May 30, 2013, 9:55 pm
Last edit by: jerryhung
New List of Mini-RTW 2.0 version after Oct 29th, 2014 "enhancement" (i.e. less MPM)
FAQ: List of valid and booked mini-RTW itineraries version 2.0 (post-"enhancement"
INTRO
This wiki is taken from the excellent overview in the first post of this thread by FrequentFlyer9000 and is meant as a guide to the Aeroplan "Mini-RTW" for the uninformed newbie flyer. This is a no judgment zone and newbies are welcome. In this thread, the usage of scary acronyms and complicated FlyerTalk insider-speak will be minimized.
Also, this wiki is a work in progress so please provide feedback or make wiki edits if you think something warrants it.
INFO & COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the "Mini-RTW"?
The Mini-RTW is a name given to a type of reward booking using Air Canada's Aeroplan miles. It is actually not a "round-the-world" ticket at all - it is a regular award redemption. Just as you would use 75K frequent flyer miles to go to Japan on another airline, you can use 75K to do so using Aeroplan miles. The difference is that Aeroplan allows you to "stopover" in multiple cities at no extra mileage cost, making it very attractive compared to other reward travel. It should be noted that this isn't really that much better than some other airlines. For example, Delta offers one stopover + open jaw, which is only one stopover worse than Aeroplan's deal. But many of the airlines only offer one stopover and no open jaw. So there is definitely value here.
In addition to your final destination (in which you can stay for days/weeks/months), you are allowed:
•Two stopovers in other cities (stay for days/weeks/months). You are allowed to trade one of these stopovers for an open jaw (where you land in one city, but take the next flight out of another city)
•10 segments (layovers during which you spend less than 24 hours in a given city) <-- this limit may be gone as of 2014/2015
So, disregarding the additional 10 segments, an award trip for Japan could actually look like this:
NYC > Tokyo (destination - one week) > Paris (stopover - one week) > London (stopover - one week) > NYC
You basically get three times the world exploration for the price of one. If you add on the extra layovers allowed, you can turn it into:
NYC > Los Angeles (one day) > Hawaii (one day) > Tokyo (one week) > Seoul (one day) > Hong Kong (one day) > Paris (one week) > Munich (one day) > London (one week) > Washington DC (one day) > NYC
Of course, you don't have to do the above. Spending so much time in airports can be exhausting. But the option is there for you if you want it.
How many miles is this going to cost me?
See the Award Travel chart here.
From North America to "Asia 1" countries: (effective Jan 1, 2014)
•75K in Economy
•150K in Business
•210K in First
From North America to "Europe 1" countries:
•60K in Economy
•90K in Business
•125K in First
...and so on. Check the link for other combinations. Assuming you are stopping in three cities, the city in the most "expensive" redemption zone is the zone you will have to pay for. So if you are visiting two Asia1 zone cities and one Middle East city, you will pay 80K miles rather than 75K miles since that is what the Middle East trip costs (numbers assume Economy class travel).
Which miles do I need to use? Can I use miles from other Star Alliance airlines?
You need to use Aeroplan miles. You cannot use miles from other Star Alliance members, such as United, to book this mini-RTW. However, you can book flights for the mini-RTW on any airline that is in the alliance and has the desired award seating available. You technically do not have to fly any segments on Air Canada at all.
So, what's the catch? What are the restrictions?
There is no catch. However, there are some restrictions on your itinerary. This is where things get a bit more complicated.
Want to find the new MPM after 10/29/2014?
Aeroplan City Pair mileage (new pseudo-MPM) - FlyerTalk Forums
This is no longer valid after 10/29/2014
2) If you do elect to use an open jaw instead of one of your stopovers, you must schedule the open jaw so that it is in the same "IATA zone" as either the origin or the destination city. So if you are going from NY to Japan to Europe and back to NY, the open jaw cannot be scheduled in Europe, since it is neither the origin zone or the destination zone. The open jaw also cannot be a larger distance than any two legs you are actually flying. In case you are wondering, IATA zones are as follows:
IATA 1 - The Americas (incl. Caribbean, Hawaii)
IATA 2 - Europe as far as the Ural Mountain range, Middle East & Africa
IATA 3 - Oceania, SE Asia, Far East, Sub-Continent.
Remember that if you use your open jaw at the turnaround/destination point, you will only have one stopover to use left. So you would be able to do NYC > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. This has one destination, one open jaw (at turnaround point), and one stopover. However, you would not be able to do this: NYC > Madrid (stop) > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. Because your 2 stops + 1 open jaw would be more than the two allowed.
3) You cannot land in the same city twice in any one direction. This means that on my way from NY to, let's say, Cairo, I cannot do New York > London > Paris > London > Cairo on the way there, since I would be stopping in London twice in one direction. However, I can stop in London on the way to Cairo and then again on the way back from Cairo.
4) The actual trip needs to be "bookable". It needs to follow certain rules. I won't get into too many details, but anything completely nonsensical in terms of routing is generally not going to fly. But most routes will not fall into this category. Just something to keep in mind.
Do I have to go in the same direction for every leg of the flight?
No. As an example, you can cross the Atlantic twice or cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific once (more like a real RTW trip).
How do I book this?
Assuming you have already planned out your entire itinerary to the dot and have made sure your trip is in accordance with the above restrictions, call Aeroplan and speak with a representative. Alternatively, you can try to book online for free. However, this is not always possible with more complicated routings.
What will this cost me in real cash? How can I minimize fees?
It depends on the region you travel to and which airline you fly on. In general, the more Air Canada segments you fly the more fees/taxes you will pay. Aeroplan does not collect surcharges on non-Air Canada-operated flights. So flying Air Canada internationally will cost you extra. If you use a lot of Air Canada flights in your mini-RTW, your fees could be anywhere from $150 to $400, even sometimes creeping up above $600. Lesson is to avoid AC "metal" (airplanes) if possible.
Every trip will have a $30 cost per person for booking on the phone, regardless of the itinerary.
What are the change fees if I want to change a leg or multiple legs of the trip later?
$90 for changes after original booking. If there is an involuntary change because of flight schedules changing, there is no fee charged. Note that when you make a change, the taxes/fees associated with fuel, etc. may change. They may decrease or increase depending on the previous flight and the new flight. This is independent of the $90 rebooking fee. The $90 is flat regardless of how many of the segments you change. It is not $90 per changed segment.
How do I plan this trip out? Even finding a simple award ticket can be difficult online, let alone one with 10 segments!
Good question. It is recommended that you use either the All-Nippon Airways (ANA) website (guide on how here), the KVS tool (costs money) or ExpertFlyer (costs money), or http://FliSea.com. I personally like to use KVS, but it is not newbie-friendly. It is $20 for 2 months for the "diamond" level service, and $75 for a year. Small price to pay for saving a lot of time, if you can handle the learning curve. ANA is a good free method of finding segments and many people have had plenty of success with it; FliSea is a metasearch tool that uses all of the sites above.
The trick is to do this one segment at a time. So first find NYC > LONDON for the date you want and make sure that the award class you are looking for is available (e.g. Economy low fare). Then do the next leg: LONDON > ROME. Repeat for every segment. Write down the details of each flight, calculate the mileage using the www.gcmap.com resource, and call up Aeroplan to book.
One of our Flyertalk members has built a database with all the Mini-RTW routes that have been flown in the various threads in one simple place: http://www.turnleftat.com/mini-rtw-list/
FAQ: List of valid and booked mini-RTW itineraries version 2.0 (post-"enhancement"
INTRO
This wiki is taken from the excellent overview in the first post of this thread by FrequentFlyer9000 and is meant as a guide to the Aeroplan "Mini-RTW" for the uninformed newbie flyer. This is a no judgment zone and newbies are welcome. In this thread, the usage of scary acronyms and complicated FlyerTalk insider-speak will be minimized.
Also, this wiki is a work in progress so please provide feedback or make wiki edits if you think something warrants it.
INFO & COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the "Mini-RTW"?
The Mini-RTW is a name given to a type of reward booking using Air Canada's Aeroplan miles. It is actually not a "round-the-world" ticket at all - it is a regular award redemption. Just as you would use 75K frequent flyer miles to go to Japan on another airline, you can use 75K to do so using Aeroplan miles. The difference is that Aeroplan allows you to "stopover" in multiple cities at no extra mileage cost, making it very attractive compared to other reward travel. It should be noted that this isn't really that much better than some other airlines. For example, Delta offers one stopover + open jaw, which is only one stopover worse than Aeroplan's deal. But many of the airlines only offer one stopover and no open jaw. So there is definitely value here.
In addition to your final destination (in which you can stay for days/weeks/months), you are allowed:
•Two stopovers in other cities (stay for days/weeks/months). You are allowed to trade one of these stopovers for an open jaw (where you land in one city, but take the next flight out of another city)
•10 segments (layovers during which you spend less than 24 hours in a given city) <-- this limit may be gone as of 2014/2015
So, disregarding the additional 10 segments, an award trip for Japan could actually look like this:
NYC > Tokyo (destination - one week) > Paris (stopover - one week) > London (stopover - one week) > NYC
You basically get three times the world exploration for the price of one. If you add on the extra layovers allowed, you can turn it into:
NYC > Los Angeles (one day) > Hawaii (one day) > Tokyo (one week) > Seoul (one day) > Hong Kong (one day) > Paris (one week) > Munich (one day) > London (one week) > Washington DC (one day) > NYC
Of course, you don't have to do the above. Spending so much time in airports can be exhausting. But the option is there for you if you want it.
How many miles is this going to cost me?
See the Award Travel chart here.
From North America to "Asia 1" countries: (effective Jan 1, 2014)
•75K in Economy
•150K in Business
•210K in First
From North America to "Europe 1" countries:
•60K in Economy
•90K in Business
•125K in First
...and so on. Check the link for other combinations. Assuming you are stopping in three cities, the city in the most "expensive" redemption zone is the zone you will have to pay for. So if you are visiting two Asia1 zone cities and one Middle East city, you will pay 80K miles rather than 75K miles since that is what the Middle East trip costs (numbers assume Economy class travel).
Which miles do I need to use? Can I use miles from other Star Alliance airlines?
You need to use Aeroplan miles. You cannot use miles from other Star Alliance members, such as United, to book this mini-RTW. However, you can book flights for the mini-RTW on any airline that is in the alliance and has the desired award seating available. You technically do not have to fly any segments on Air Canada at all.
So, what's the catch? What are the restrictions?
There is no catch. However, there are some restrictions on your itinerary. This is where things get a bit more complicated.
Want to find the new MPM after 10/29/2014?
Aeroplan City Pair mileage (new pseudo-MPM) - FlyerTalk Forums
This is no longer valid after 10/29/2014
1) Your itinerary must be within 5% of the total "Maximum Permitted Mileage" (MPM) for the route from the origin to the destination. Even though you are stopping in three cities by using your two stopovers and a final destination, you can define the destination as the stop city furthest away from the origin. Although certain flyers have gotten away with telling an inattentive phone rep that their final destination / "turnaround city" is one of their layover cities to increase their MPM, this does not always work. Sticking with one of your three stop cities is a safe bet.
MPM exist so that you cannot repeatedly fly around the world 10 times on your 10 segments. There is a limit to how many miles you can fly on the reward ticket. MPM guidelines can be found by using the KVS tool or by using Expert Flyer. MPM is calculated between your origin and your destination, one-way. The trips to and from your destination are calculated separately. You are allowed to overshoot this number by 5% ("MPM5"). If you can find a bookable itinerary online that has a mileage longer than the published MPM, this is a "published routing" and can be used even if it exceeds the MPM5. In KVS, navigate to the "Reference" tab, select "MPM" from the dropdown menu, and enter your city pair. MPM information is available under the Travel Information section of ExpertFlyer. It is available to all subscribers, Basic or Premium, and there is a 5-day free trial to ExpertFlyer.com that can be used.
To see if your itinerary fits your MPM limit, you can use the site here to see your total miles traveled: www.gcmap.com. Enter your airport codes separated by dashes to see the itinerary and get the total mileage (e.g. NYC - LHR - NYC). Example here.
TO READ MORE ABOUT MPM: Read this (short) document
MPM exist so that you cannot repeatedly fly around the world 10 times on your 10 segments. There is a limit to how many miles you can fly on the reward ticket. MPM guidelines can be found by using the KVS tool or by using Expert Flyer. MPM is calculated between your origin and your destination, one-way. The trips to and from your destination are calculated separately. You are allowed to overshoot this number by 5% ("MPM5"). If you can find a bookable itinerary online that has a mileage longer than the published MPM, this is a "published routing" and can be used even if it exceeds the MPM5. In KVS, navigate to the "Reference" tab, select "MPM" from the dropdown menu, and enter your city pair. MPM information is available under the Travel Information section of ExpertFlyer. It is available to all subscribers, Basic or Premium, and there is a 5-day free trial to ExpertFlyer.com that can be used.
To see if your itinerary fits your MPM limit, you can use the site here to see your total miles traveled: www.gcmap.com. Enter your airport codes separated by dashes to see the itinerary and get the total mileage (e.g. NYC - LHR - NYC). Example here.
TO READ MORE ABOUT MPM: Read this (short) document
IATA 1 - The Americas (incl. Caribbean, Hawaii)
IATA 2 - Europe as far as the Ural Mountain range, Middle East & Africa
IATA 3 - Oceania, SE Asia, Far East, Sub-Continent.
Remember that if you use your open jaw at the turnaround/destination point, you will only have one stopover to use left. So you would be able to do NYC > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. This has one destination, one open jaw (at turnaround point), and one stopover. However, you would not be able to do this: NYC > Madrid (stop) > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. Because your 2 stops + 1 open jaw would be more than the two allowed.
3) You cannot land in the same city twice in any one direction. This means that on my way from NY to, let's say, Cairo, I cannot do New York > London > Paris > London > Cairo on the way there, since I would be stopping in London twice in one direction. However, I can stop in London on the way to Cairo and then again on the way back from Cairo.
4) The actual trip needs to be "bookable". It needs to follow certain rules. I won't get into too many details, but anything completely nonsensical in terms of routing is generally not going to fly. But most routes will not fall into this category. Just something to keep in mind.
Do I have to go in the same direction for every leg of the flight?
No. As an example, you can cross the Atlantic twice or cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific once (more like a real RTW trip).
How do I book this?
Assuming you have already planned out your entire itinerary to the dot and have made sure your trip is in accordance with the above restrictions, call Aeroplan and speak with a representative. Alternatively, you can try to book online for free. However, this is not always possible with more complicated routings.
What will this cost me in real cash? How can I minimize fees?
It depends on the region you travel to and which airline you fly on. In general, the more Air Canada segments you fly the more fees/taxes you will pay. Aeroplan does not collect surcharges on non-Air Canada-operated flights. So flying Air Canada internationally will cost you extra. If you use a lot of Air Canada flights in your mini-RTW, your fees could be anywhere from $150 to $400, even sometimes creeping up above $600. Lesson is to avoid AC "metal" (airplanes) if possible.
Every trip will have a $30 cost per person for booking on the phone, regardless of the itinerary.
What are the change fees if I want to change a leg or multiple legs of the trip later?
$90 for changes after original booking. If there is an involuntary change because of flight schedules changing, there is no fee charged. Note that when you make a change, the taxes/fees associated with fuel, etc. may change. They may decrease or increase depending on the previous flight and the new flight. This is independent of the $90 rebooking fee. The $90 is flat regardless of how many of the segments you change. It is not $90 per changed segment.
How do I plan this trip out? Even finding a simple award ticket can be difficult online, let alone one with 10 segments!
Good question. It is recommended that you use either the All-Nippon Airways (ANA) website (guide on how here), the KVS tool (costs money) or ExpertFlyer (costs money), or http://FliSea.com. I personally like to use KVS, but it is not newbie-friendly. It is $20 for 2 months for the "diamond" level service, and $75 for a year. Small price to pay for saving a lot of time, if you can handle the learning curve. ANA is a good free method of finding segments and many people have had plenty of success with it; FliSea is a metasearch tool that uses all of the sites above.
The trick is to do this one segment at a time. So first find NYC > LONDON for the date you want and make sure that the award class you are looking for is available (e.g. Economy low fare). Then do the next leg: LONDON > ROME. Repeat for every segment. Write down the details of each flight, calculate the mileage using the www.gcmap.com resource, and call up Aeroplan to book.
One of our Flyertalk members has built a database with all the Mini-RTW routes that have been flown in the various threads in one simple place: http://www.turnleftat.com/mini-rtw-list/
FAQ: The Complete Newbie Guide/FAQ to the Air Canada Aeroplan Mini-RTW
Aug 4, 2012, 3:42 pm
#151
Join Date: May 2001
Location: TYO
Posts: 1,496
Yeah in a whole month I saw one UKB flight.
Having a lot of problems finding availability ex-Japan to North America in October (blame it on the tour groups coming to see autumn in North America).... anyhow, anyone know if is this a valid routing fro 125K in J?
YYZ-NRT (AC) Stop
NRT-SIN (SQ) POT
SIN-KIX (SQ) Stop
KIX-ICN (OZ) < 24 Hour Layover
ICN-HNL (OZ) < 24 Hour Layover
HNL-LAX-YYZ (UA/AC)
Since I can't get NH to LAX, thought I might as least make it scenic.
Having a lot of problems finding availability ex-Japan to North America in October (blame it on the tour groups coming to see autumn in North America).... anyhow, anyone know if is this a valid routing fro 125K in J?
YYZ-NRT (AC) Stop
NRT-SIN (SQ) POT
SIN-KIX (SQ) Stop
KIX-ICN (OZ) < 24 Hour Layover
ICN-HNL (OZ) < 24 Hour Layover
HNL-LAX-YYZ (UA/AC)
Since I can't get NH to LAX, thought I might as least make it scenic.
Last edited by pr0digy25; Aug 4, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Aug 16, 2012, 3:31 pm
#152
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 26
India stop-over on return mini-rtw ?
There is a potential loophole to this (that some members have been able to get to work). I will quote our fellow FTer echino (reformatted for spacing purposes):
Quote:
Originally Posted by echino
Also, I believe there is a trick here. But don't tell anyone. If you go JFK-JED-SIN-JFK, you pay Middle East mileage. But if you go JFK-SIN-JED-JFK, you pay Asia 1 mileage. This is because you trip is divided into two parts - outbound and return. In the first case, it would be:
Outbound: JFK-JED-SIN
Return: SIN-JFK
JFK-JED is 135k in business, and JFK-SIN is 125k, you pay whatever is higher (135k). In the second case, it would be:
Outbound: JFK-SIN
Return: SIN-JED-JFK
SIN-JED is 115k, and SIN-JFK is 125k, you pay whatever is higher (125k). So you get the idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by echino
I think, on the outbound, the stop which is most expensive from the origin is the one charged. On the return, the stop which is most expensive from the point of turnaround is the one charged. I saw, a couple of times, people reporting booking stops (not just connections, but full stopovers) in India on the return from Asia 1 for Asia 1 mileage because of this logic. They are not going North America - India. They are in fact going Asia 1 - India.
Hi
I am planning an Asia1 mini-rtw trip, spoke to an agent about the India loophole but could not get a definite answer.
As anyone actually booked a mini-rtw Asia1 with an Indian stopover on the return leg ? I have not found one published on any thread.
Thank you for your help
Last edited by mabio; Aug 16, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Oct 8, 2012, 1:25 pm
#154
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 7
Hi,
Would the following mini rtw trip work out?
Departure:
YHZ > EWR (stay for 3 nights) > SFO (stay for 2 nights) > HNL (stay for 7 nights - final destination)
Return:
HNL > LAX > YYZ > YHZ (all connections under 4 hours)
If understand correctly I'd have to book this over the phone and the redemption mileage would be the same as going from YHZ > HNL without stopping over (so 45k per person)?
Thanks in advance, have been reading furiously through this thread and the forum but so much info
Would the following mini rtw trip work out?
Departure:
YHZ > EWR (stay for 3 nights) > SFO (stay for 2 nights) > HNL (stay for 7 nights - final destination)
Return:
HNL > LAX > YYZ > YHZ (all connections under 4 hours)
If understand correctly I'd have to book this over the phone and the redemption mileage would be the same as going from YHZ > HNL without stopping over (so 45k per person)?
Thanks in advance, have been reading furiously through this thread and the forum but so much info
Oct 8, 2012, 5:22 pm
#155
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 7
May have found the answer to my own question on the Aeroplan FAQ:
28.2. Between Canada/Cont. USA and Hawaii/Puerto Rico/Mexico/Central America/Caribbean:
26.2.1. Rule for rewards containing only Air Canada flight: Two stopovers are permitted in addition to the point of turnaround. One open jaw is permitted in lieu of one stopover.
26.2.2. Rule for rewards containing a minimum of one flight on a Star Alliance partner other than Air Canada: One stopover is permitted in addition to the point of turnaround. One open jaw is permitted in addition to the one stopover.
Kind of sucks because the flights I had located were mainly with Star Alliance partners (United) so I guess that would limit me to 1 stopover. Will check on Air Canada only flights but then the taxes will increase I assume.
If anyone has anything to add or any feedback I'd still welcome it. It seems there are many experts on this forum. Although I've travelled a fair bit I'm a relative newbie to this stuff
28.2. Between Canada/Cont. USA and Hawaii/Puerto Rico/Mexico/Central America/Caribbean:
26.2.1. Rule for rewards containing only Air Canada flight: Two stopovers are permitted in addition to the point of turnaround. One open jaw is permitted in lieu of one stopover.
26.2.2. Rule for rewards containing a minimum of one flight on a Star Alliance partner other than Air Canada: One stopover is permitted in addition to the point of turnaround. One open jaw is permitted in addition to the one stopover.
Kind of sucks because the flights I had located were mainly with Star Alliance partners (United) so I guess that would limit me to 1 stopover. Will check on Air Canada only flights but then the taxes will increase I assume.
If anyone has anything to add or any feedback I'd still welcome it. It seems there are many experts on this forum. Although I've travelled a fair bit I'm a relative newbie to this stuff
Dec 21, 2012, 11:13 am
#160
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 55
Student with 110k AP miles and a free month next summer...need your help please!
Hey everyone!
I am a 24 year old student who has been saving my Aeropesos for a month long summer trip. I am looking to maximize my stops and minimize taxes/expenses. That being said, I have been reading other peoples booked mini-RTW trips and they are helpful, but with all the choices of places to go, I still am nowhere near knowing whats good to visit and what isn't.
I am fairly open to destinations, although I would like to stop somewhere in Europe (Amsterdam, Italy, Portugal etc) along the way. I have been to China already, but would like to visit Vietnam!
Departure city is YYZ, travel will be in August 2013. I would like to fly business class for the entire trip. (6' 8" tall, the economy seats can be pretty tight). I currently have 110,000 miles, and can top up if necessary.
Any opinions on destinations, flights, availability, and comments are appreciated. I have never booked a redemption flight beyond a 15k flight between yyz and yul, so I am not familiar with the tricks of the availability/taxes/booking trade.
Thank you so much and happy holidays!
I am a 24 year old student who has been saving my Aeropesos for a month long summer trip. I am looking to maximize my stops and minimize taxes/expenses. That being said, I have been reading other peoples booked mini-RTW trips and they are helpful, but with all the choices of places to go, I still am nowhere near knowing whats good to visit and what isn't.
I am fairly open to destinations, although I would like to stop somewhere in Europe (Amsterdam, Italy, Portugal etc) along the way. I have been to China already, but would like to visit Vietnam!
Departure city is YYZ, travel will be in August 2013. I would like to fly business class for the entire trip. (6' 8" tall, the economy seats can be pretty tight). I currently have 110,000 miles, and can top up if necessary.
Any opinions on destinations, flights, availability, and comments are appreciated. I have never booked a redemption flight beyond a 15k flight between yyz and yul, so I am not familiar with the tricks of the availability/taxes/booking trade.
Thank you so much and happy holidays!
Dec 21, 2012, 3:08 pm
#162
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
Hey everyone!
I am a 24 year old student who has been saving my Aeropesos for a month long summer trip. I am looking to maximize my stops and minimize taxes/expenses. That being said, I have been reading other peoples booked mini-RTW trips and they are helpful, but with all the choices of places to go, I still am nowhere near knowing whats good to visit and what isn't.
I am fairly open to destinations, although I would like to stop somewhere in Europe (Amsterdam, Italy, Portugal etc) along the way. I have been to China already, but would like to visit Vietnam!
Departure city is YYZ, travel will be in August 2013. I would like to fly business class for the entire trip. (6' 8" tall, the economy seats can be pretty tight). I currently have 110,000 miles, and can top up if necessary.
Any opinions on destinations, flights, availability, and comments are appreciated. I have never booked a redemption flight beyond a 15k flight between yyz and yul, so I am not familiar with the tricks of the availability/taxes/booking trade.
Thank you so much and happy holidays!
I am a 24 year old student who has been saving my Aeropesos for a month long summer trip. I am looking to maximize my stops and minimize taxes/expenses. That being said, I have been reading other peoples booked mini-RTW trips and they are helpful, but with all the choices of places to go, I still am nowhere near knowing whats good to visit and what isn't.
I am fairly open to destinations, although I would like to stop somewhere in Europe (Amsterdam, Italy, Portugal etc) along the way. I have been to China already, but would like to visit Vietnam!
Departure city is YYZ, travel will be in August 2013. I would like to fly business class for the entire trip. (6' 8" tall, the economy seats can be pretty tight). I currently have 110,000 miles, and can top up if necessary.
Any opinions on destinations, flights, availability, and comments are appreciated. I have never booked a redemption flight beyond a 15k flight between yyz and yul, so I am not familiar with the tricks of the availability/taxes/booking trade.
Thank you so much and happy holidays!
Dec 21, 2012, 9:42 pm
#163
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: YLW
Programs: AC, UA, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 173
I think "ibby" is looking for some recommendations for destinations rather than booking advice, and the mini-RTW threads don't have a lot of feedback re the destinations chosen.
The choice of destinations obviously depends on your own preferences (would you rather explore nature or party in the big city?), and will depend on the time of year you want to travel. For Europe, the most common connecting cities are probably Frankfurt, Munich, and Zurich, so you may want to look at starting your exploring there. Many have chosen Istanbul as a transfer point, and it's certainly an interesting contrast from the western European capitals. In Asia, I personally find that Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul are typical big cities, so you may find Bangkok a more interesting choice if you are looking for some contrast to western cities. It's also a good transfer point for places like Chiang Mai and Phukhet, or Cambodia or Vietnam.
You may want to scan through the Trip Reports section in the Community portion of this board, often the photographs there will give you sense of the destinations.
The choice of destinations obviously depends on your own preferences (would you rather explore nature or party in the big city?), and will depend on the time of year you want to travel. For Europe, the most common connecting cities are probably Frankfurt, Munich, and Zurich, so you may want to look at starting your exploring there. Many have chosen Istanbul as a transfer point, and it's certainly an interesting contrast from the western European capitals. In Asia, I personally find that Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul are typical big cities, so you may find Bangkok a more interesting choice if you are looking for some contrast to western cities. It's also a good transfer point for places like Chiang Mai and Phukhet, or Cambodia or Vietnam.
You may want to scan through the Trip Reports section in the Community portion of this board, often the photographs there will give you sense of the destinations.
Dec 22, 2012, 12:14 pm
#164
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 73
I'm planning out a mini-RTW in J for next year. I'm trying to come up with a route that will hit the cities I want to visit and also likely to have seats in J. For those familiar with availability, which parts of my trip do you foresee me having trouble finding J.
YYC-YUL (AC)
YUL-ZRH (LX)
ZRH-BKK (TG) Stop
BKK-HKG (TG)
HKG-ICN (OZ) Stop
ICN-NRT (OZ) Stop
NRT-SFO (NH or UA)
SFO-YYC (AC)
YYC-YUL (AC)
YUL-ZRH (LX)
ZRH-BKK (TG) Stop
BKK-HKG (TG)
HKG-ICN (OZ) Stop
ICN-NRT (OZ) Stop
NRT-SFO (NH or UA)
SFO-YYC (AC)
Dec 22, 2012, 2:01 pm
#165
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,314
YYC-YUL (AC) <- if planned in advance, should be ok
YUL-ZRH (LX) <- this one is gonna be rough
ZRH-BKK (TG) Stop <- should be ok since its an old A340
BKK-HKG (TG) <- not a problem, as there is also ET on this route scamcharge free
HKG-ICN (OZ) Stop <- not a problem, except during blackout periods
ICN-NRT (OZ) Stop <- easy.
NRT-SFO (NH or UA) <-not a problem
SFO-YYC (AC)[/QUOTE] <- no idea
However, this route will cost you around $700++ in scamcharges, especially if NRT-SFO is on NH.
If you cannot get YUL-ZRH, the simplest way of getting to BKK fee free is via a combination of UA/TK and maybe even SK.
YYC-ORD/YYZ/IAH-IST-BKK would be a good route.
On the return you can also do NRT-DEN/LAX-YYC on the UA 787 scamcharge free.
YUL-ZRH (LX) <- this one is gonna be rough
ZRH-BKK (TG) Stop <- should be ok since its an old A340
BKK-HKG (TG) <- not a problem, as there is also ET on this route scamcharge free
HKG-ICN (OZ) Stop <- not a problem, except during blackout periods
ICN-NRT (OZ) Stop <- easy.
NRT-SFO (NH or UA) <-not a problem
SFO-YYC (AC)[/QUOTE] <- no idea
However, this route will cost you around $700++ in scamcharges, especially if NRT-SFO is on NH.
If you cannot get YUL-ZRH, the simplest way of getting to BKK fee free is via a combination of UA/TK and maybe even SK.
YYC-ORD/YYZ/IAH-IST-BKK would be a good route.
On the return you can also do NRT-DEN/LAX-YYC on the UA 787 scamcharge free.