kristyek welcome to the wonders of RTW planning! It's incredibly fun yet requires great attention to detail. It's much like assembling a complex jigsaw puzzle.

One of the things i do when planning a trip is to take the route maps published in the AA magazine and the BA magazine. Basically, you want to pick out about 2 or 3 destinations per continent. As others have suggested, make out a wish list.

Are you well traveled already? Have you done the basics - Paris, Rome, London, Hong Kong, Thailand? Or is that where your focus will be?

I travel for the pleasure of the destination - and the pleasure of the process of getting there. I'm always trying to figure out the most comfortable route to the most interesting places I either want to revisit or have yet to visit. I like BA first and CX first, and try to maximize my time in their first class cabins. I also try to get to destinations that are very expensive to reach otherwise, such as Easter Island.

This year, on my RTW, I'm stopping in:

Europe:
- London
- Malta

US
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador

Asia:
- Bali
- Sri Lanka

Australia
- Sydney
- Cairns
- Melbourne
- Auckland

So help us out here. Do a bit of research, come back, and we'll happily help you with your trip.