Round the World Trip Planner Frequently Asked Questions

We have included extra information here to help you plan your trip.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you are unsure about any aspect of planning your time away. That extra bit of information here could save you time and money later on down the road.






------------------------- Select A Question ----------------- What is a 'Surface Sector'? What's the story with taxes? How much money do I need to go travelling with? Is it safe to travel alone? Is my destination safe to travel to? Can you book accommodation for when I first arrive? Do I have to keep going in the same direction ? Can I leave my dates open? How much notice do I have to give to change dates? Can I travel for more than 1 year? How do I minimise the risk of DVT? How important is it to speak Spanish in S.America? Can airlines take my baggage ahead of me? How much luggage can I check in? Is my passport machine readable? Is my passport biometric?

What is a 'Surface Sector'?

A surface sector is a travel agent's way of saying that you fly in to one place and out of another e.g. ' London, fly to Bangkok, make your way overland to Singapore, fly to Sydney ' is an example of an itinerary that includes a surface sector between Bangkok and Singapore.

Costs of ground transportation between these arrival and departure points are never included in flight prices that incorporate surface sectors.

To get from A to B some people will use public transport, others will hook up with pre booked arrangements such as the Trans Siberian Railway, a tour and others will arrive armed with an open dated bus or rail pass.

If you want information on your options for travelling across any surface sectors on your trip, please ask us or see our Trans Sib, Adventure Tour and Bus Pass sections for more details. More about surface sectors.

What's the story with taxes?

Up until the 1990's, taxes and airport security charges were only payable in a handful of countries. These were collected by very bored looking people who sat in little Perspex windowed kiosks in airports around the world who always insisted that you paid in $USD if you only had local currency left and in local currency if you only had $USD on you.

One by one, during the course of the nineties, other countries first started making these charges, and then, starting with the USA and South Africa , they decided it was too much effort to collect the ‘free money’ themselves and to add these taxes to airline ticket prices instead.

To be fair, if these taxes have to exist, it is simpler to pay them upfront rather then encounter a nasty surprise each time you leave a country

Whilst there are still a few countries in which all or some of your taxes are collected in the old fashioned way ( Rarotonga , China and Peru for example), these days, you pay most of your taxes up front with your air fare.

See here for a list of countries where you currently have to make some sort of payment on departure. We update this list from time to time, but please bear in mind that there aren't any governments in the world who think to send travel agents a quick email to let them know that they have changed a locally collectable tax, so if you do come across any taxes that differ to the above, please do let us know and we will update the list.

As a rule of thumb, on a journey with say 6 or 7 stops, you should expect to pay around £100 in taxes - possibly more if you have a few stops in the USA / Canada . Australia adds a lot - and certain airports in Australia even more, especially Sydney (part of their tax goes towards a fund to provide triple glazing for people who live near under the flight paths around the airport !) and Ayers Rock.

On a more complex route with a dozen or 20 stops, taxes could add up to over £200 per person. The biggest single element of your taxes is, yes you guessed it, your round the world leaving present from HM treasury, your UK departure tax, which for departures up to 31 Oct 2009 for long-haul flights is set at £40 for economy class and £80 for premium / business / first class.

Though these are the highest departure taxes in the world, these are due to go up for departures on or after 01 November 2009.

We have sent Alistair Darling an invoice for our services as involuntary tax collectors, but he hasn’t responded yet.

After the September 11 attacks, airlines introduced additional in flight security measures (e.g. secure doors to the flight deck). These costs (about £2.50 per flight) were added to tickets as a supplement. To this day these charges still haven't been included by airlines in airfares and are collected in the same way as taxes are.

Things were complicated further in May 2004 when, following unprecedented increases in oil prices, rather than simply putting up their fares, airlines decided to add dreaded 'fuel surcharges' to each flight.

These charges started off at a couple of £'s per flight and then gradually climbed to as much as £111.50 per flight in 2008. They are starting to come down a little now however, but can still be up to £89 per flight (London- Sydney on B.A. – though this is really 2 flights as there is always a touchdown even on direct flights). The most you will currently pay on a single long haul hop in economy class is £70. Helpfully, different airlines have different fuel charges, and often charge different rates for different routes and give virtually no notice or literally no notice prior to changing them. It is not always possible to guess which way they will change next, as though these charges are of course related to the price of fuel, airlines different hedging policies mean that changes have sometimes been out of sync with changes in petrol prices.

Notably, Emirates took the step in April 2007 to abolish these charges, and have now reverted to the pre May 2004 practice of including the cost of fuel in their ticket price.

As taxes and the other charges constantly change and new ones are introduced, the only way to advise you of the exact cost of the pre-payable taxes on round the world tickets with several flights, is to work them out when the booking is made.

On our ‘RTW flights - search by route’ and ‘RTW flights – search by fare’ sections of our website, we have made the effort to show all prices of the examples shown inclusive of taxes.

The good news is that currently, there is no VAT payable on air tickets.

How much money do I need?

This obviously varies depending on the duration and style of your trip, which countries you are going to and what your priorities are. If you are planning on a back-packing trip on a budget, there are plenty of 'pot-noodle travellers' out there getting by on £20 a day or less. Much also depends on how much you book and pay for before you go.

In addition to being able to organise your flights, your Travel Nation consultant will also be able to offer you great deals on hotel accommodation, bus / rail passes and adventure tours and car / campervan hire. Apart from saving yourself leg-work when you arrive, organising these things in advance will help you to budget more easily when you are away.

is it safe to travel alone?

As always, this is easier for men than for women. Don't worry about meeting other travellers. If you want to, you will.

If you do want to visit a part of the world but do not want to do it by yourself, speak to one of our consultants about an adventure or overland tour. This way you will see everything you want to, but with added security of travelling with a group of like minded people with an experienced tour leader.

As well as providing you with the security of travelling with others, travelling in this way will also take the headache out of finding accommodation and sorting out transport.

Is my destination safe?

Staff at Travel Nation are well travelled and of course are in touch with regular travellers every day. We can often give you a good idea of what to expect in most parts of the world.

The link to the Foreign Office website is constantly updated and widely accepted as giving excellent information. You should certainly follow any advice given here. http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp

Can you book my first night?

In most places, yes. Even if you are on a tight budget, booking the first 2 or 3 nights accommodation can make all the difference and will go along way to giving you a safer trip as when you arrive in a strange country, jet-lagged and tired after a long flight, you are at your most vulnerable. Click here for details of accommodation prices.

Do I have to keep travelling in the same direction?

Roughly. Don't worry if your route involves a bit of zig-zagging. We'll sort it out for you!

Is it possible to get work fruit picking in Australia ?

Greyhound Australia have produced this handy guide for working holiday visa holders who are interested in a working on farms at their busy harvest times. The attractions of fruit picking work in Australia are:

1) Often unlimited work available, so you can go for it and work 12 hours a day for 7 days a week to give your traveling funds a quick cash injection.

2) There isn’t a lot to spend your money on in the middle of a massive farm, so you get to save more.

3) There is usually a great cameradere among fellow fruit pickers with an impromptu ready made rustic social life after the sun goes down (you know what we mean !)

4) You get to work outdoors.

Can I leave my dates open?

Sometimes. Often however, airline rules mean that we have to 'book' every flight - even if you have no idea of when you will actually fly it.

As you would expect, when you are travelling, these dates can subsequently be changed - usually for free. Some exceptions are : Qantas / BA offices in Australia and New Zealand will charge around £5 for date changes. Air New Zealand charge around £15. We will advise you of date change costs that apply to your booking.

If you want to travel at a busy time - e.g. Rio for carnival (starts 13 Feb 2010), anywhere in Asia for around the Chinese New year (14 Feb 2010) you will need to book well in advance. (Fair to say that if you are looking for a real party, find some Chinese people in Rio next Feb !). Christmas, New Year, Easter and summer are also of course times when most flights will operate to capacity.

How much notice do I have to give to change dates?

There is no rule here, except that the earlier you book your revised dates, the better your chances will be of securing a seat around the date you want.

IMPORTANT !!
If you decide to travel over-land on a leg for which you have a ticket, or simply want to take a flight later than it is booked for, if you don't advise the airline of this, the reservations on all of your subsequent flights may be cancelled.

How long to travel for

Almost all round the world tickets are valid for one year and are date changeable once you have left the UK . Some have a minimum stay of 7 days but other than that the only factors determining your length of trip are your visa restrictions and lust for travel!

"Can I get a ticket that is valid for more than 1 year?"

We are able to provide tickets that are valid for longer periods on some routes. For more details, call 01273 320 580 to speak to one of our experienced travel consultants.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

The following advice is given to do this and make other aspects of your flight more comfortable.

• Don't cross your legs when flying.
• Wear flight socks available from chemists.
• Wriggle your toes and walk the aisle occasionally.
• Clench your calf muscles to stimulate circulation.
• Before flying, eat a lightmeal rich in carbohydrates and greens.
• Drink plenty of water and limit alcohol tea and coffee.
• Suck boiled sweets on take off an landing to protect your ears.
• Sleep on board if your flight lands in the morning, but not if it lands in the evening.
• For humidified breathing air, cover your nose with a water-saturated cotton handkerchief.
• Wear loose clothing for added comfort.

How important is it to speak Spanish in South America?

You already know the answer to that! (Same answer about speaking Portuguese in Brazil).

Can airlines take my baggage ahead of me so I can pick it up later?

No.

If you want to send baggage on ahead, you will need to do this separately.
See 'Useful links' for further details.

How much luggage can I check in?

Check in baggage is baggage that you hand over to the airline at the airport to go in the hold of the plane.

Apart from not over-burdening yourself by going away with too much baggage, the name of the game here is not to be charged for excess baggage.

Airlines tell us that 95% of people check in one piece of baggage each that weighs less than 20 kilos. If you are part of this 95%, then there isn't really any need to read further as you will sail through check-in procedures (though watch out for the some regional carriers whose check-in limit is 15 kilos)

If you are one of the 5% and either your check-in bag will weigh more than 20 kilos, or you will be checking in more than one bag per person you might be charged excess baggage fees depending on what route and what airline you are booked on.

Airlines have never got together to agree a global policy of baggage allowances. The most generous airlines on certain routes let you check in 2 pieces of baggage up to 32 kilos per piece (subject to dimensional limitations). The least generous (e.g. some regional carriers in Asia ) will make a small charge per kilo for anything checked in weighing over 15 kilos. Other carriers have a weight and number of items limit - e.g. on many B.A. flights you can check in 23 kilos if it is all in one bag, but if you check in 15 kilos over two bags, they will charge you extra!

B.A. will also no longer accept any bag that weighs over 23 kilos. This is a policy that other carriers may well also adopt in the future.

If you are on a round the world ticket that includes flights across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, it is likely that you will be entitled to check in up to 2 bags per person on all or most of your flights of either 23 or 32 kilos per bag.

Baggage restrictions also of course vary depending on the cabin class you are booked in as well as for children and infants. There are also sometimes often special allowances made for certain items - e.g. sets of golf clubs, surf boards or diving equipment.

Airlines also differ on the size of your carry on baggage - e.g. B.A. have recently reduced the maximum size of carry on bags to 45 CM x 35 CM x 16 CM

If you want to see what check in / carry on baggage rules are currently being applied by an airline on which you are booked to travel, we have detailed a directory here to the relevant section of each of the main airlines websites.

20 kilos is quite a lot of baggage - especially in addition to up to around 5 kilos of carry on baggage, but if you will be checking in more than this, please feel free to contact your travel consultant who will be happy to give you more specific advice about how much baggage you can check in on your trip.

Sharp objects

Everyone in the world hopefully knows by now that you can't pack sharp objects such as knives / scissors / tweezers in your check in baggage. Curiously, airlines are more than happy to sell you duty free spirits in glass bottles once on board!

Valuable items

Subject of course to local security restrictions; never pack valuables like cameras or lap-tops in your check-in baggage. There is a significant risk that they will be missing from your bag on arrival. Travel insurance companies take a dim view of claims for items lost in this way!

Is my passport machine readable?

A machine readable passport has the holder's personal details, e.g. name, date of birth, nationality and their passport number contained in two lines of text at the bottom of the photo page. This text may be read by machine.

These two lines of text indicate that the passport is machine readable:

Is my passport biometric?

The Biometric British Passport (sometimes known as ePassport) has a new design with additional security features, including a chip. Externally, the new Biometric Passport appears very similar to the current one, although it also features a logo indicating that there is a chip inside. Internally there are many new security features including pages with intricate designs and new complex watermarks.

If your U.K. passport was issued on or after 26 October 2006, you will need a biometric passport to enter the U.S.A. If your U.K. passport was not issued in the U.K., please check.