Hello,

I'd appreciate some help... I'm at a loss on what to do...

I may be moving to WLG from LHR next year, and I want to take the long way there.

There're several stops I want to make:
- CAI
- DME (?)
- IAD
- YVR
- (Somewhere in South America)

After some basic looking around, here's how I understand the situation...

One option I've come up with is to either do a RTW from LHR (or CAI), then an one-way ticket to WLG.

Another option is to do trips like Moscow, Cairo and South America separately from LHR (or drop them altogether). Then do a BA/QF World Discovery fare. (Can I do this fare from CAI and will it be cheaper than from LHR?)

While both options aren't great, I slightly prefer the first option. I can go to even more places then. I haven't exactly priced them out, as there're variables like getting the RTW ticket from CAI (if it's still cheaper next year).

Can you think of any other options? What other factors may influence the options listed above?

I'm currently a QF Gold (OW Sapphire). Time of travel will be around March 04. Class of travel will be economy or business, depends on costs, can't afford F.

Thanks very much.

First, when you make one way journey, you will often get higher price than discount return ticket.

Second, when you make stopover(s) on the way, HIP check will apply. It cause higher price than one way ticket without stopover.

What is 'HIP'?

How about this then?

1. Take LHR-DME as a separate trip
2. Start a RTW from LHR or CAI, do all my stops on my way to WLG, then forget about the WLG-LHR 'return' journey'.

In terms of 'back-tracking', from what I understand, it seems that as soon as you've left a continent, you can't use it again, not even for transit. For example, if I depart North America to South America, I can't transit North America to get to Asia?

The agent said 'no', but posts here said it can be done?

HIP = Higher intermediate point

This is a fare check in a R/T ticket that will raise the fare to that between the origin and some point other than the turnaround point if there is a stop on the trip and the fare between that point and the origin is higher than the fare to the turnaround point. -- Aren't you sorry you asked.

You can't do both CAI and DME from LHR on a OWE ticket so the Moscow trip would have to be separate if you start in CAI.

You run the risk of the airline coming after you for additional fares if you throw away the WLG-CAI(LHR) segments. May not happen but it is a risk.

You can transit North America when going between South America and another continent even if you have been to NA previously. Note that transit means a less than 24 hour stopover. Get a new agent!

Sounds like Trailfinders strikes again