Hello all,

I'm planning to book an around-the-world (RTW) ticket in the next two or three years as part of a gap year that I'm taking, and I'd love some destination suggestions from you seasoned travelers! (I'm not sure if it's proper to post this kind of thread on this forum, so apologies if this isn't the right place.)

I have about 6 months to a year to spend, and I'm planning to book all of my flights in Business Class (or First if it's reasonably priced). I'm also planning to credit all my flights to my British Airways Executive Club account to help me achieve Gold status and hopefully work my way towards Lifetime Gold. With that in mind, I'm flexible on the routes and airlines as long as they earn tier points on BA.

Let's not worry about budget constraints for this one � I'm more focused on making the most out of this experience and discovering incredible places! I'm looking for unique, memorable destinations, whether for culture, nature, or some of those off-the-beaten-path gems that are worth the trip. Whether it's for the amazing food, scenic views, or just an unmissable experience, I'm open to all suggestions.

Some places I've already got in mind are:

• Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto)
• New Zealand
• South Africa (Cape Town)
• Thailand
• Paris, Rome, Barcelona

If the route could help me maximize my tier points, that would be fantastic! Any tips on tier point maximization while booking RTW would also be appreciated.

If you have a look at this forum in the first link on Flyertalk, (there are destination forums too on FT) and there is a flame free thread within that oneworld forum too. See the other link as well as there is a fair bit of info and of course others here may post their experiences, give detailed tips, pitfalls etc.

Of course you'll have to make an itinerary of where you'd like to go and I would definitely include Australia in this as well as a few far east destinations like you have quoted. As a starter for ten in Australia I'd highly recommend the Sydney Bridge Tour climb, Lantau Island day trip in Hong Kong as a starter as well as seeing the city itself. Bear in mind the relevant weather seasons though!

The Oneworld Explorer User Guide

https://www.oneworld.com/round-the-world

Pete

Don�t worry too much about this, go where you fancy rather than listening to the huge range of opinions you might get here. Suggestions from people are very subjective and the more travelled they are then the more odd, well idiosyncratic, they may become. For example, I would put places with nice restaurants, by which I mean quiet Michelin places with stars, on a list now but when I was your age that would have seemed boring and I would have gone for party orientated bars.

Ah, ones lost youth. Well, spent rather than lost!

All the places you mentioned sound good to me. Try them out and discover them yourself. You will also discover your own little treasures at some places!

We have booked our first RTW for January and very excited. Already planning a second for the following year.

As mentioned, lots of useful information in the Oneworld section of flyertalk. You can earn a lot of TPs but I would suggest deciding on where you want to go and planning your trip around those places.

It is a steep learning curve but addictive! A couple of things to think about is where you start the trip, UK is expensive for RTW and we are starting in Oslo. You can also design the trip so that it is in two parts and you finish the second part later in the year. The second is taking the plunge and booking. It can be a challenge to find a travel agent who understands the rules and will book a complex trip for you. We used a travel agent for our first trip but if we do a second I will probably book via AA directly. Apparently they are very good but if I recall you have to have a transoceanic or transcontinental flight with them.

There are lots of useful resources and worth spending the time reading through the information in the oneworld section of flyertalk. Bon voyage!

From you profile you are from UK. [city unknown]
As the links in post 2 the Oneworld RTW is the way to go. But are cheaper places to start than UK.
Paris, Rome, Barcelona are close to UK and cheap to get to. Poor value included in a *ONE or *GLOB*.
Fewer airlines now have first class routes/aircraft. In two or three years will be less than now. Some business class suites are better than First just a few years ago.

If you are going to Australia and New Zealand I would think about using Fiji Airways to go from one of those countries into some Pacific Ocean destinations. FJ are becoming a full OW partner in 2025, so you would be able to collect Tier Points. They also fly up to the USA, so that could be one of your later legs (assuming you are travelling that way around the world).

I would include Hawaii as a stop.

Thanks so much, Pete, for the detailed advice! I�m definitely going to check out the links and the Oneworld forum for more information. I appreciate your recommendations on Australia and Hong Kong � the Sydney Bridge Tour climb sounds like a must-do, and a day trip to Lantau Island is now firmly on my list. I�ll make sure to consider the weather as I finalize my destinations. Thanks again for sharing your experience!

Thanks for the advice, Greenpen! You�re spot on about travel preferences being subjective, and I really like the idea of just going where I feel like rather than worrying too much about others� opinions.

I have some places in mind, but I think it would be great to have other people's best recommendations as a reference, since I can�t think of a lot of cities to visit off the top of my head. It�s interesting how your travel style has evolved over time. I imagine mine will too, but for now, I�m looking for a mix of both lively spots and quieter, unique experiences. I appreciate the encouragement to follow my instincts�definitely helps me feel more confident about planning this trip!

Thanks, ademanuele! It�s awesome to hear that you�ve already booked your first RTW and are planning another one. Sounds like this kind of travel is addictive!

The tip about starting the trip outside the UK to save money is super helpful. Oslo is an interesting choice�I�ll definitely look into starting from a cheaper location. I�m also thinking about splitting the trip into two parts, as that seems like a great way to extend the adventure.

I�ve heard that finding the right travel agent can be tricky, so it�s good to know that AA might be a solid option for booking directly. I�ll make sure to read through all the resources in the Oneworld section before I dive into the booking process. Thanks for sharing your experience and advice�it�s definitely giving me some useful direction!

The OP doesn't say how old they are, many people take gap years when they are older than 20, sometimes as part of a package where they are changing careers/focus/location later in life.

Use the Round the world planner on oneworld.com

Thanks for the advice, Mwenenzi! You're right about starting outside the UK—I've been hearing that it's significantly cheaper. I’ll definitely look into starting my RTW from somewhere like Paris or Oslo instead. I’ve also heard that CAI (Cairo) can be a good option for cheaper prices.
Interesting point about fewer airlines having First Class in the coming years—it’s reassuring to hear that some Business Class suites are now as good as what First used to be. I tried the Qsuite once, and it’s really fantastic, so I’ll probably focus more on Business Class options to balance comfort and value.

If you can get it to work, lots of discussion about this in the oneworld forum. Full of bugs and issues.

Thanks for the heads-up, BA or bust! I hadn’t thought about incorporating Fiji Airways into the trip, but it makes perfect sense, especially with them becoming a full Oneworld partner in 2025. That would definitely help with Tier Point collection while adding some really unique Pacific destinations to my itinerary. I like the idea of possibly using it for a leg to the USA as well—could make for a fun and efficient route.

I think I'd want to spend some time in at least one South American destination - Peru would be in that list - and I would definitely include Vietnam & Cambodia, particularly if Thailand is already on the list.

Some of my most memorable bucket list trips have been to South America: Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Uyuni Salt Flats, Iguazu Falls.

You can earn Avios and redeem flights with LATAM, but unfortunately you can't earn tier points with them (as far as I know)

Intra-South American flights can be expensive for foreigners, so some redemption flights is probably the way to go! (eg. LIM-CUZ for Machu Picchu, SCL-IPC for Easter Island etc)

Enjoy planning your trip and keep us updated!