Every few months someone sends me the same fantasy: one ticket, one direction, twelve months, the whole planet. I get it. As a travel photographer, the round the world ticket is the closest thing our industry has to a legend. But legends have fine print. In 2026 the round the world ticket is still alive, the pricing is public, and the math decides everything.
A round the world ticket, or RTW, lets you circumnavigate the globe across multiple airlines on a single booking, valid for up to 16 flight segments over 12 months. You travel in one continuous direction, eastbound or westbound, crossing each ocean exactly once. Two alliances sell them now: Star Alliance and oneworld. SkyTeam discontinued its RTW product in 2023, so it is a two horse race.
How RTW Tickets Work in 2026
Star Alliance sells the Book and Fly round the world product across its member airlines, covering 181 countries and more than 1,160 destinations. The 2026 rules: one transatlantic and one transpacific crossing, start and end in the same country (not necessarily the same city), up to 8 stopovers, continuous forward direction with no backtracking, and validity up to 365 days. Minimum stay is 3 days between the first and last international sector in economy, 10 days in business and first.
Oneworld sells the Explorer, priced by continents visited (3 to 6) and the highest cabin flown, with 3 to 16 flights. One important change: Star Alliance ended first class RTW bookings on October 1, 2026. If you want first class around the world on one ticket now, oneworld is your only alliance option, or you go custom.
The custom route matters. Companies like AirTreks build RTW itineraries flight by flight across any airline and any alliance, with no direction requirement and no backtracking ban. You lose the alliance miles, but you gain total freedom.
.
The Actual Prices
Here is what the Star Alliance Book and Fly costs in 2026, ex Europe, all in with taxes, across its mileage bands:
Economy runs roughly $3,900 to $5,100. Premium economy runs $6,200 to $7,800. Business class runs $8,800 to $11,400. First class, where still sold, ran $14,500 to $18,600. Broader market data puts economy RTW tickets at $2,500 to $6,000, business at $5,000 to $14,000, and first at $8,000 to $20,000 depending on origin and routing.
Now compare that to booking the same trip as separate one way tickets. A well structured RTW typically saves 25 to 40 percent versus buying each leg individually. On a five stop business class itinerary that might price at $14,000 piecemeal, the RTW at $9,900 saves you $4,100. That is the core value proposition, and it is real.
But pricing varies enormously by starting country. Departures from South Africa, India, Thailand, and parts of Eastern Europe routinely price 15 to 25 percent lower than the same routing out of London or Frankfurt. The same 7 segment business class routing costs about $13,056 from Los Angeles but only $7,811 from Johannesburg. That is more than $5,000 for identical flights. It is not a loophole. It is legitimate country of origin pricing, and positioning a low cost one way flight to your origin city is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
.
The Miles Option
You can also fly around the world on points, and in 2026 the landscape changed. ANA’s famous round the world award, the one that let you do eight stopovers in business class for about 115,000 miles, ended on June 23, 2025. No new tickets after that date.
The new best deal is JAL. Its oneworld distance based award prices a loop like Delhi to London to New York to Tokyo to Delhi at 120,000 miles in business class and 90,000 in economy, almost exactly what ANA charged. Star Alliance RTW awards still exist through programs like EVA, Miles and More, and THAI, but they cost 325,000 to 725,000 miles in business, which is steep. Qantas charges 132,400 to 455,000 points for an RTW depending on cabin and total mileage. Doing it yourself with one way awards costs about 165,000 to 190,000 miles in business, which only makes sense if your points cannot reach JAL.
If you are serious about the points route, start by understanding the award landscape. Our piece on why business class award seats are so hard to find explains the inventory problem that kills most RTW award attempts before they start.
When a RTW Ticket Loses to DIY
The RTW ticket is not always the answer. A do it yourself round the world trip using long haul budget carriers can be done for $1,000 to $2,000 in base fares. Add checked baggage and travel insurance that covers missed connections, since separate tickets mean no airline will protect your connection, and you are still far below the alliance price in economy.
The RTW loses whenever your trip breaks its rules. Want to backtrack? The alliance ticket forbids it. Want to skip an ocean, say fly to Asia and come home without circling the globe? Not an RTW. Want to mix in low cost carriers like Norse, Scoot, or AirAsia on the long inexpensive legs and only pay business class where it matters? The alliance ticket charges the highest cabin across the whole itinerary. A custom ticket prices each flight in the cabin you choose.
The RTW also loses for short trips. If your whole journey is three weeks and three stops, the RTW’s flexibility premium buys you nothing. Book the one ways, or better, watch for a good business class fare sale on the long legs.
The Business Class Question
Most people considering an RTW are really asking about business class. At $8,800 to $11,400 for a full circumnavigation in business, the RTW is one of the most efficient ways to buy a lot of premium flying. It is also one of the fastest ways to earn airline elite status, since every mile flown credits to your program.
But know what you are buying. On flights with no business cabin, you fly economy while the business fare is still charged. And if premium cabins are your priority, our ranking of the 10 best first class cabins in the world will tell you which airlines are actually worth routing through. A RTW is only as good as the metal you fly.
For the Asia legs specifically, a well planned stopover makes the whole ticket better. Our 7 day Japan luxury itinerary through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka is the highest value week you can bolt onto a round the world routing.
The Verdict
A round the world ticket is worth it if you are taking a genuine multi stop, multi month trip in one direction, especially in business class, and especially if you originate in a lower priced country. The 25 to 40 percent savings over separate one ways is real, the single ticket protection is valuable, and the status earning is serious.
It is not worth it for short trips, backtracking itineraries, or budget economy travel, where DIY one ways and budget carriers win by thousands. And if you have the points, the JAL oneworld award at 120,000 miles in business is the single best value in round the world travel right now. Run your actual routing through both the cash RTW price and the award charts before you commit. The legend is real, but only the math makes it smart.
