Do you want to experience the trip of a lifetime and go (literally) all around the world on an epic journey? Here is an itinerary that will take you to 7 incredible destinations for only $1,288. This is a very original Christmas gift idea to ask for, don’t you think?
Our specialty here at Flytrippers is spotting daily flight deals, often at half the price, which we post on our cheap flight deals from Ottawa page… and also sharing plenty of tips to help you travel longer or more often (or simply for less).
Here is a special deal, because it’s a combination of many cheap flights… since going on an around the world trip is on most travelers’ bucket-list!
It’s scientifically proven that experiences are far superior to material possessions in terms of bringing you happiness. And as far as experiences go, it’s hard to find a better one than going around the world for 2 months!
So, since it’s much cheaper than you thought, maybe you could ask for this crazy trip (or at least a part of it) for Christmas, rather than asking for things that are more or less useful (or you can ask for gift cards to cover expenses like the accommodations at $10 a night in the Philippines… and pay for the plane tickets yourself as a gift from you to you?).
Around The World Trip Summary
We’ll give you more details after the itinerary, but here is the bullet point summary of what you should know.
- Trip length: We built the itinerary for a 2-month journey starting in mid-January, for those who have the Winter Blues and want to escape the cold. We know that unfortunately most of you cannot leave for 6 months. Of course, you can adjust the itinerary to make it shorter or longer, we’ll tell you how later in this post.
- Is it a scam: No it is not a scam, it includes all taxes and mandatory fees. But these cheap airline tickets are on ultra-low cost carriers, which means you have to travel light to avoid extra baggage fees. We assure you, it is very possible to travel without paying a penny more, we’ll also give you more detail on this after explaining the itinerary.
- How to book: Plane ticket prices always change constantly, so if you want this itinerary, book quickly… and start with the segments between the different continents first, we’ll tell you how later in this post.
- Logistics: 5 of the 8 flights are direct, the others have short layovers, unfortunately (long layovers are great if you like to travel because they allow you to discover new cities, the very definition of travel… but this itinerary already has 7 destinations so in this case that’s enough).
We’ve put together this itinerary because we want to continue to debunk one of the worst travel myths: the myth that travel has to be expensive. No, plane tickets can be cheap when you prioritize paying less (booking segments outside of Canada also helps a lot haha?).
This is the best example, as some people unfortunately pay $1,288 for boring flights to a single destination in Asia (or worse, in Europe). With this itinerary, you can discover 7 destinations and 4 continents for the same price!
The rest of the trip can also be done cheaply if you choose to be a budget-traveler. Traveling is expensive when you want it to be convenient and simple, but we prefer to help you travel more often and have more memorable experiences.
Even if it’s not as luxurious and requires a little more effort to travel light, you will enjoy it and remember it all your life! Especially this trip around the world, it’s amazing!
Here’s a short video of the destinations you will visit!
So here are the details of this $1,288 trip around the world, from January 13th to March 7th.
Do you know someone who should go around the world with you this winter? Or someone who should give you this as a Christmas present? Share this article with them!
Bus #1 (of 1): Ottawa – Montreal (January 13th, $31)
We’re cheating, with one bus segment… because we cannot in good conscience tell you to pay the huge difference for a flight leaving from Ottawa. Don’t worry, on the way back you’ll land in Ottawa directly.
But while you’re still full of energy ready to leave on this epic trip, grab this $30 bus ride to Montreal (or pay $110 more to fly from Ottawa).
Flight #1: Montreal – London (January 13th, $210)
We’ve given you just 4 days in London, it’s the shortest of all the stays because it’s a very expensive country once you’re there! And also because it’s often the cheapest European city to fly to from Canada, so you can go back to visit that country specifically later.
Take the opportunity to discover the British capital’s classic must-sees, it is one of the world’s most visited cities. You can also check out 10 pictures of London that will make you want to go there.
Flight #2: London – Marrakesh (January 17th, $34)
Discover beautiful Morocco for a whole week.
Immerse yourself in this rich culture, one that is very different from ours, and wander through the desert.
Flight #3: Marrakesh – Athens (January 25th, $35)
Greece is beautiful and a little more affordable in the off-peak season, so you’ll spend a week there.
Discover the history of civilization in Athens and visit the surrounding region (like the perched monasteries of Meteora). You even have time to go to the Greek islands for a few days if you want to.
Flight #4: Athens – Singapore (February 2nd, $284)
Singapore is a unique city that I loved visiting last spring. Modern and lively… but also a little expensive, so we give you just 4 days there, and we’ll quickly send you where the cost of living is lower.
You can go for a swim in the famous Marina Bay Sands’ rooftop pool spanning three skyscrapers, take a stroll through the unique gardens or simply discover this urban jungle that is unlike any other.
Flight #5: Singapore – Manila (February 6th, $114)
The Philippines are a favorite of many frequent Asia travelers. It’s very affordable there too, so we’ll give you 11 days to explore (really, it’s super affordable, around $30 per day for budget-travelers).
Manila is a gigantic city, but in 11 days you even have time to explore the other islands as you wish, depending on your travel preferences. Here are 10 pictures of Cebu that will make you want to visit that island.
Flight #6: Manila – Osaka (February 17th, $125)
Ah, Japan. Such a unique and distinct culture! We give you a little more than a week to discover this country.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq8kQcKH8dI/Osaka is a great city that is often overshadowed by Tokyo, and if you want to visit the metropolis, it’s not too far. Otherwise, Kyoto and Kobe are Osaka’s neighboring cities and there is plenty to discover by staying in this area.
Flight #7: Osaka – Honolulu – (February 23rd, $143)
As if all of this wasn’t great enough already… let’s throw in Hawaii! We give you more than a week there too, to combine a trip and a vacation (two different things that can be combined in the same journey).
So you can get the chance to rest a bit (if you want to) before returning to the harsh reality of your non-travel routine.
Hawaii is very popular for a reason. It’s beautiful and whether you are looking to enjoy nature or the beach, there is something for everyone.
Flight #8: Honolulu – Ottawa (March 7th, $312)
All good things must come to an end. At least temporarily: with our tips, we will do everything to help you travel more in 2019, if you want to take that New Year’s resolution.
It’s definitely doable when you know how! Subscribe to our free newsletter to receive cheap flight deals and lots of pro travel tips!
More Details About The Around The World Itinerary
Here is some additional information for those who are interested.
Changing the trip length
Some will find it too long, but we made the itinerary for a 2-month trip to please as many of you as possible. We know for some it’s hard to get away for that long, but when we do it shorter, many also say it’s too short for such a trip. Others want a 4-month itinerary. A classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.
So if you want to make it longer (add more time in each destination, or visit even more places) or shorter, it’s doable. It’s just going to involve doing a lot of manual searches for individual airline tickets.
It’s a little painful, and that’s why we do it for you every day for cheap tickets from Ottawa on our cheap flight deals page.
But for any more advanced searches, like creating a custom itinerary with lots of plane tickets to go on an around the world trip personalized to your needs and your tastes, read this article on our search tool for advanced searches. You’ll need to invest the time and search for flights and play around to mash them all together.
All of our travel resources to plan your trip at the best price are always available directly in our site’s top menu under “Resources”. Not just for flights, but for everything else too.
Is this a scam?
There are people who see scams everywhere. The scam is actually paying for plane tickets at full price!
No, there is no scam. As long as you don’t take anything extra, plane tickets don’t cost a penny more than that. I took over 100 flights on ultra-low cost carriers (some for just $10) without ever paying a penny more than the price. So just decide not to pay more.
In fact, these plane tickets aren’t even necessarily discounted prices.
Many are accustomed to paying a high price for their plane tickets because they do not prioritize low fares or because they do not know how to find cheap airline tickets (we will have a complete guide here early 2019 to list all the ways you can save and help you even more easily).
Travel doesn’t have to be expensive when you know how (and when you want to, and you are willing to accept that travel will be a little less convenient) and that’s our mission at Flytrippers: to help Canadians travel more without breaking the bank, thanks to our dozens of flight deals at almost half price every day. And our tips and tricks of course, like Travel Hacking, which literally gives hundreds of dollars of free travel every year to all those who are financially responsible!
Our resolution for 2019 is to show you how you can travel a lot more, so take that resolution too (to travel more often) !
Traveling light
If you do not want to travel light, these airlines do not charge too much for baggage fees, if you insist on paying for that (probably around $350 extra in total, it’s not that bad).
But yes, it is possible to travel light. From Ottawa, you usually need to travel light only on certain airlines to Europe and Florida if leaving from other airports, as there aren’t any destinations served by ultra low-cost carriers (ULCCs) here (yet).
But all over the world, people have been traveling on ULCCs for a long time (more than 33% of all air passengers are on ULCCs globally, and that’s always growing) and that’s why it’s much more developed elsewhere (and why I have been able to take 130+ flights in the last two years… ULCCs are great).
And it is not more complicated to travel light for 8 weeks compared to 1 week, you just need to know how to do it and change your well-established traveling habits (like accepting to do some laundry every week, the same as you do at home) !
Some say it’s impossible, and they’re wrong. But they are not wrong to decide not to want to go through all this trouble (because it sure is more complicated), that’s okay and everyone can choose what they want to do with their money. If you only want to travel once a year as most do, it’s not worth it.
But it’s possible, and to travel more often (as many say they want to do, hence why we share our tips on how to travel light), or to make an epic journey around the world, we believe it’s worth the extra effort.
We’ll soon share detailed articles about how to travel light, but you can read The Globe and Mail travel editor’s article about traveling light, she was able to do it too, if you don’t believe us.
Or even better, watch this travel expert’s video:
She has less clothes, but you can actually bring more because the backpack you are entitled to bring for free on ultra-low cost carriers is bigger than that! It works, we did it ourselves for a month in Asia and 3 weeks in Europe (and we could have done it for twice the time, it does not change anything).
The basic premise is that laundry will cost you $3 in most countries… but traveling all around the world with baggage fees would cost you hundreds of dollars more (a far cry from the $1,286 for sure).
It’s not easy and effortless. But it is feasible. That’s why we say that traveling is only expensive when you want it to be convenient and simple and effortless… or when you choose destinations that are expensive once you’re there.
Cost at destination
This itinerary is not for those who want a trip that is really cheap overall. It is for those who want to go around the world at the best price and see interesting destinations in a short period of time. One of the keys to traveling cheap is to not change places too often (and also not to go to London, Japan or Hawaii obviously).
If you want a trip that will cost you about $1,500 in total, do not go around the world: choose one of the most affordable countries and you can spend a whole month traveling for $1,500 all included (even the plane tickets).
This is another of the factors that fuel the myth that traveling is expensive. People often choose expensive destinations… but it can be so cheap in many countries!
We actually have started sharing our list of 40 countries where you can travel to and spend less than C$30 per day. Yes, 40! Surely there’s at least one in those 40 that you are interested in and where you can go spend a whole month for under $1,000, plus the cost of your plane ticket.
For example, by finding a cheap flight to a dream destination like Vietnam (often available around $800 when there is a deal), it would cost you only $1,700 for a full month, including all expenses. In the cheap countries that are even closer (where the plane ticket costs less), it’s even less! For example, Central America, Caucasus, Turkey, Morocco, etc.
Of course you must choose to travel budget-style, but if you don’t want to, even when traveling “normally”, affordable countries will still be much cheaper than expensive countries, that goes without saying.
How to book
If you want to buy this itinerary, make sure you book as quickly as possible to avoid that the price of a flight segment changes. And of course, like any low-price plane ticket, prices never last very long, so hurry up!
The basic rule for a multi-ticket booking is to book the longest and most expensive flights first (flights between continents usually), so the most important ones will be at the lowest price and if the $34 flight changes to $50 in the meantime, it’s not too bad!
If you do not have a travel credit card yet, it’s too late for this particular booking, but for the next ones at least, it makes absolutely no sense not to book all your plane tickets with a travel credit card. You’ll get free insurance coverage and not be one of the passengers complaining when a weather delay forces them to overnight somewhere at their own expense (airlines don’t owe you anything, they don’t control the weather, so get free insurance for a free hotel and free meals).
And no excuses: the Scotia Gold American Express Card is available to anyone earning more than $15,000. It has free insurance… and also gives you $161 worth of free travel just by ordering it.
Itinerary Summary
- January 13th: Ottawa – Montreal $31
- January 13th: Montreal – London $210
- January 17th: London – Marrakesh $34
- January 25th: Marrakesh – Athens $35
- February 2nd: Athens – Singapore $284
- February 6th: Singapore – Manila $114
- February 17th: Manila – Osaka $125
- February 23rd: Osaka – Honolulu $143
- March 6th: Honolulu – Ottawa $312
What do you think of this trip idea? What would you like to see in our next around-the-world itinerary? Longer? Shorter? Bookable earlier? More destinations? Fewer destinations? Tell us in the comments below!
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You’ll probably enjoy this article:
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