Originally Posted by
Ajohn
Actually guys I can't tell you how good the above discussion makes me feel. It's nice to know I'm not the only one in the world who can't figure all these things out on first try.
Well if it was my first try I'd agree; unfortunately I fell victim to the too-small-brain-too-much-data trap.
Originally Posted by
Ajohn
I really appreciate all the research and work you've already put in. Could I ask for just a general recommendation, then, on how to go about this? (To recap: I live in LA; I need to go to EBB in late June, NRT in early July, and in an ideal world CAI between those two; I need to go to London at Christmas.) Unless I hear differently, I suppose I'll probably be stuck with the original, uninteresting plan of getting round-trip tickets between all those locations and LAX. Thanks!
I still think an RTW can be part of the solution; you just need to figure out how to finesse Africa.
I doubt that you can put together a non-RTW plan that comes very close in terms of cost, counting everything. A couple of thoughts (and potentially worth every cent you've paid for them...)
Flying from LA to Africa in June is going to be pricey; getting from Africa to Japan, either via the middle east or not, is going to be way pricey, and getting back to California after Japan is going to be... you guessed it.
One approach might be to buy a RT to the UK, then a 3-continent LONE3 ticket there, routing LHR-CAI-AMM-BKK-NRT-LAX-LHR (enjoying your segments in Asia/N. America while you're at it) ending at London for Christmas. Then buy a separate ticket CAI-EBB-CAI (probably a good deal to be had on Ethiopian) during your CAI stopover (or from AMM or DXB if they're cheaper.) Then use the back half of your LAX-LHR ticket to get home after Christmas. The cost for an LONE3 plus the EBB round trip will probably be a little more than a LONE4, but much easier on the legal system.
Or, start from LAX and then pay for a separate LAX-LHR RT for the holidays. It would be simple math to figure out benefit:cost. Remember 2 stopovers in the continent of origin.