ROUND THE WORLD FIRST CLASS

Updated 12 September 2026

Round the World First Class. A World Tour is a unique and complete Life Experience; an investment which will enrich you forever. The major reason to do it as a Tour, rather than independently, is that you can see more, with everything already arranged for you.

First class round-the-world tickets in 2026

Two airline alliances still sell a round-the-world fare in first class. The oneworld Explorer comes in economy, business and first, priced by the number of continents you visit, with 3 to 16 flights.

The Star Alliance Round the World fare is also sold in first, but with a new deadline in its fare rules. First class tickets issued from 1 July 2026 must be finished within 12 months of the first flight or by 1 October 2027, whichever comes first. They can't be extended past that date, and any flights left unused are lost. If you're planning a first class trip that starts in spring 2027, you have until October to get home.

For most people business class is the sensible top of the range. See RTW Ticket Business for a business class route and what it costs now.

Beyond first class

The top of the market is a private jet. TCS World Travel flies 52 guests around the world in 25 days on an Airbus A321 fitted with flat beds, from Miami to Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Tahiti, the Great Barrier Reef, Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, the Serengeti, Egypt and Marrakech. The price is US$175,000 a person, sharing, for the departures from November 2026 to October 2027 (checked September 2026). National Geographic Expeditions runs a similar trip; our page on around the world by private jet has the day-by-day.

For the rest, see RTW tickets for students, honeymoons and VIPs.