-
Hi everyone,
Apologies in advance for the long post — just trying to give a bit of context for what we’re planning.
We’re planning a 5-month round-the-world trip as a family starting in August 2026 — two adults and two kids (age 10) — and I’d love to hear thoughts from this brilliant community. We’re planning to travel eastward and are aiming for a mix of low-cost carriers and clever points redemptions where they really shine.
I’ve read through the threads about building a multi-carrier ticket with Avios, but it seems that’s now virtually impossible. I’m unsure whether it’s worth investing time down that route — any suggestions or recent workarounds would be much appreciated.
We haven’t locked in any destinations yet, but we’re trying to shape the route around places where unusual or rare things are happening. For example, earlier this year we returned to Japan to go to the Osaka Expo 2025 (off course we also visited other parts of Japan never seen before). For this trip, we’re considering starting in a country where we can experience the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. We love events like that — natural phenomena, quirky festivals, or places with a unique energy at a particular time — and are happy to build around them.
Our current “dream list” includes Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vanuatu, some of the other South Pacific islands, Hawaii, South Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and possibly a return to the Maldives. I know that’s a lot, but these are just starting ideas to help guide the planning. In Asia, we’re not considering China (apart from Hong Kong), Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, or Japan this time, as we’ve visited recently — with the possible exception of Thailand.
We’ll mostly be flying economy (likely lots of low cost carrier), but I’d love suggestions for high-value Avios uses that could work for a family of four. We’re open to off-peak awards, lesser-known partner routes, or quirky redemption opportunities where the value really stands out. We’re flexible with timing and routing, so happy to take detours for something special. By end of summer, we will also have 2 companion vouchers to use each.
I also have a stash of Hilton points and was thinking of using them for a 5-for-4 redemption at a resort. We loved Conrad Rangali in the past, but would prefer to avoid the pricey seaplane transfer this time. I’m open to other Hilton options or even unique, non-chain hotels if the experience is memorable. I also have a good number of Radisson points from before the programme changes — I’ve been keeping them alive in case better opportunities come along.
We hold the Amex Platinum Card and have used the travel insurance multiple times without issues, but I’m aware the cover only extends up to 90 days per trip — so if anyone has good solutions for extended travel insurance beyond that, I’d really appreciate the advice.I’ll be diving back into the old “My Favourite Hotel” series for more inspiration, but would love to hear any fresh suggestions or recent experiences. Thanks in advance — always grateful for the insight and generosity on here!
If you’re not wedded to the avios options you could look at an alliance that actually encourages RTW tickets – https://roundtheworld.staralliance.com/staralliance/en/round-the-world
One World also offer RTW fares …
What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?
What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?
If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.
I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.
My first question is – are you doing a true round the world trip and hence not returning to the UK or are you backtracking?
Any RTW ticket by any alliance does not allow full ‘backtracking’ though they permit it to an extent, say arrive Bangkok depart Hong Kong if there are no direct routes to the next destination from Bangkok. It severely limits your choices, but reduces the overall cost.
I have been going to São Tomé and Principe every other year since 2017 (minus pandemic). It can only be reached via Lisbon with TAP at very high prices, especially in summer or via Accra with BA and overnights in Ghana to catch the TAP flights. The 1h30 flight in economy can cost £400 for basic ticket and no luggage. Going to STP and visiting Principe Island will cost an extra cca 160-200 euros pp depending on the time of booking. It’s not a low-cost destination although if you manage to get there food is cheap. If you want decent accommodation on Principe you’ll need to fork out £400 per room per night. Some have managed to find local cheaper options, but you’ll forgo comfort and sometimes electricity can be patchy. Similar situation on Saõ Tomé island. You will need a car to get anywhere or pay local guides to take you to places which can cost quite a bit. It’s a wonderful unspoilt place, but it is not set up for cheap tourism as IG posts would led you to believe. And also very few people speak English, some know French.
Is there any reason why you are not considering South America? I think it would be a missed opportunity and region is also well connected with low cost carriers.
There are various threads here on STP, South America, Taiwan. You’ll need to do some digging.
I’d also keep Asia for last month or so due to weather which is not great in many parts August-November (with exception of Bali).
You mentioned the Maldives and Conrad Rangali avoiding the seaplane. You should note that a speedboat to Rangali takes 4-5 hours and costs $3,000! It also crosses the open ocean so could get very choppy if the weather is not with you.
Given the length of the trip and you wanting to control budget, as suggested by other comments, there are much cheaper resorts. Have you considered one of the local islands? The only real drawback for most people is that they are dry. Search for local islands with bikini beaches which I’ll give you some ideas of places most catered to westerners regardless of whether you want to wear a bikini. You can still get great food, snorkelling, etc. Some of them are accessible by ferry from Male.
And +1 for South America. We’ve only started dipping our toes into it recently and just love what we’ve done so far.
Just a quick 1ppenyworth of thoughts
“For this trip, we’re considering starting in a country where we can experience the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.”
Spain is the obvious choice here but you need to look verey carefully at the predicted weather (cloud cover) Also the time of the eclipse IIRC it is just before sunset in Southern Spain.
LCC are a good way to hop between sites, with Air Asia and Scoot coming to mind. These with One way AVIOS trips can be more flexible than a “RTW” ticket IMHO
Luggage-Pack very light so keep down the luggage charges on LCC.
Do you have any America Airlines miles? I found them invaluable for our South Pacific trip to Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Raratonga.
Look at the seasons and weather where you are going as you may cross into off seasons as you travel.
Visa:-Do you need any and can they be procured before the trip? It’s can be a PITA to have to sort them whilst on the move.
Travel Insurance. Possibly look at MSE for ideas.
@Meta.
That’s interesting. Somewhere you must have a connection to in order to keep returning despite the expense and faffy route. It’s a place that interests me but I’ve not done any serious research yet. Must say, reading your description of the associated costs has put me off somewhat.@meta, as above interesting you mention São Tomé and Príncipe. OH and I got our DNA done recently and some of his comes back to there so it’s piqued my interest!
I can’t really add anything to the RTW suggestions as we’ve never done anything that adventurous. At one time I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with taking children out of school but during the pandemic some of my son’s teachers just seemed to give up altogether and I ended up coaching him through some of his GCSE subjects! Travel definitely broadens young minds as well.
I’d love to hear about your travels, @Princess, once you get underway 👍
What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?
If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.
I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.
Home schooling when the children want to be out enjoying themselves sounds a bit of a challenge, particularly with jet lag isses.
Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?
My first question is – are you doing a true round the world trip and hence not returning to the UK or are you backtracking?
Any RTW ticket by any alliance does not allow full ‘backtracking’ though they permit it to an extent, say arrive Bangkok depart Hong Kong if there are no direct routes to the next destination from Bangkok. It severely limits your choices, but reduces the overall cost.
I have been going to São Tomé and Principe every other year since 2017 (minus pandemic). It can only be reached via Lisbon with TAP at very high prices, especially in summer or via Accra with BA and overnights in Ghana to catch the TAP flights. The 1h30 flight in economy can cost £400 for basic ticket and no luggage. Going to STP and visiting Principe Island will cost an extra cca 160-200 euros pp depending on the time of booking. It’s not a low-cost destination although if you manage to get there food is cheap. If you want decent accommodation on Principe you’ll need to fork out £400 per room per night. Some have managed to find local cheaper options, but you’ll forgo comfort and sometimes electricity can be patchy. Similar situation on Saõ Tomé island. You will need a car to get anywhere or pay local guides to take you to places which can cost quite a bit. It’s a wonderful unspoilt place, but it is not set up for cheap tourism as IG posts would led you to believe. And also very few people speak English, some know French.
Is there any reason why you are not considering South America? I think it would be a missed opportunity and region is also well connected with low cost carriers.
There are various threads here on STP, South America, Taiwan. You’ll need to do some digging.
I’d also keep Asia for last month or so due to weather which is not great in many parts August-November (with exception of Bali).
Hi @meta,
Thanks for your reply and all the advice about São Tomé and Príncipe. I did a bit of research some time ago and understood it was expensive — but probably not this expensive. Maybe we’ll leave it for another time.
The idea is to do a proper RTW trip without returning to the UK. A small amount of backtracking could be considered if flights are more convenient, or depending on the type of ticket we end up buying.
As for South America — there’s no particular reason to exclude it. I’ve been to Peru and absolutely loved it. I was also in Brazil many years ago. I guess I just naturally lean more towards Asia, but I’m still open to shaping the itinerary.
My first options would include Chile and Argentina — are there any other unmissable or less obvious places you’d recommend?
Hi @masaccio, thanks for your reply.
When we went to the Maldives, we visited both Rangali Island and Maafushi. I really liked the local island experience, and I’d definitely be interested in exploring more of them if we end up adding the Maldives to the trip.
That said, I feel like a resort in the Maldives—or another island destination—is my favorite way to spend hotel points. While I do enjoy staying in a fancy hotel in cities, I tend to appreciate them even more in remote locations, where we spend a lot of time actually enjoying the resort grounds themselves.
In cities, we usually end up just sleeping in the room, and I feel like I don’t really make the most of the luxury.
That being said, I’d be happy to use points somewhere I haven’t been before—so if anyone has recommendations for other great alternatives (even if it requires a bit of a detour), I’m open to suggestions.
You mentioned the Maldives and Conrad Rangali avoiding the seaplane. You should note that a speedboat to Rangali takes 4-5 hours and costs $3,000! It also crosses the open ocean so could get very choppy if the weather is not with you.
Given the length of the trip and you wanting to control budget, as suggested by other comments, there are much cheaper resorts. Have you considered one of the local islands? The only real drawback for most people is that they are dry. Search for local islands with bikini beaches which I’ll give you some ideas of places most catered to westerners regardless of whether you want to wear a bikini. You can still get great food, snorkelling, etc. Some of them are accessible by ferry from Male.
And +1 for South America. We’ve only started dipping our toes into it recently and just love what we’ve done so far.
Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?
The state will have to provide a school place on their return. Whether that’s the school they are currently at or not will depend on capacity, but given the OP didn’t ask for our views on her parenting choices, I suspect that detail is none of our business and we shouldn’t look to make it part of the discussion.
@meta, as above interesting you mention São Tomé and Príncipe. OH and I got our DNA done recently and some of his comes back to there so it’s piqued my interest!
I can’t really add anything to the RTW suggestions as we’ve never done anything that adventurous. At one time I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with taking children out of school but during the pandemic some of my son’s teachers just seemed to give up altogether and I ended up coaching him through some of his GCSE subjects! Travel definitely broadens young minds as well.
I’d love to hear about your travels, @Princess, once you get underway 👍
Thank you so much @NorthernLass. The boys will be 10, so I hope I’ll manage the homeschooling while on the go!
For sure I will let you know how it will go! It is still one year away and I will probably have more question before it!What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?
If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.
I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.
Home schooling when the children want to be out enjoying themselves sounds a bit of a challenge, particularly with jet lag isses.
Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?
Hi @Richie,
No, the school can’t guarantee them a place, but in the years they’ve been there, I’ve seen a few kids join halfway through the year. There is a big expat community with people moving often enough.
I guess we’ll just have to take the risk.
@Meta.
That’s interesting. Somewhere you must have a connection to in order to keep returning despite the expense and faffy route. It’s a place that interests me but I’ve not done any serious research yet. Must say, reading your description of the associated costs has put me off somewhat.I do. My partner has a small stake in a company there.
When we first went in 2017 the ticket cost only £350 (in economy) over Christmas and NYE’s. Now it’s nearly £900 in Y. However there are some deals to be had on miles. Aeroplan miles are particularly handy as they usually have availability on TAP and Krisflyer miles is good as well although the availability is scarce. Avoid end of Feb to mid-July & mid-September to beginning of December weather wise. You can also do twin-holiday with Ghana.
I should have also said that £400 per night on Principe is for half board but you’ll need that as there are no restaurants around the hotels.The islands are beautiful and I urge everyone to go at least once despite the hassle. Unspoilt nature, and wild sandy beaches in the south of the main island and on Principe. Also inland for hiking in prime rainforest. Also barely any tourists, and very few local people during weekday on beaches. I think I mentioned before, local chocolate (Corallo’s) is like you’ve never tasted before (STP was once world’s largest exporter of cocoa), 100% dark chocolate without bitterness. They have a tour of the factory where they explain that it’s a combination of climate and the manual process where they take out the bitter parts. I imagine the islands are like Mauritius/Seychelles/Maldives fifty years ago.
@NorthernLass interesting! you should visit!South America
Galapagos – there is a report by Cat here. That’s on my list.Chile, as you mentioned, Atacama is beautiful. Bolivia even more so. Uyuni is a must on any bucket list. And El Alto (La Paz) for highest city in the world. Bolivia is also cheap.
For total solar eclipse – I’d prefer Iceland over Spain.
You could start your trip that way then transfer via NA America to South America as Iceland is connected with Icelandair and PLAY (low-cost)…the OP didn’t ask for our views on her parenting choices…
I’ve not expressed views on parenting choices.
…the OP didn’t ask for our views on her parenting choices…
I’ve not expressed views on parenting choices.
I think it was rather implied in the sniffy tone of the questions.
But regardless of intent, I also agree it’s irrelevant.
@meta, as above interesting you mention São Tomé and Príncipe. OH and I got our DNA done recently and some of his comes back to there so it’s piqued my interest!
You got scammed.
Both São Tomé and Príncipe were not inhabitated when the Portuguese arrived, and got populated by Portuguese and, mostly, slaves from the Slave Coast and Angola. So whatever that test told you could be someone from those places and most other African Portuguese colonies.…I think it was rather implied in the sniffy tone of the questions…
Nothing has been implied.
Perhaps consider what is actually said.What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?
If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.
I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.
Home schooling when the children want to be out enjoying themselves sounds a bit of a challenge, particularly with jet lag isses.
Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?
Hi @Richie,
No, the school can’t guarantee them a place, but in the years they’ve been there, I’ve seen a few kids join halfway through the year. There is a big expat community with people moving often enough.
I guess we’ll just have to take the risk.
People move around all the time, not just immigrants.
@Rui N., why would it be a scam? The islands were colonised in the 15th century, OH’s ancestor(s) was trafficked from that region to the Caribbean probably 300 years or more later. There comes a point when it’s not possible to go back any further.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
