Your retirement trip
A retirement trip around the world for seniors and retirees, planned by a person
You can take a retirement trip around the world on one ticket that stays valid for up to a year, so there is no fixed return date. Most people in this position choose about 6 stops over 8 to 10 weeks, fly business class on the long legs and economy on the short ones, and have one consultant handle every change before and during the trip.
Plan My TripUpdated
Is this you?
This is for you if you have the time, a trip you have wanted for years, and you would rather hand the logistics to someone who has done it before. It is probably not for you if your trip is a round trip to one city or a few cities in one region. Book that yourself. If you send it to us and we think so, we will tell you.
Retirement trip around the world: how it works
A round-the-world trip is one ticket that takes you around the globe in one direction. The ticket is valid for up to a year. You choose the stops, the pace and the cabin. Three habits make these trips easier on the body:
- Fewer stops, longer stays. Three to five nights minimum per city lets you recover from jet lag and see the place. A 6-stop trip over 8 to 10 weeks is more enjoyable than 10 cities in a month.
- Real time between flights. We plan connections with room to spare, not the minimum the airline publishes.
- Healthcare you can rely on. Western Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand all have excellent healthcare systems accessible to travelers. Your consultant routes with that in mind.
A bucket list trip to Australia, with stops
Australia is a long way from almost everywhere, which is why people ask for stops. Three shapes work well:
- Australia and New Zealand, then Asia on the way home. Los Angeles to Sydney, a week in Queenstown, then Singapore and home. It never crosses the Atlantic, so no alliance round-the-world pass fits. A custom ticket or a Circle Pacific fare does. From our business class round the world page.
- Down Under plus Bali. Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Bali, Bangkok, home: a compact westbound trip, about 8 to 9 weeks, on one ticket. The estimate is on the sample route below.
- A fast lap with a stopover each way. One stop on the way out and one on the way home breaks both long flights. See the section below.
Business class round the world
A business class round the world ticket cost AirTreks travelers a median of $13,900 per person. Half of them paid between $11,700 and $15,400, taxes and fees included, on trips booked in 2025 and 2026. Business class on trips that do not circle the globe had a median of $11,000 per person.
Published on our business class round the world page.
Two points that matter for your decision:
- You do not have to fly business everywhere. An alliance pass prices the whole trip in one cabin. A custom ticket lets you choose leg by leg, business on the overnight long-hauls and economy on the short daytime hops. For many travelers that is what makes business affordable.
- Star Alliance no longer sells first class round the world tickets (from October 1, 2026). oneworld Explorer still does. Rules checked October 2, 2026.
Where to break a 20-hour flight
The longest journeys are Australia to Europe and the US to Southeast Asia and Australia. A stopover turns one punishing flight into two reasonable ones.
- Australia to Europe: route it through Singapore or Hong Kong, not direct. Adding Singapore between Australia and Europe can save hundreds of dollars and removes a brutal 20-hour routing. From our How AirTreks Works page.
- Stay 2 to 3 nights, not an hour. A stopover only helps if you sleep in a bed and let your body catch up.
- Choose the break for the airport and the hotel, not the sights. Easy transfers, a hotel near the terminal, and good medical care nearby.
- Eastbound is harder. Sleep research puts adjustment at roughly one day per time zone going east and about two-thirds of a day going west. Where you can choose direction, think about it.
See also how to plan a stopover.
A person, not a chatbot
More people now start with an AI assistant for ideas. That is a fine way to begin. Bring what it gave you. What it cannot do is check that every leg can be ticketed on one fare, issue the ticket, or answer the phone when a flight is cancelled in Lisbon. We can. See can AI book a round the world ticket.
How it works with us:
- You send a wish list. Cities, rough timing, a budget range, anything that must happen. No fare classes needed.
- A consultant builds 1 to 3 options with the reasoning and the trade-offs, within a day. TripPlanner is free, and its estimate comes back in about 15 minutes.
- You refine it together. Most trips take 2 to 3 rounds.
- We ticket it and stay on. You contact one person, before and during the trip.
FAQ
Retirement trip questions
Can I do a round-the-world trip in my 60s or 70s?
Yes. Many AirTreks travelers are in their 60s and 70s. Priorities shift: business class on long legs, longer stays per stop, destinations with strong medical infrastructure. The flexibility of a custom itinerary matters more as you get older, not less.
Is there a travel agent for a retirement trip around the world?
Yes. AirTreks has built round-the-world and multi-stop trips since 1987, and a consultant plans yours.
Where should I break a very long flight?
At a hub that is already on your route, for 2 to 3 nights. Singapore or Hong Kong on the way between Australia and Europe is the usual choice.
Sample routes
Routes our specialists tag for senior travelers
Old World RTW: NYC → London → Rome → Cairo → Dubai → Bangkok → NYC
Five-region history-focused RTW. NYC → London → Rome → Cairo → Dubai → Bangkok → home. Each stop is a layered-history anchor (Roman, Egyptian, Islamic, Buddhist) with short hops between Europe + North Africa + Middle East before the long way home from Asia.
Estimated
$1,367–$2,086
Down Under + Bali: LA → Auckland → Sydney → Bali → Bangkok → LA
Compact Pacific-first westbound RTW: no Europe, no Americas. LA out to Auckland, Sydney, Bali, Bangkok, home. Four intermediate stops in two regions, with single-ticket Star Alliance routing keeping the whole trip on one PNR. Ideal for travelers with 8–9 weeks and a beach priority.
Estimated
$1,406–$2,144
Africa & Azores Loop from Honolulu
A 9-stop loop from Honolulu covering the US mainland, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Lisbon, the Azores, and Toronto before returning via San Francisco. Routed via KLM, TAP Air Portugal, and Azores Airlines: the only RTW routing with a direct Azores-to-Canada transoceanic leg.
Estimated
$2,894–$4,414
Boston to Lima, La Paz, Galapagos, Easter Island, Darwin & 6 more Multi-Stop
A 6-week economy round-the-world routing from Boston through South America, the Pacific, Australasia, Asia, Africa, and Europe, with 11 stopovers before returning to Boston.
Estimated
$8,676–$13,234
New York City to Asia, South Asia, Europe RTW
A business-class round-the-world routing from New York through the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, North Africa, and Europe before returning to New York.
Estimated
$15,280–$23,308
Planning reading
Flagship guides every traveler should read
How Much Does an RTW Trip Cost?
What round-the-world flights actually cost: alliance RTW fares, custom multi-stop builds, business class options, and the pricing factors most travelers overlook.
Sean Keener · Customer Service and Managing Director
How to Plan a Round-the-World Trip
The logistics of planning an RTW trip: choosing destinations, picking ticket types, understanding hub routing, and booking in the right window. Not a destination guide; a how-to for the flight strategy.
Sean Keener · Customer Service and Managing Director
When to Buy RTW Tickets
The booking window that consistently produces the best RTW fares: when to lock in, when to wait, how to stage complex itineraries, and seasonal pricing patterns.
Sean Keener · Customer Service and Managing Director
Common questions
What people planning a trip like this ask
Do I need travel insurance for a round-the-world trip?
Yes. A multi-month, multi-country trip has too many variables to go without coverage. Look for a policy that covers trip interruption, medical evacuation, and missed connections. World Nomads and SafetyWing both offer plans built for long-term multi-country travel.
Is business class worth it for a round-the-world trip?
On flights over 8 hours, business class transforms the experience - lie-flat seats, lounge access, better sleep. On short hops (under 4 hours), the premium buys you little. A common approach: business class on long-haul legs, economy on the short ones.
Can seniors do a round-the-world trip?
Yes. Many AirTreks travelers are in their 60s and 70s. Priorities shift: business class on long legs, longer stays per stop, destinations with strong medical infrastructure. The flexibility of a custom itinerary matters more as you get older, not less.
How much does AirTreks charge?
AirTreks charges a service fee on top of the airfare, scaled to how complex the itinerary is, and you see the total price upfront before committing. On a 6-stop multi-continent trip the fare construction difference alone can save $1,000 to $3,000. On a simple 3-stop trip it probably will not.
Is jet lag worse flying east or west?
Eastward is harder. Sleep research puts adjustment at roughly one day per time zone crossed going east, versus about two-thirds of a day going west. Flying west asks your body to stay up later; flying east asks it to fall asleep earlier, which most people find much harder.
Who is AirTreks?
AirTreks is a travel company based in White Salmon, WA that has been building custom round-the-world and multi-stop itineraries since 1987. Our staff is global. Each trip is routed by a human consultant using fare construction techniques that online booking tools can't book.
Are there airlines that do not work on round-the-world tickets?
Yes. Some alliance members look fine on paper but have almost no inventory in the fare classes RTW tickets require. Air India is a Star Alliance member with essentially no RTW fare class availability, and South African Airways is much the same. We route around them automatically.
Can AI book a round the world ticket?
AI can draft a round the world route. It cannot reliably check that the route can be ticketed, and a human or custom built system like AirTreks still issues the ticket. The workflow that works is: AI drafts the route, AirTreks checks that there is availability in the desired classes, rules are followed, and then ticketed and issued.
What travelers say
Real travelers, real itineraries.
Special thanks to AirTreks for making our 5-month circumnavigation a reality. We captured 2,500 photos and praised the service to dozens of fellow travelers around the globe. At our age, having every flight handled professionally gave us the confidence to take on this adventure.
Brian Smith
2015
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