Travelling North America - is it worth getting a round the world (RTW) ticket?

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO VISIT RELATIVES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, TORONTO AND SOUTH CAROLINA, PLUS NEW ORLEANS AND THE EAST COAST OF THE US? WOULD A ROUND-THE-WORLD TICKET, FLYING BACK THROUGH EUROPE, BE ADVISABLE? L. CRONSHAW, NARRABEEN NSW

Round the world (RTW) tickets can be a great idea, and cost effective, but they work best if you're planning to visit at least two continents. If you plan to travel only within North America, one ticket that might work well for you is the Visit North America pass from OneWorld oneworld.com.

The pass allows you to make up to 10 flights aboard American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, LAN, Qantas and their affiliates. Flight Centre flightcentre.com.au also sell various air passes and its travel agents can advise which would work best for you. If you're looking to travel at the cheapest possible price, however, flying with budget airlines might well beat the cost of any air pass.

If you plan to include some European cities in your itinerary, an RTW ticket would be the go. Both OneWorld and Star, the other major airline alliance, sell RTW tickets for travel on their member airlines but booking can be complicated. Adelaide-based RoundAbout Travel roundabouttravel.com.au is a specialist travel agency that sells RTW tickets and will save you heaps of time and probably money.