Frequently asked Questions after you go
Why do I need travel insurance?
How much notice do I have to give to change my dates?
Can I change destinations (re route) whilst I'm away?
What is the difference between a paper ticket and an E-ticket and what do I need to carry?
Can I change my flight dates?
Can I leave my flight dates open?
How much notice do I have to give to change my dates?
Can I change destinations whilst I'm away?
How much luggage can I take?
How do I change my dates once I leave the UK?
Can I change my dates with roundtheworldflights.com once I leave the UK?
Can I get a refund if my plans change or I cancel my trip?
How do I check my itinerary online?
Why do I need travel insurance?
Well if you break your leg in Cambodia on a scooter and you have to be flown home then that can cost £150K plus - 10 times as much in the States - so unless you've got very very rich parents (we're talking Sunday Times Rich list Top 100) then get a decent travel insurance - not one from a chemist or local butchers - use a specialist that offers a policy that provides high medical expenses, repatriation and good legal cover at the very least. You don't have to buy it through us but you'd be a village idiot not to get insurance from somewhere. If you are cost conscious or don't plan on taking much of value with you, we have negotiated rates that include and exclude cover for baggage and money from 1 month up to 12 months. We believe that the rates and cover that we offer are among the best you will find. See details here
How much notice do I have to give to change my dates?
If you do not intend to take a confirmed flight, you must change your dates before the flight departs. Failure to do so may result in the airline cancelling your remaining flights. As a rule of thumb it is important you change your flight dates at least three days before the flight is due to depart.
Can I change destinations whilst I'm away?
In most cases you will be able to re-route your ticket although this will cost a little more (GBP£75-£250 plus any changes in taxes or any increases in fuel surcharges) and involve you going into an airline office or at an airport to have the ticket re-issued (Most airlines will not accept re-routing and even date changes over the phone - the easiest place to change tickets is at the airport). Please note this procedure can take a while as the airline in the country you are in has to contact their office in London to get the ticketing details. Also the tickets we sell are quite complicated and it can take longer to reissue a ticket in Ulan Bataar that it would at Heathrow.
What is the difference between a paper ticket and an Electronic ticket (E-ticket) and what do I need to carry?
E-tickets are the future of air travel and are issued in approximately 95% of all cases with round the world itineraries – this figure is increasing on a monthly basis and the day is not far off when we will have all tickets issued as e-ticket.
Why not yet? – simply because smaller airlines and airports are not yet ready to issue and accept them due to the necessary technology not being present.
With a paper ticket – you must have this with you whenever you check in for a flight just as you always have had to.
With an e-ticket – you just need your passport and a smile! Some airlines insist that you bring a copy of the receipt (rather doing away with the point of e-tickets!) but the number is dwindling.
We strongly recommend you keep a copy of your itinerary on hotmail or gmail as well as having a paper copy.
Can I change my flight dates?
Date change rules vary by route, airline, and fare. As a general rule, the date for the first international flight of your journey is fixed, and cannot be changed without substantial cost. Changes to most other flights are permitted, subject to airline change fees and availability of seats on your desired new dates. Most date changes while you are traveling can be made directly with the airlines. (Due to privacy policies most airlines will not accept re-routing or date changes over the phone - the easiest place to change tickets is at the airport). Please consult your personal travel consultant for the date change rules applicable to your specific itinerary.
Can I leave my flight dates open?
Unfortunately not, as the ticket cannot be issued this way. All airlines want you to book every flight in advance but in most cases they will allow free date changes. Airlines recognise that you cannot set in stone your schedule for something that is a year or more away. For that reason you can change your dates, sometimes for a small administration fee (e.g. Qantas: AUD25-60 - approx £15-£33), and sometimes FOC. Before you leave home, we can make these changes for you. Its worth remembering that with most airlines the easiest place to change tickets is at the airport.
How much notice do I have to give to change my dates?
If you do not intend to take a confirmed flight, you must change your dates before the flight departs. Failure to do so may result in the airline cancelling your remaining flights. As a rule of thumb it is important you change your flight dates at least three days before the flight is due to depart.
Can I change destinations whilst I'm away?
In most cases you will be able to re-route your ticket although this will cost a little more (usually US$75-250) and involve you going into an office to have the ticket re-issued. Ticket Changes on your RTW that involve a re-route once you have left the UK must be done with an airline in an airline office or at an airport – you will not be able to do it with us or over the phone.
How much luggage can I take?
As of November 2009, a good rule of thumb is that you are allowed one small carry on bag of around 5kgs to bring onboard, and one 20kg checked in bag on most major round the world flights ticket.
The most common system used, is the weight system. This allows you to take the following amount of luggage at no extra cost to you.
• Economy Class 20-23kg (depending on the airline)
• Premium Economy/Business Class 30kg
• First Class 40kg
If you travel via the North America then there are a few airlines who still allow you to take two pieces (the piece system) of luggage (although we expect this to stop at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010); each piece can be up to 62 inches (158cm) in total dimensions (length + height + width) and maximum weight 20kg each.
Important: If you have a ticket with several flights, bear in mind that the same baggage allowance may not apply to each flight on your itinerary! ie if you are flying a low cost carrier within Asia they are very parsimonious in their baggage allowances - 10kg is not unusual.
So if you plan on taking more than your allowance, we recommend that you contact the airline in advance so that you know what excess baggage charges to expect.
At the discretion of the airlines, you may be allowed extra baggage allowance for certain items such as sports equipment, including golf clubs, skis or a surfboard (a lot or airlines have now banned surfboards). It is essential that you confirm these details with the airlines you will be travelling with. Children (paying 50% or more of the applicable fare) will receive the adult baggage allowance. Infants (paying 10% of the applicable adult fare) will be permitted a free allowance of one checked in bag, not exceeding 20kg.
Ticket Changes on your RTW once you have left the UK
Changing dates can be easy. On your RTW you will be spending a lot of time in airports – this is the best time to plan and change your RTW. This is what most passengers do 99% of the time. Not on the phone (where service can be sporadic) but in person - Below are links to some of our more popular RTW carriers - they will give you the address of local airline offices.
Ticket Changes with roundtheworldflights.com once you have left the UK
So whilst most date changes are made by our passengers directly with the airline locally (and this is the cheapest option – especially when done with an airline at an airport), we do know that sometimes you might not always be able to make contact with an airline in person. If we can help you, and airline permitting, then we will do so gladly, but we will only charge whatever the airline fees are to change your dates. These can be found on your booking confirmation. Again this is on the proviso that your airline will allow us to do so.
How to change
If you want us to change your dates, please email your consultant and cc in sales@gvillage.co.uk or experts@roundthewordflights.com with your ideal dates and advise how flexible you are eg plus 3 days, plus or minus 1 day etc. For security reasons we will not do this over the phone. Please include your Global Village Booking Number and the debit or credit card you wish to use for any airline fees that will be noted on your booking confirmation (with expiry date and 3 digit security number). If you do this when you are in a place where you are able to access your emails regularly then it will definitely make your life easier too.
Important Information
We will endeavour to get back to you ASAP and within 72 hours. However please note that we cannot change any dates departing within 7 days – in that case you must contact the airline directly . Please also note that we are only able to change certain airlines, and that sometimes a booking drops off our system and becomes embedded within an airline system after you have left the UK. In that case you MUST contact the airline directly. There are some fares that do not allow changes - ( please see your Booking Confirmation for details) and there are also some cases where although changes are permitted with the airline, they cannot be made by roundtheworldflights.com after you have left the UK. In these cases you MUST contact the airline directly.
Can I get a refund if my plans change or I cancel my trip?
Most tickets from roundtheworldtravel.com are refundable, but cancellation fees will apply. This will be advised to you by your travel consultant and also in writing on your Booking Confirmation. Please note that once you have started travel, your ticket is non-refundable for any reason, including medical reasons. Roundtheworldflights.com cannot waive airlines cancellation penalties and strongly advise you purchase travel insurance that includes cancellation protection.
If you have to cancel your trip, for whatever reason, please make sure that your reservation is cancelled. This can be done by contacting your consultant in writing - most passengers do so by email (consultants emails are here) and cc in customerservice@roundtheworldflights.com but you can post it if its more convenient, then please send your tickets (or e ticket booking confirmation) with a covering letter by Recorded Delivery to:
Customer Services
roundtheworldflights.com
102 Islington High Street
London
N1
8EG
Refunds do take a while - 12 months is not unusual but on average 3 - 6 months is usually what they take (it really does depend on the airline).
How do I check my itinerary online?
The moment you make any RTW flight with roundtheworldflights.com you can take advantage of a specially designed system (View Trip) to look at your itinerary online - our new and convenient way for you to check your RTW flight itinerary online. No phone calls, no having to visit our offices, no emails or letters. Just a few clicks and you can see your full itinerary at home, at the office - even while you’re on your travels!
Just enter your surname and reservation number - which is your PNR - found on your roundtheworldflights.com trip itinerary:
Airlines usually take control of your booking when you make changes with them when you are travelling - basically the airline will just keep the changes within their system. If this happens View Trip might not reflect your updated itinerary details - but don't worry - the changes are stored within the airlines system and can be checked at the airport - the best place to change or check an itinerary.
Also worth pointing out that in View Trip, surnames and titles appear without spaces or hyphens. So, for example, if your name happens to be Mr Jorge Garcia-Marques it will appear as GARCIAMARQUES/JORGEMR