Let me walk through the economics of a round-the-world ticket (RTW) compared to booking individual flights, because the marketing around RTW tickets is consistently misleading.

RTW tickets are sold by airline alliances (Star Alliance, Oneworld, SkyTeam) and allow you to circle the globe with a fixed number of stops within a set time period (usually 12 months). Prices start around $3,500-5,000 for economy in a base configuration.

The scenarios where RTW tickets genuinely save money: you're doing a classic round-the-world route (e.g. North America → Europe → India → Southeast Asia → Australia → North America) with 5+ stops and you're flying between every destination. The all-in price can beat point-to-point booking on this type of route.

The scenarios where RTW tickets don't save money: you're doing overland travel (buses, trains) for many segments and only flying for the long oceanic hops. The RTW price assumes you're flying everything. If you're taking trains through Europe and Southeast Asia, you're paying for flight segments you're not using.

My analysis for typical budget travelers: point-to-point booking with an open jaw strategy usually beats RTW tickets because budget travelers use surface transport extensively. The RTW ticket is designed for business travelers doing a fast global circuit, not for slow overland backpackers.

One exception: if your route includes multiple Australian domestic flights (expensive) and a transpacific flight (expensive), an Oneworld RTW can make genuine sense.