InsideOut Travel—ATW Tickets Cont.

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1. Decide what countries you want to stop in and how long you want to stay there. Depending on the travel agency, you don't always have to give exact dates for the middle segments of your trip but you will definitely have to decide what day you are leaving the motherland and when you will get back. Anything in between can be changed.

2. Check out the itineraries that travel agencies are already offering as sometimes they have great specials. Even if you don’t decide to do it their way, you'll have an idea of how much the trip will cost.

3. After doing your research, contact a travel agent who can tell you the best itinerary according to what you want to see and do. Sometimes, making an extra stop can save you a few hundred dollars. Other times, it's better to go overland on your own. For example, train tickets in Europe are such a good deal that it's not really worth it to fly between the continent's countries.

Your weapon of choice: Secret Agent

A good travel agent can also plan your trip around peak season and blackout dates and can give you the low-down on safety, visas and shots. If price is a priority, remember that the more flexible you are on dates the more of a chance you have of getting a good price.

An around-the-world ticket isn't a last-minute deal. It may take travel agents some time to find the lowest price for each segment. It’s a good idea to start planning at least three months in advance. Plus, the more research you do on a destination, the more overland opportunities you might find that can really add to a trip.

Also, the arrival of budget airlines in many more countries may have changed the game a little. Let’s say you want to go from Marseille to Ajaccio, in Corsica—keep in mind that you may be able to log onto a website and find a better deal then what the travel agent can get.

So, study your itinerary and look it up. Plus, travel agents at around-the-world agencies understand the needs of budget travelers and should be able to give you advice.

I found that by moving my departure date from Japan ahead a few months, I could take advantage of off-season air tickets to a sweltering Thailand where I investigated its beaches and islands for the sake of our readers.

There are many travel agencies that specialize in around-the-world tickets and I recommend doing some research on the Internet.

Go with the one that offers the best price and service. Remember that a travel agency that doesn't get back to you within a few days about a price probably won’t be there to help
you in case of an emergency away from home. Hopefully you won't have one, but when you are traveling around the world almost anything can happen.

Helene Goupil is the editor of InsideOut Travel Magazine.Her around the world ticket took her from the US to Canada, England, France, Thailand and Japan.

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CONTINUED ATW TICKETS

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