop in at least 3 continents going via Asia or Africa, South West Pacific & the Americas (without backtracking).

Darwin 13 Stop

James explains the Darwin 13 Stop RTW (also £800-1200 cheaper than the Star Special RTW) Prices/Routes here

Free map and Calendar

Just click here

Bife Ana Steak Sandwich from The Eagle

Right I love the Eagle. Its a great pub and restaurant (they don't like Gastropub)although I notice they slip it into the title of their book. It's an unstuffy spot that's got cracking, fresh seasonal food. It has very fine ice cold Red Stripe on draft. Their Bloody Mary's have fresh horseradish, celery salt and sherry and are exceptional. And their non-alcoholic dinks are a bit special too.

But the Bife Ana – the Eagle steak sandwich - is a joy.

Here's the recipe

Ingredients (serves two)

500g/1lb 2oz rump steak – thinly sliced

2 large crusty rolls – we use stone-baked Portuguese rolls called carcacas

2 tbsp olive oil

Cos lettuce leaves

Salt

For the marinade

1 onion – thinly sliced

1 garlic clove – chopped

1 small dried chilli – crushed

1 bay leaf – broken up

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp red wine

3 tbsp olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, add the steak and leave to marinate for a few hours (but no longer than 8 hours). Remove the steaks from the marinade, then strain the marinade and set aside.

Warm the rolls in a medium oven. Heat a heavy-based frying pan until very, very hot, then add the olive oil and fry the steaks very quickly. If your pan is hot enough, they will need to be turned within a minute.

Remove the steaks and keep warm, then add the dry ingredients from the marinade to the pan with some salt.

Cut the rolls in half and arrange the Cos lettuce and then the steaks on the lower halves. Add the strained marinade liquid to the pan and let this reduce a little, then pour into the top halves of the rolls.

Close the sandwiches and eat immediately, with both hands.

Yum.

The Eagle's new cookbook is available in The Eagle itself here or on Amazon here

Christmas and New Year opening hours

Wednesday 23rd December 8am - 7pm
Thursday 24th December 8am - 4pm
Friday 25th December Closed
Saturday 26th December Closed
Sunday 27th December 11am - 4pm (emails & phones only)
Monday 28th December 11am - 4pm (emails & phones only)
Tuesday 29th December 8am - 7pm
Wednesday 30th December 8am - 7pm
Thursday 31th December 8am - 4pm
Friday 1st January Closed
Saturday 2nd January 10am - 5pm
Sunday 3rd January 11am - 4pm (emails & phones only)
Monday 4th January 8am - 7pm

RTW video inspiration

The problem with pictures and words is that it's very 2 dimensional - so we thought it would be interesting if we gave you some idea of what going round the world is really like..and where you can go.....here's some great RTW inspirational videos from some real travelllers - we love the clips and we hope you do too...enjoy! And new for 2010 we've added some great video descriptions of most of our round the world flights. There's also plenty more coming so keep an eye on our our new YouTube channel here

Big savings on RTWs

The very likeable Discovery 7 Stop RTW can be over £1000 cheaper than Star Alliance Special RTW here

Changes to the Gap Year 5 Stop RTW & Trekker 6 Stop RTW

This round the world ticket is one of the cheapest RTWs you can get. It gives you Asia, Australia, New Zealand, or Jo'burg and the States. - It really is great value for money with an incredible low fare from just £598, and lower tax (£250-£450) than many other tickets, you can get up to 5 stopovers (Plus extra stops for a fee) whilst circling the globe...here are all the latest changes...

Routing options available via US out US back, Asia out Asia back and Asia or Africa back US.
Flights within USA(East to West coast v.v.) are available at £125 surcharge.
London to Jo'burg direct flight w
Flights between JNB and PER are available at £125 surcharge.
Flights within Asia(between HKG and SHA/BJS) are also charged at £125 surcharge.
Sector upgrades from economy to Pacific Premium Economy on NZ available from £165 per sector
Hawaii is now permitted as a stopover option within Pacific Islands(San Francisco to Hawaii routing now also permitted)

More details, example routes and prices here and here