Seeing the New 7 Wonders of the World on 1 round-the-world ticket – The Points Guy

Members of our video team just visited all seven New Wonders of the World — from Machu Picchu in Peru to the Taj Mahal in India — and one special type of plane ticket made it possible.

The Oneworld airline alliance offers a Round The World (RTW) ticket that lets you visit (almost) as many countries as you like, all on one itinerary at one price.

Check out the full video here — and keep reading to learn how to book your own round-the-world adventure.

What is a round-the-world ticket?

Oneworld’s RTW tickets offer hundreds of destinations in 170 countries and territories, with three types of fares:

• Oneworld Explorer: The price you pay depends on the number of continents you visit, with up to 15 flight segments on one ticket.
• Global Explorer: The fare depends on the distance you travel, with a total cap of 39,000 miles. However, this includes additional partner airlines like Aer Lingus and WestJet.
• Circle Pacific: Only includes continents that border the Pacific Ocean.

The cost of a ticket starts around $3,600 for a three-continent journey in economy class.

To cover all seven Wonders, two members of our intrepid team took RTW tickets in business class. Between them, they covered six continents and traveled on seven different Oneworld airlines.

Maximizing rewards on your ticket

Since there’s no way to book these tickets with miles, here are our top tips to maximize your rewards on a cash booking.

First, you should be able to purchase RTW tickets directly with individual airlines. If you do, make sure you’re using a credit card that offers bonus points or miles on airfare purchases.

Start by planning your itinerary through Oneworld’s site and then call your favorite Oneworld airline (such as American) to book and pay. This way, your transaction will code as an airline purchase, and you’ll earn bonus points and any other perks your card might offer.

Check out our favorite airline cards for maximizing your RTW ticket purchase.

In addition, since these are cash tickets, you’ll able to earn miles and credit toward elite status for each flight.

Your best option is likely to pick your preferred program — like American AAdvantage or Alaska Atmos Rewards — and add that frequent flyer number to your ticket.

Maximizing rewards on your journey

Trip expenses don’t end after you step off the plane. Our team had to budget for tours and tickets for each of the New Seven Wonders of the World, as well as ground transportation from the airport, and they used the credit cards already in their wallets to help offset these costs.

Check your Chase Offers and Amex Offers for targeted savings at tour booking sites like Viator. Or consider redeeming points for tickets through your credit card travel portal.

Select American Express cards offer monthly Uber Cash on U.S. Uber rides and Uber Eats orders. Meanwhile, eligible Chase cardholders can unlock bonus points and monthly in-app credits with Lyft.

At a minimum, be sure to pay with a card that earns bonus points on general travel to maximize your rewards on tours, tickets and transportation — and make sure you’re not paying any pesky foreign transaction fees.

Bottom line

If you’re hoping to book your own round-the-world journey, check out these sample itineraries for inspiration. Alternatively, you can chart your own course with Oneworld’s handy tool.

Let us know which continents you’re dreaming of in the comments!