Round-the-World Ticket Planner — Does Your Trip Fit the Rules?
Type your stops in order. See at once whether the trip fits Star Alliance’s and oneworld’s round-the-world fares, and which rule it breaks if not.
Fits all three round-the-world faresJFK β LHR β BKK β SYD β AKL β LAX β JFK: 24,391 miles, 6 flights, 5 stops, 4 continents, eastbound.
Star Alliance Round the World
Fits: Special Economy up to 26,000 miles (3β5 stops), or the 29,000-mile fare in any cabin.
8 of 8 rules met
- βStarts and ends in the same country
- βOne direction: eastbound, each part of the world once
- βAtlantic once, Pacific once, Europe/AfricaβAsia once
- β5 stops (2 to 15)
- βNo city twice, no more than 3 stops in a country
- β1 stop in the US and Canada (4 at most)
- β6 flight coupons
- β24,391 miles β within the 26,000-mile fare
oneworld Explorer
Fits: a 4-continent fare.
12 of 12 rules met
- βStarts and finishes in New York
- βOne direction: eastbound
- βAtlantic once, Pacific once
- βNever back through New York on the way
- β6 segments (3 to 16)
- βNo flight repeated in the same direction
- βLeaves your country once and comes back once
- β4 continents: North America, Europe/Middle East, Asia, South West Pacific
- βFlights inside each continent within the limits (4, North America 6)
- βArrives in and leaves each continent once (North America and Asia twice)
- β5 stops
- β1 stop in your own continent (2 at most)
oneworld Global Explorer
Fits: the 26,000-mile fare (Economy and Business, sold in some countries only).
11 of 11 rules met
- βStarts and finishes in New York
- βOne direction: eastbound
- βAtlantic once, Pacific once
- βNever back through New York on the way
- β6 segments (3 to 16)
- βNo flight repeated in the same direction
- βLeaves your country once and comes back once
- β24,391 miles β within the 26,000-mile fare
- β5 stops
- βNo more than 4 stops in one region
- β1 stop in your own region (2 at most)
Rules from Star Alliance’s Round the World terms and oneworld’s Explorer and Global Explorer fare rules, checked on 10 October 2026. Miles are great circles between the airports; the alliances count IATA’s ticketed miles, usually a little more. Every stop counts as a stopover (more than 24 hours). Seats, dates, prices and which airlines fly each flight are checked when you book. SkyTeam’s own site sells no round-the-world fare.
A round-the-world ticket is one ticket for the whole trip, sold by an airline alliance: Star Alliance’s Round the World fare or oneworld’s Explorer and Global Explorer. All three want you to keep going one way round the world, east or west, and to cross the Atlantic and the Pacific once each. Star Alliance and Global Explorer price the trip by its miles; oneworld Explorer prices it by the continents you visit. Type your stops above to see whether your trip fits each one, and which rule it breaks if it doesn’t.
How to use it
Start with the airport you leave from, then add your stops in the order you will fly them — a city, an airport name or its three-letter code — and the airport you come home to. The answer updates as you type: the total miles, the flights, the continents, which way round you go, and a card for each fare with every rule it checks, ticked or crossed. Not sure where to begin? Tap one of the classic routes and change it. The link under the answer keeps your whole trip, so you can send it to the person you are travelling with.
The rules, side by side
Each rule as the alliance writes it: Star Alliance’s Round the World terms on staralliance.com, and oneworld’s Round the World page with the fare rules it links for oneworld Explorer and Global Explorer. Checked on 10 October 2026.
| Rule | Star Alliance Round the World | oneworld Explorer | oneworld Global Explorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priced by | miles: 26,000, 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000, and the number of stops | continents: 3 to 6 | miles: 26,000, 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 |
| Start and end | the same country, not necessarily the same city | the same city | the same city |
| Direction | one way round, east or west; each part of the world once | forward, east or west, between the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia/South West Pacific | the same as Explorer |
| Oceans | the Atlantic and the Pacific exactly once each, and one crossing between Europe/Africa and Asia | the Atlantic and the Pacific once each | the Atlantic and the Pacific once each |
| Stops | 2 to 15 (Special Economy: 3 to 5, 7, 10 or 12); one per city, 3 per country (the US 5) | at least 2; no more than 2 in your own continent | at least 2; no more than 4 in one region (on the 26,000-mile fare 5 in all and 2 per region); 2 in your own region |
| Flights | up to 16 coupons (a ride between airports counts) | 3 to 16 segments; inside one continent 4 at most (North America 6) | 3 to 16 segments |
| How long | within 1 year; the last international flight at least 10 days after the first | 10 days to a year | within 12 months |
Star Alliance counts miles with IATA’s ticketed point mileage, which is usually a little more than the great circle the planner adds up, so a trip within 3% of a limit is marked close. Star Alliance discontinued First Class Round the World tickets on 1 October 2026. SkyTeam’s own website sells no round-the-world fare today.
Worked examples
New York eastbound: London, Bangkok, Sydney, Auckland, Los Angeles. 24,391 miles, five stops, four continents, one way round. It fits all three: Star Alliance’s 26,000-mile Special Economy fare (3 to 5 stops), a 4-continent oneworld Explorer, and Global Explorer’s 26,000-mile fare.
London westbound through Hawaii. 24,215 miles, also under 26,000 — but three of its stops are in North America, and Global Explorer’s 26,000-mile fare allows two in one region, so that one is the 29,000-mile fare. Hawaii is fine on the way across the Pacific; flying to Hawaii and back to the mainland is not.
Going back the way you came. New York, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, then London again: 23,727 miles, but it crosses the Atlantic three times and turns round, so no round-the-world fare takes it. Go on from Los Angeles to New York instead.
Common mistakes
- Doubling back. All three fares want one direction. A detour inside a continent is often fine; crossing an ocean the wrong way is not.
- Counting a change of planes as a stop. A stop here is a stopover of more than 24 hours. Leave a quick connection out of the list: it is a flight, not a stop.
- Forgetting the Middle East is Europe. For oneworld, Europe and the Middle East are one continent, and Egypt, Libya and Sudan count as the Middle East.
- A flight from Australia to Europe in one go. oneworld counts it as passing through Asia, so it adds a continent to an Explorer fare.
Before you book
Plan the order with our multi-city itineraries that don’t feel rushed, compare the best airlines from the USA to Europe, and get ready for the long legs with the long flight survival guide and what to pack for the plane. The Flight Time Calculator gives each flight’s time and when you land, The Longest Flights shows how your longest leg compares, and the Jet Lag Calculator plans the days after.
FAQ
What is a round the world ticket?
One ticket for a trip all the way round the world, sold by an airline alliance. You start and finish in the same place (Star Alliance: the same country), keep going one way, east or west, and cross the Atlantic and the Pacific once each.
How does the Star Alliance Round the World fare work?
The price depends on the total miles (up to 26,000, 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000), the number of stopovers (2 to 15) and the country you start in. The trip must cross the Atlantic and the Pacific exactly once and end in the country where it began, within a year.
How many stops can I make on a round the world ticket?
On Star Alliance’s Normal fare 2 to 15 stopovers (Special Economy 3 to 5, 7, 10 or 12, by its miles). oneworld Explorer and Global Explorer need at least 2, with no more than 2 in the continent you start from, and 3 to 16 flights in all.
How are oneworld Explorer fares priced?
By the number of continents you visit or pass through, 3 to 6, counting the one you start in, and the cabin. oneworld’s Global Explorer is the alternative priced by distance.
Do I have to cross both oceans?
Yes. All three fares need one crossing of the Atlantic and one of the Pacific. A trip that only goes round the Pacific is oneworld’s Circle Pacific fare, sold through travel agents.
Does SkyTeam have a round the world ticket?
Not on its own website today: skyteam.com sells no round-the-world fare, so a SkyTeam trip round the world is booked as an ordinary multi-city ticket.
Is this a round the world trip planner for booking?
It checks the shape of your trip — direction, oceans, stops, continents and miles. Seats, dates, prices and which airline flies each flight are set when you book on the alliance’s own booking page or with a travel agent.