Hello fellow Flyertalk globetrotters,

After years of lurking and benefiting from the wealth of knowledge shared in this community, I'm finally stepping out to seek your invaluable advice as I plan a round-the-world (RTW) journey with my family. We're gearing up for an epic adventure spanning Europe, Asia, and Australia over the summer to commemorate a special occasion. First and foremost, I want to express appreciation for all the resources and insights this forum has provided—it's been an indispensable tool in navigating the intricacies of travel planning!

The trip has three individual trips for us: 1) A trip to Europe, Asia, and Australia 2) A trip to Toronto to visit family over the Christmas holidays 3) A trip to Europe next year. We're based out of SFO so we'd be needing to stopover there between each trip.

Here's our tentative itinerary:

Total Trip: [SFO-OSL], OSL-MAD-xDOH-KIX, [TYO-ICN-SIN], SIN-MEL, [MEL-SYD], SYD-SFO-YYZ, [YYZ-NYC], NYC-xMAD-OSL
Just the RTW part: OSL-MAD-xDOH-KIX,SIN-MEL,SYD-SFO-YYZ,NYC-xMAD-OSL

Our journey is comprised of multiple segments, including stops in San Francisco, Toronto, and a return to Europe next year. As I dive into the planning process, I've encountered a few challenges that I'm hoping you seasoned travelers can help me overcome:

1) SFO-YYZ Availability: Despite spotting availability in EF from SFO to YYZ on Dec 18 in D class and Dec 19th in L class, I'm puzzled by an error message in the OneWorld online tool stating it cannot find any availability. I assume this means I can't use the online tool? Also, can I anticipate the flexibility to downgrade from D to L class if necessary for a specific date?

2) Adding Extra Segments: I'm considering the addition of extra segments like DCA-xSEA-oOAK instead of purchasing YYZ-SFO to avoid purchasing the one-way ticket back from the East Coast. However, I've hit a roadblock with an error indicating that this exceeds 34k miles, which is not allowed for Business reservations. I can't seem to find this in the rules for Explorer. Is there a way to tell the tool I'm not booking as Global Explorer and to ignore that error? I assume the booking agent would be able to fix this?

3) High Taxes and Fees: My itinerary is currently pricing out to 316k NOK with 115k of that in taxes + fees. Despite my efforts to avoid departing from LON, QR (except for the DOH QSuites splurge), and BA, the total cost seems surprisingly high with 36% of the total fare in taxes and fees compared to the average I've read here of 10-15%. Any insights or recommendations on how to trim expenses without compromising the overall experience?

4) AA RTW Desk vs. Travel Agent: As I weigh my options, I'm torn between reaching out to the AA RTW desk directly or enlisting the services of a travel agent for booking assistance. If anyone has firsthand experiences or recommendations they could share, I would be immensely grateful.

Here's the detailed itinerary: _drive.google.com/file/d/1_pWbI5qE9WIgPCX0bjsqT5bB6vjWFtWZ/view?usp=drive_link

Your collective wisdom and guidance would mean the world to me as we embark on this adventure of a lifetime with our two kids! Thank you sincerely for all the support and camaraderie that makes this community truly exceptional.

Thank you in advance and wishing you all safe and joyful travels!