Originally Posted by
Mama
I had a rtw trip this summer: U.S. - EU - Asia - U.S. total cost 115000 NH miles and $950 surcharge. It's a ripoff.
And rtw trip is very tiring. I now prefer single trip of no more than a couple weeks, with max of two destinations, come home, plenty of rest, then start another trip, instead of hopping places for an extended period in one single big trip.
The rtw ticket usually cost 110000 NH miles minimum, it is basically a three one-way longhaul (9+ hours) tickets combined. A roundtrip North America to Japan costs 750K miles. The price per mile with rtw ticket and round trip longhaul is about the same. I.e. you are not getting a bargain with this rtw thing. But the advantage is you get to visit more places. This could be a plus or a minus depending on your travel preference.
I guess it really depends what you are going for. For my wife and I, the RTW ticket allowed us to travel to multiple destinations to see family for a significantly lower cost than would otherwise have been possible. No way we could have gone to Europe, SE Asia and Australia on the same trip with fewer miles. We also paid $240 each for taxes, so a lot less than $950. But certainly depends on availability and desired routes, but I disagree that it is a ripoff.