Round the world tickets can be a bewildering and baffling minefield for the uninitiated. However, they also represent outstanding value for money and give you lots of flexibility if your plans change when you're away. There are several different round the world tickets and each offers thousands of different possible routes. Firstly, let's look at what they all round the world tickets have in common:

1. Valid for one year from your departure date.

2. Free date changes. To book a round the world ticket, you need to give approximate dates but these can be changed once you leave the UK, subject to availability.

3.Re-routes for a fee. The cost of the reroute will depend on the ticket and the nature of the change, but expect to pay a minimum of 200 pounds to change your route once you've paid for your ticket.

Each round the world ticket has its restrictions as well as advantages, so if you don't know your Walkabouts from your Escapades, here's your guide to the main round the world tickets to help you navigate your way to the perfect trip:

TIKI TOUR:
Main Airlines you can use: Virgin Atlantic & Air New Zealand
Where can I travel to? This ticket is excellent for stops in the South Pacific in particular, including Raratonga, Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii. It's also great for the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Asia & South Africa.

Benefits:
1. Several different fare levels to maximise availability
2. You can upgrade your flights on certain sectors to premium economy
3. It's one of the cheapest round the world tickets around

WORLD WALKABOUT
Main airlines you can use: British Airways, Qantas, Air Pacific
Where can I travel to?
It's excellent for South America in particular, with flights from Sydney and Auckland to Santiago and vice-versa, as well as lots of options on six continents.

Benefits:
1. Must include a transit or stopover in either Australia or New Zealand
2. You can include up to 7 stops
3. Two fare levels, one with a maximum mileage of 25000, the other 29000
4. It works out the cheapest way to include South America in your round the world itinerary

GREAT ESCAPADE
Main airlines you can use: Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Silk Air
Where can I travel to? This ticket is particularly good for stops in Asia and the South Pacific. It's great if you want to combine South Africa with Asia and also covers Australia, New Zealand, USA and the Caribbean.

Benefits:
1. You can have unlimited stops (Maximum of 29,000 miles)
2. Ability to add extra mileage - up to a maximum of 33,500 miles
3. You only get one stop in each city
4. Several booking classes available to give you a better chance of getting availability on the dates you want
5. You can upgrade to premium economy on certain sectors

ONEWORLD EXPLORER
Main airlines you can use: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malev, Qantas & Royal Jordanian
Where can I travel to? Pretty much anywhere! This is the only round the world ticket that does not have any mileage limitations so it opens up some really exciting possibilities. It's particularly good for South America, as it includes flights on LAN who operate throughout the continent.

In a nutshell:
1. Unlimited mileage
2. Travel to up to six continents
3. Four different fare levels (3, 4, 5 or 6 continents) - fare rises as you add more continents
4. Fly up to four sectors in any continent (6 in North/Central America & the Caribbean)
5. Ticket is the same price all year round

GLOBAL EXPLORER
Main airlines you can use: Aer Lingus, Air Pacific, Alaskan Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Finnair, Gulf Air, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malev, Qantas, Royal Jordanian

Where can I travel to? The possibilities are almost unlimited! The Global Explorer has one of the most extensive networks of any round the world ticket and with a maximum mileage of 34000 miles. This ticket is particularly good for combining Easter Island and Tahiti and is also an excellent choice if you want to include the Middle East.

Benefits:
1. Three different mileage brackets - 26000, 29000 & 34000
2. Up to 4 stopovers within each continent depending on the mileage bracket you use
3. Ticket is the same price all year round