Are you sure about this? Because from what I read, it was that you had to end up in the same zone, not the same country. Let me try to find it.
"Travel has to touch all three ANA mileage zones, and must return to the same originating zones."
https://pointmetotheplane.boardingar...rship-rewards/
Yeah, here's one where it says you have to return to the same country, so maybe you're right. I thought it was just the same zone.- You must return to the county you departed from, but it does not have to be the same city. For example, you could depart from New York City and return to Los Angeles. If you’re running short on miles, it’s also within the rules to leave from New York City and return to Hawaii (assuming you are flying eastbound).
The Best Travel Hack Ever RoverBob's Guide to Booking an ANA Round the World Award - RoverBob
Yeah, you're right. I found it on the ANA website:
Round the World Itineraries
For Round the World itineraries, the required mileage is calculated according to the total basic sector mileage for the entire itinerary. (Calculations exclude ground transportation sectors.)
1) Flights must be used to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans once.
2) The flight direction of the itinerary must be east-to-west or west-to-east.
3) Backtracking is not permitted.
4) Up to 8 stopovers are permitted between the departure point and the final return point. (Up to 3 stopovers are permitted within Europe and up to 4 stopovers are permitted within Japan.)
5) The departure date of the final international flight to
return to the country of departure must be at least 10 days after the departure of the first international flight on the itinerary.
6) You can book maximum of 12 flight segments and 4 ground transfer segments on one ticket.
7) Transfers between airports in the same city also count as ground transfer segments.
8) *This reservation cannot be made through the ANA website. Please contact the ANA Mileage Club Service Center.