So you've been planning an around the world or multi-stop trip and saw the airline alliances' around the world ticket fares. Maybe there's a reason why you ended up here, because you knew there were alternatives to this published market-rate ticket. Well, you were right. While there may be good arguments for using an airline alliance to purchase your ticket, the downsides must be revealed.

Let's start with the good, then move on. Say you were thinking of purchasing your around the world ticket with Star Alliance. They likely would give you a fare pretty quickly based on 3 things: how many miles you're flying, whether you have a minimum or maximum number of stops, and if you're flying the same general direction. Sounds easy doesn't it? The problem is, you want your trip booked a certain way (and who doesn't?) and are therefore alienating yourself under the seemingly flexible rules of the ticket.

AirTreks RTW fares differ from the Alliance's fares in a few key ways. Let's start with the most important of them: it's cheaper. About 80% of the time AirTreks multi-stop ticket ends up beating a Star Alliance RTW in price. Them there's pretty good odds! Here are some of the other ways you benefit with an AirTreks ticket: It's versatile. You can fly anywhere, in any direction with any combination of destinations, at any time. You are not limited to only the cities served by that airline alliance. It's also okay to travel on overland stretches without having to take another flight to get there. For example, in Australia, if you wanted to fly into Sydney, take a car to Melbourne and fly out from there—perfectly okay. Think about the time and money you save not having to get back to the airport where you arrived. This often isn't possible with an alliance RTW or multi-stop ticket and if it is, you still have to pay for the miles you traveled on your own!

You're saying, "Well, the Alliances don't force me to choose my dates ahead of time." Okay, AirTreks does require you to have your dates selected for each leg before any tickets can be issued, but things are not set in stone. No matter where you buy your ticket, an airline will charge you change your travel dates once the trip has started (save a handful of exceptions). An AirTreks ticket is no different. The fee ranges anywhere between $50 and $250 depending what airline you're traveling on, with US domestic carriers of course coming in at the top of that range. And don't forget that said handful that do not charge to make date changes. The AirTreks staff will advise you of all date change fees before any payment is taken no matter what.

And don't forget, just because the travel dates on an Alliance ticket are flexible doesn't mean you can just hop on any plane at any time. Often you will need to wait days or even weeks before the right inventory opens up for the route you're flying, all depending on the season and the passenger loads available at the time.

Finally, don't discount AirTreks' dedicated customer support team. If you've ever tried to get help from the airlines you've probably noticed their pish-posh attitude. Typical. The airlines are not out to make friends—they have a bottom line to attend to and your questions come between them and your money. If you run into problems while you're traveling on an AirTreks ticket, you can call or email our customer service department and they'll help out in every way they are able, every time. And will remember your name along the way!

If you're tossing around the idea of using Airtreks to get your around the world ticket, feel free to call up one of our skilled Travel Consultants to get the skinny on the process. They've got a ton of answers for you if you're willing to ask them. Our number is 1-877-AIRTREKS. Or go to our homepage and start a Trip Planner session. It's a lot of fun besides.