If you are looking to take a round the world trip, finding out how to get to each stop is a lot of the planning and can be a bit of a headache. Your round the world trip is supposed to be exciting and not stressful. So, in order to plan your RTW tickets, you will need help from a professional. Travelers either work with a trip advisor, or they can work directly with an airline alliance.
An airline alliance works with all the different airlines trying to get you cheap airline tickets for your RTW ticket. Normally the alliance will have a list of specific airlines that they deal with, so check to make sure that all the countries you want to travel to are represented by the alliance you choose. There are many different alliances available around the world, and each offers their unique combination of airlines they use, as well as how many stopovers, or miles you are allowed.
Alliances are either based on how many continents you visit, or how many miles you use. Depending on where you are traveling, you can decide which way works best for you. Many of the RTW tickets start at about $2,000 USD and go up from there. The prices will tend to fluctuate depending on what time of year you are flying.
The number of stops allowed on your ticket range from 3-20. If you choose to use the miles option the range is normally between 26,000 and 39,000 with an option of purchasing more miles if needed. If you backtrack at any point in your trip it will cost you miles. The continent option is normally based on visiting 3-4 continents but can go as high as 6. If you choose to travel by continent instead of by miles there is normally no miles limit to your ticket.