I’m leaving tomorrow. So last Thursday, I finally booked the 5 missing flights among my 6 Turkish Airlines flights to the 6 continents, to earn 1 million points (a value of ≈ 12000 CAD to UNLIMITED). It’s obviously going to be quite an adventure, and I did a new post about my trip. But I want to also share just my 6 destination choices here, and also the 6 cheapest choices to help those doing the promotion.
Whether you took advantage of the promotion or not, maybe you want to follow my crazy journey across 6 continents in only 3 weeks. It was supposed to be 4 weeks, but I had to shorten it to 3 due to a meeting in Toronto tomorrow.
(It’s more than 40,000 miles in the air, which is 30% more than my fall around-the-world trip for the other 1 million points… and 12 times the distance between Montreal and Paris).
Here are the flights I chose for the 6 continents, the cheapest flights if you’re doing the promotion (which are very often the same as mine, unsurprisingly), as well as the context of my itinerary choices and 3 general tips at the end.
Basics of Turkish Airlines’ 6 continents promotion
Whether you’re doing the promotion or not, I want to say something important to start.
For everyone: I’ve added a section at the end with 3 tips I used for my itinerary that you should really read, because you should apply them to save on all your flights. It’s going to be useful; guaranteed (unless you’re already a real pro)!
For those doing the promotion: You should read the section with the 3 tips even more. It includes the most important one for creating your itinerary, but at least this post gives you the concrete result for each continent since I haven’t shared the turnkey itinerary yet (which I’m going to give you very soon, I promise).
(And also, if you’re doing the promotion, if you aren’t shy, let me know in the comments; we can start a WhatsApp chat!)
I’ve already shared a complete guide on the Turkish Airlines 6 continents challenge promotion, as well as my thoughts about this challenge and the other one for 350,000 points.
The only important thing to know is that you, unfortunately, can no longer participate if you missed the unexpected deadline added at the last minute by Turkish Airlines.
Let’s look at it in the order I’m going to do the continents, with many stopovers in Türkiye in between!
Continent #1: Asia (Oman 🇴🇲)
Oman is one of my favorite countries in the world, after visiting 75+. So much better than Dubai. It’s one of the world’s safest countries, by the way (for those who really don’t know the Middle East and think it’s “dangerous” everywhere, which is objectively absurd).
Yes, I’m a bit disappointed in that I would have preferred to take advantage of this to visit a new country. But having had to cut a complete week of travel, I had to make choices like that. I’m going to have barely more than 24 hours in Oman, but I’ll try to still enjoy it, despite the heat (ironically, my first trip there was also in peak summer).
I think I’m going to rent a car and go explore another side than the last time. I obviously won’t go very far from where I land, which is the capital Muscat (MCT). Although I am tempted to use one of my amazing Marriott certificates for the very luxurious The St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort or the Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
I’m planning to go back to Asia in business class with all my points this winter. And on top of that, I just spent 3 weeks in East and Southeast Asia in March, and 2 other weeks in the fall during my round-the-world trip. So I don’t mind spending less time in Asia this time.
I paid the equivalent of 161 CAD one-way for İstanbul-Muscat (322 CAD roundtrip). Not too bad, honestly. Especially considering I’m cutting it very tight: I only have 2 hours before my flight on a separate ticket to the next continent, which is exactly the limit to be covered by the trip interruption insurance included for free with good credit cards.
The cheapest destination in Asia from İstanbul is often Kuwait City (KWI), at 160 CAD one-way (and just 262 CAD roundtrip). But Kuwait requires an electronic visa that is relatively expensive.
So, I didn’t pay that much more, honestly. But it certainly doesn’t bring me further in my quest to visit all countries!
Continent #2: Africa (Egypt 🇪🇬)
Egypt was long the most visited country on the continent (the country was relegated to 2nd place for the 1st time in 2024, actually). I only saw the famous pyramids from a free Marriott hotel during a long layover a few years ago.
Honestly, there’s really no other option for Africa if you want to save. Flights to the rest of the continent are much more expensive, and on top of that, the cheapest flights to Australia all leave from Egypt.
You sometimes have a choice between 4 Egyptian cities, depending on dates. I’m going to have a few days in Hurghada, on the Red Sea. It’s a resort town that doesn’t really attract me, to be honest. But that’s what worked for my very inflexible dates.
It’s 4 hours by bus from Luxor, which looks magnificent. But I’m hesitating to spend 8 hours on a bus, considering the already intense journey. Maybe I’m just going to do snorkeling and work more to have to work less in Australia. I know I’m going to go back one day to do all of Egypt anyway. To be continued.
I paid 237 CAD one-way for İstanbul-Hurghada. Here, sometimes you can even save a bit by buying a one-way flight from a Middle Eastern city to the 2 Egyptian resort cities.
The cheapest destinations in Africa from İstanbul are often Sharm El-Sheikh (SSH) or Hurghada (HRG), at 180 CAD one-way. It’s in Sharm that Kevin did a 6-day diving trip for $499 total ($83/day).
So I’m paying barely a few dollars more. I would have preferred to go to Sharm, but it’s not on the African continent at all (even though it counts as Africa for the promotion), and I cared about being able to visit the 6 continents in one single trip. I’m cheesy like that.
Continent #3: Oceania (Australia 🇦🇺)
The last inhabited continent that I’ve never been to. It’s not one that attracts me much (as you’ve probably deduced from the fact that I’ve been to many other places and could’ve gone there if I wanted to), but I’m obviously excited to discover it anyway.
Here, too, no other option. Australia is the only country on the continent served by Turkish Airlines. It’s also going to be the longest flight of my life, with a completely terrible duration of 20 hours and 10 minutes. It’s a direct flight with a stop, a concept that too few people know (yes, direct flights can have stops). Although if we’re allowed to get off the plane at the stop, it’s just a regular long flight with a connection, as I’ve done many of.
The only choice was between Sydney and Melbourne, and I opted for the cheaper one on my dates, Sydney. I have no idea what I’m going to do there. At a BBQ last weekend, one of my friends told me about his favorite spots in the country, but I really haven’t looked into it yet. I’m going to have a bit more than a week there, depending on the return flight I’m going to choose (the only one I haven’t booked yet).
Since I’ve never been, that’s why I wanted to leave for 1 month, to take advantage of it and stay longer in Australia since it’s far. I had to cut that by a lot, but it’s still where I’m staying the longest, by far. Because it’s far. So, it’s the strategic thing to do.
I paid 968 CAD one-way for Hurghada-İstanbul-Sydney. Pretty decent, especially for a flight booked just 2 weeks before departure.
The cheapest destination in Oceania is Melbourne (MEL), at 945 CAD one-way, but Sydney (SYD) isn’t much more expensive on most dates. This is departing from Egypt, as mentioned.
So I paid close to the minimum possible. I was sure I was going to redeem my many existing points to come back in business class, but there are such low prices (like 190 CAD from Australia to Singapore) that I’m tempted to split the journey and save (once a cheapskate, always a cheapskate).
Continent #4: Europe (Slovenia 🇸🇮)
One of the rare European countries that I haven’t been to yet. It’s a small, underrated country that’s often confused with Slovakia… and that’s soon going to be as crowded as 2 of its popular neighbors, Italy and Croatia. I was really looking forward to going there!
Okay, I only chose based on the fact that the cheapest flights to South America leave from this region of Europe. And from Ljubljana (LJU) specifically, for my dates, it was barely more expensive, so I preferred that to Zagreb (ZAG), since I just went to Croatia in June and I’ve never been to Slovenia.
It’s always better to spend a bit of time somewhere than not to go there at all! I’m not even going to spend 12 hours there (my shortest stay of the trip), but I’m going to go see the famous Lake Bled at least. I’m going back to Europe in October, so I’m going to have plenty of time to revisit the continent. I might even go back to Slovenia…
It’s that I booked a roundtrip even though I only needed a one-way: I used a version of the nested tickets tip, #28 in our 31 flight tips. That means my return flight is in October, to take my last flight, and to lower the price of this outbound flight, which I need to go to South America.
I paid the equivalent of 171 CAD one-way, which is 341 CAD for İstanbul-Ljubljana (for now) and Zagreb-İstanbul (in October). Yes, I also used the open-jaw flights tip (#29). For these dates, it was cheaper for my return to be from Zagreb, and it allows me to visit another city (and Slovenia is 1 hour away if I want to go back there).
The cheapest destination in Europe from İstanbul is often Sofia (SOF) at 92 CAD one-way (the rest of the Balkans isn’t much more expensive). But it really makes more sense to pay a bit more to go where you can save a lot for the flight to South America.
So I again found an excellent price overall.
Continent #5: South America (Colombia 🇨🇴)
Colombia is the most accessible country on the continent, and I loved my trip there. We often spot cheap deals if you want to do something other and better than an all-inclusive, but still want beaches and nice weather (and not have to go too far).
Here, too, I’m a bit disappointed. I’ve only visited 3 countries on the continent, and it’s one of those that I had to choose. It’s to minimize travel, because Chile was my preferred choice… but it’s really farther (and involved a return to Canada overnight, which I really wanted to avoid after about 40,000 miles).
At least, it’s a city where I’ve never been: the dynamic capital and metropolis, Bogotá. I only have 1 day, but it’s what I wanted strategically: it’s never been so cheap to fly from Canada to South America, and I think I’ll go back this winter.
What’s particular is that I decided I wanted to go back to Europe in October to take the last of the 6 flights to complete the promotion, because it was about the same total price for flights due to transatlantic summer prices. So I’m heading back from Colombia to Canada to wrap up this summer’s trip.
I paid 904 CAD one-way for Ljubljana-İstanbul-Bogotá. Again, very good considering my lack of flexibility and my fairly late booking.
The cheapest destination in South America is actually Bogotá (BOG), at 749 CAD one-way. Departing from Eastern Europe is how you’ll find the cheapest prices (Budapest, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Ljubljana, etc.)
So that’s the one for which I paid the biggest surplus compared to the minimum price. And if I had had more time, I would have really gone to Chile, because it was the same price on my dates, and you get more for your money if you use the “kilometers traveled per plane ticket dollar” metric.
Continent #6: North America (Canada 🇨🇦)
Nothing very exciting here, it’s a flight back home. Surprisingly, for many dates, the cheapest flight (and by far) is directly to Montreal. Yes, even cheaper than all 10+ Turkish Airlines destinations in the United States. That’s rare.
The irony is that, in my case, I then have to immediately head to the United States because I’m again speaking at the Chicago Seminars Points Travel Conference (we have a new promo code for 20 USD off if you’re interested) and so I’m taking advantage of it to go to my beloved annual music festival just before.
So I don’t even benefit from the fact that Montreal was the cheapest city. But even adding the cost of the Montreal-Vegas flight, it was cheaper to do that. On your dates, even if Montreal is more expensive, it might be worth it to avoid having to buy another flight to come back. Just always compare; saving is that simple!
I obviously could have gone back to Türkiye after Colombia and finished the 6 flights this summer. But again, flights to North America were so expensive on my dates (the famous hordes of tourists that cause summer overtourism in Europe) that it was the same total price to just go back there. And it gives me more time to spend in Europe in October!
I paid 470 CAD one-way for İstanbul-Montreal in October. It’s honestly one of the best prices I’ve ever seen on Turkish Airlines.
The cheapest destination in North America from İstanbul is actually Montreal (YUL), at this exact price of 470 CAD one-way.
So again, it’s the minimum possible price. And in October, I’m probably going to do like I’m doing tomorrow: fly JetBlue for the transatlantic flight, to chip away at my 20 required destinations for that separate challenge.
Context of my itinerary
Honestly, I’m very happy with my choices overall. It’s not perfect (my ADD pushes me to always seek perfection too much), but it’s very, very good.
The 6 flights cost me 2960 CAD (the promotion only requires buying one-ways).
I could’ve paid a bit less, but I decided I did not want any overnight flights in economy class (except the outbound to Australia, because it doesn’t exist in any other way, and another relatively short one). I was willing to pay a bit more for that, in my case.
So, that’s very good, especially considering I had no flexibility on my dates.
I can’t resist, I’ll remind you of a tip here too because it’s literally the most important of all: being flexible on everything (NOT just dates) is the key to traveling for less.
The concept is simple, but applying it isn’t always. In my case, I do so many trips that I’m sometimes as inflexible on dates as those who have specific vacation days to respect!!!
Because I have to do trips between other trips. That was the case here. No flexibility.
And yet, for the 6 flights, I almost always have the lowest possible price. And on top of that, I booked not even a week in advance! In the middle of summer peak season!
Which shows, once again, if you simply take time to learn and apply the tips to save on plane tickets, it’s always doable! I spent several hours on finding this itinerary, obviously.
Tips used that are useful for all flights
The fact is that the vast majority of travelers haven’t taken on this crazy flight challenge.
So I want to highlight 3 concrete tips among those I used for my itinerary that you can apply to save on all your flights:
- Advanced searches
- 2 one-ways or 1 roundtrip
- More expensive direct flights
Advanced searches
Becoming a pro at flight search tools is THE most important thing to stop doing like 99% of people who pay way too much for their flights!
(If you pick a date and a destination and you enter that into a search tool and that’s it, I’m telling you that you’re clearly among them; that’s the worst way to find cheap flights!)
Learning to master more advanced searches with Kiwi is really the basics! It’s going to allow you to find the cheapest dates for a specific destination and find the cheapest destinations for a specific date.
(Provided you also understand the 6 variables that make flight prices vary, and especially that the booking date is just as important as the flight date!)
It’s easy. Also, learn to play with filters and options. It’s really the basics of the basics.
But the only flaw of Kiwi is that you can’t filter by airline when you do advanced searches like that. It’s rarely a big deal, but it is for this promotion.
So I’ve already shared in detail how to find the cheapest flights on a specific airline.
That’s really the key to building an itinerary for this promotion.
2 one-ways or 1 roundtrip
Way too many people still believe the myth that buying 1 roundtrip is cheaper than 2 one-ways. This is often not the case, and the separate one-way flights tip can often save you money.
But Turkish Airlines is an airline that very often charges you less for 1 roundtrip compared to 2 one-ways.
Yet, I booked 4 one-ways out of the 6 required flights. Why?
Because Turkish Airlines is a premium airline (in the top 10 best airlines in the world).
So even paying their “surcharge” for one-way, often there are different airlines that have the return for much cheaper. So you still save in total.
Just always take 10 seconds to compare the 2 options, like you should always do for all flights.
Also, by buying only the one-way for this promotion, it allows you to return in business class with the points you already have for long flights, like I’m tempted to do myself for my return from Australia at least.
More expensive direct flights
It’s still fascinating how there are people who are surprised that a plane ticket that includes more flights actually costs less money.
Yes, direct flights are often more expensive (and almost always for long-distance flights), because people are willing to pay more for direct flights.
It’s simple; literally the only thing that determines flight prices is the price people are willing to pay. That’s it.
That’s why Air Canada charges about half the price to Americans, for them to sit on the same transatlantic or transpacific flights as us, but with their extra Canada-United States flights.
So here, for long-distance flights, it’s often cheaper to leave from elsewhere and make a stop in İstanbul rather than buying a direct flight from İstanbul.
For North America, it doesn’t always seem to be the case, but for the 2 other continents that are far from Türkiye (South America and Oceania), it’s definitely the case.
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Summary
My 6-continent trip in 3 weeks is going to be quite intense. It’s going to give me 1M points to travel in business class. I’m very pleasantly surprised to have managed to keep all prices very close to the minimum possible, despite booking just a week before departure (in peak summer season) and despite my almost total lack of flexibility in this specific case.
What would you like to know about my destinations for the Turkish Airlines 6 continents promotion? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: Sydney, Australia | Nizwa, Oman | Bogota, Colombia (photo credit: Andreas Rasmussen | Ruben Hanssen | Random Institute, edited by Flytrippers)
