David Whitley gets ready to roll in Sydney

I step out through the glass door with a beer in hand, ready to go old folk-spotting. After all, that’s what bowling’s about isn’t it? A nice way for retirees to get some exercise in their gleaming whites. It’s fair to say that bowling (the outdoor on a green type, rather than the ten pin version) doesn’t really have the sexiest of reputations across most of the world. But in Australia, this isn’t the case. In the last ten years, the sport has undergone a remarkable resurgence and become cool amongst hip young trendsetters.

David Whitley goes giraffe and rhino-spotting from atop an elephant.

Ahead of us, Michael plunges into the trees. His three startled riders try and dodge the thorns as he manages to uproot an entire acacia bush. “Takeaway food,” says Elias in front of me. “Michael always gets his takeaway food.” Michael, oblivious to the havoc he’s causing, wraps his trunk around the light snack and marches onwards. It is one thing to see an elephant on safari in Africa – but it’s altogether something different to hop on top of one and lumber through the sunburnt countryside. Suddenly the wildebeest and  antelopes look a little puny from up on high.

For many people heading out on a round-the-world adventure, budget requirements mean that spending every night in a lavish hotel is out of the question. Frankly, unless you’ve got the sort of inheritance that allows you to splash the cash at will, then there’s a high chance that a significant amount of time will be spent sleeping in hostels. Thankfully, the old image of hostels – Spartan rooms full of Austrian hikers, 9pm curfews and an almost monastic code of miserable silence – are long out of date. But hostels do require some adjusting to and modification of behaviours and routines.

Head to the pub

There’s no point in going into the detail before you’ve got the juices flowing. And the best place to get excitable about an impending round the world adventure is the pub, preferably aided by a gaggle of mates. Get a few drinks, bat a few ideas around, compare war stories from trips past, drool over dream destinations and pick up top tips about life on the road.

David Whitley finds himself gawping at near-extinct creatures on a tiny speck of land in the middle of the Tasman Sea.

Ambling along the wooden walkway from the room to the restaurant, a little brown thing scurries through the foliage. It’s a bird; more specifically, the Lord Howe Woodhen.

It’s not the most spectacular creature we’ll ever see, but the fact that only around 250 of them exist in the world makes the spotting truly remarkable. It’s this sort of thing that people come to Lord Howe Island for. It’s a romantic getaway destination, with a population of around 350 people, a maximum of 400 visitors at any one time and no mobile phone coverage.

One year to six months out

Start having a think about where you’d like to go. Start tapping up your friends for ideas and utilise the internet for inspiration. Put potential destinations in a rough geographical order, check out weather patterns, get ideas of what you want to do where and generally get rather excited about the whole thing.

Five to six months out

• Check how long your passport is valid for. As a general rule, you need to have a spare six months available from the date you come back. So, if yours expires in the next two years, get down to a photo booth, fill in the forms and send off for a new one.
• Give your friendly expert travel agent a call to get a rough idea of how suitable your dream itinerary is, and get a rough idea on costing. Just about every route can theoretically be done, but some are a lot cheaper than others. For example, if you want to island hop through the South Pacific, it will almost certainly work out a lot less expensive if you combine Samoa and Tonga rather than Samoa and Tahiti. Once you’ve got a rough idea of what you can and can’t do for the price, you can fine-tune your plans.

August newsletter out today - click here

Australia’s days as a cheap destination are well and truly over (well, for the moment at least). The glory days of getting three Australian dollars to the pound faded into the distance long ago. But this doesn’t mean that you have to feel priced out of visiting Australia – it’s simply a case of spending your money smarter. And by utilising some of the following tips, you can make your budget extend a lot further...

Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson may have reckoned that the best things in life are free, but that’s because they’re famous and generally don’t have to pay for stuff. Unfortunately, on a round the world adventure, you will have to shell out some money to experience a lot of what will become the highlights. However, that’s not to say that the budget-conscious can’t enjoy some of the key RTW destinations on the cheap. Most major cities have a host of attractions you can enjoy without spending a penny/ cent/ baht – and these are just some of them...

David Whitley goes rolling downhill in a giant plastic ball in southern Queensland.

Welcome, my friends, to Teletubbyland. On top of the lush green, perfectly-sculpted hill, closely cut and rolling like a particularly vicious golf green, is a giant ball. About four metres high, made entirely of see-through, bubble wrap-style plastic, it bobbles around, reflecting the sun and looking quite, quite surreal.

David Whitley swings from the treetops near Launceston.

The tree is shaking almost as much as I am. The towering eucalypt can blame the wind – every gust sends it lurching from side to side. For me, it’s just cowardly nerves. I’m stood on a ‘cloud station’, 23m above the ground. It’s essentially a circular metal brace around the tree, complete with a trampoline-like platform for the trussed-up victims to wobble about on as they prepare for the death swoop.

David Whitley tries to get his hands on what he patently can’t afford in Western Australia.

In a climate of banking instability, bail-outs and business collapses, it’s unusual to come across an operation that is not just surviving, but booming.

The Perth Mint is one of the unexpected beneficiaries of the global financial crisis. With the public jittery over the banks, house prices rocky and stocks and shares plummeting, people have turned to gold as a safe investment. And if there’s one thing that the Perth Mint has got, it’s lots of gold. The Government-owned institution produces commemorative coins and bullion, plus it acts as both a depository and trading centre. The gold price has shot up in 2008, and the Mint has seen a flurry of interest, both from investors and curious visitors. Sales of gold and silver coins from the Mint’s shop have more than doubled in the last year – visitors are clearly putting their money where the metal is.

David Whitley tackles New South Wales’ equivalent of the Sahara atop his not-so-trusty quad bike.

Oh dear. The smooth, sweeping dunes appear to have turned into little bumpy ridges, and the bike clatters over the top like a drunk walking a tightrope. I’m unquestionably going a bit too fast and as one ridge turns into a vegetation-covered mound, the inevitable occurs. The trusty steed careers away from beneath me, still going at full pelt towards the horizon as I tumble away at 45 degrees. P-tooh… there’s nothing like a mouthful of sand to curb the more hoonish instincts.

David Whitley pretends to follow in the footsteps of Scott and Amundsen on New Zealand’s South Island.

During the winter months, it can get a little chilly in New Zealand – that white stuff on those mountains isn’t paint, you know. But for a taste of something really cold, you have to venture further south, to the frozen wilderness of Antarctica. However, if being surrounded by scientists, having to wear a gigantic coat all the time and having only penguins for entertainment doesn’t seem like a sustainable barrel of laughs to you, then Christchurch has a brilliant cheat’s option.

David Whitley finds himself in the Spanish capital as 2010’s biggest street party erupts.

I’ve never heard a national anthem sung so vociferously. Which, given that the Spanish national anthem doesn’t actually have any lyrics, is no mean feat. Still, as the night unfolded, I’d learned that most Spanish songs are heavy on the “lo, lo, lo, lo” – whether they’re about Iker Casillas to the tune of Seven Nation Army or Andres Iniesta to Can’t Take My Eyes Of You.

David Whitley gets a glimpse of authentic Maori culture on New Zealand’s East Cape.

 
Authenticity can be something of a double-edged sword. And this is particularly the case when it comes to understanding Maori culture in New Zealand.  To many visitors, this is a case of going to Rotorua, going through greeting rituals and having a meal as Maori in traditional costumes dance.

And if you like that sort of thing, then go for it. But such cultural villages generally make me want to cry. It’s a different story on the North Island’s East Cape. This is arguably the most Maori part of New Zealand. Over 50% of the population in this part of the world identify themselves as Maori, and the old ways are still strong. Outside the main city of Gisborne, settlements are small and  rural. There’s an end of the world feeling to East Cape, but if you take the time to detour out there you’re more likely to get an ‘authentic’ Maori experience than you will do anywhere else in New Zealand. The flip side is that this authenticity comes with baggage.

There will be 3%-6% increases on a lot of major RTWs next week. The old prices are however still valid till next Friday.

One thing worth mentioning is that there has been no move in fuel surcharges in a while.

Former Sydney resident David Whitley shares his top five local secrets for those who want to go beyond the usual Bondi and Opera House trail.

Admittedly, I’m biased here, but I doubt there’s a better city in the world for a holiday than Sydney. You could spend weeks exploring it, getting equal doses of nightlife, culture, beach-bumming and the great outdoors. But to get the most out of Sydney, you need to venture beyond the highlights reel. And here are five great ways to start...

What should my budget be - well how long is a piece of string?! It’s a tricky question, as every traveler has different requirements, travel plans and standards of living. There are, however, a few general tips and rules of thumb that usually stand strong with the vast majority of round the world travellers.

David Whitley changes his tune on bikers as he rides down from Sydney to Wollongong.

Sometimes it’s good to be proved utterly wrong. For an entire lifetime up until this point, I had firmly held the view that big noisy motorbikes are a total scourge on society, ridden entirely by possessors of alarming personality deficiencies. Harley Davidsons, I would thunder, serve no purpose but to annoy people they drive past. 

David Whitley gets an insight into how prison life used to be in Western Australia – and vows to be a good boy from now on.

If the Australian government really wanted to cut crime, then the best thing they could do would be to put Old Fremantle Prison back into use, and from there broadcast a reality show on prime time TV. From tax return ‘massager’ to murderous psychopath, everyone would think twice. Sharing a tiny room with a violent criminal and a bucketful of festering human waste - in 40 degree heat with no fan or air conditioning – is no fun.

David Whitley bites off more than his beer and pie-addled body can chew as he attempts downhill mountain biking in Cape Town.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Table Mountain is something of a theme park. Thousands of people go exploring on Cape Town’s icon every day, many of them fat old gimmers kept alive by a McDonalds drip. When you’ve got cable cars and buses ferrying you around somewhere, there is a tendency to consider it well and truly tamed.But try exploring Table Mountain under your own steam, and it’s altogether different. There are countless walking trails around the mountain. Many of them are steep heat-traps. It’s easy enough to get lost, dehydrated and worse.

Then there are the bikes. When I signed up for mountain biking down Table Mountain, I had assumed it would be a case of just following a nice sealed path as it slowly spiralled downwards. And, after falling off within three minutes of the descent, I realised that my preconceptions had been very wrong indeed. My experience of cycling is largely limited to nipping round to a friend’s house when I was younger and having the odd half-hearted go on my fiancée’s exercise bike while she’s at work. This CV doesn’t prepare you for going down steep scree slopes, with rocks, logs and miscreant tree roots all intent on smashing your limbs to pieces.

Cycling downhill over what amounts to rough gravel with numerous obstacles thrown in is largely an exercise of permanently squeezing your brakes and hoping that you’re not thrown over the handlebars. Some people may find this a thrill. I’m not one of them. I managed to survive this terrible peril with the odd graze and a lot of swearing, but then my guide informed me that this was just the test run. The next step in the torture process was going round and up again to where we started. This involved furiously pedalling through what may as well have been deep sand. Or, in my case, lugging my bike slowly through it as I trudged on foot. By this stage, my energies were being entirely channelled into creating new compound swear words.

Finally, we made the road for a nice bit of more uphill climbing – this time into a howling, fierce wind. Again, I managed very little actual cycling and considerably more huffing and puffing. By the time we’d got to the start of the actual descent, I was already a broken man. “There are two routes down, an easier one and a harde...” announced my guide before shooting a glance in my direction. “I think we’ll take the easier one.” Easier is very much a comparative word in this case. I faced more brake-clutching terror, and delightful though the scenery was, I was more concerned that my hands were entering a state of cramped agony.

We descended through forest, with often fabulous views of the city and the sea, and finally came out on a suburban road. “This is the dangerous bit,” I was told. Pschaw – I know how spectacularly bad South African drivers can be, but a nice, relatively flat road holds no fears for me anymore. If I can make it down that beast of a mountain - battered, bruised but relatively intact - I can take on the world.

Disclosure: David was a guest of Viator (Viator.com).

David Whitley searches for respite in a world of fancy dress, bad music played loud and people who like to ‘party’.

There is a girl I used to work with who now appears to live in Laos. I know this, because pictures of her regularly appear on Facebook, and she seems to be continually be surrounded by young people having fun in a bar. You may be tempted to think that this seems like the ultimate life; ensconced in Vang Vieng, where life is a constant party and everyone’s up for a good time after going rafting. To me, it sounds like hell.

Off the coast of New South Wales, David Whitley stumbles across a scheme to save the fairy penguins and rid their island habitat of an unwanted invader.

The ranger removes the brick from the top of the wooden box and lifts the lid. Huddled away in the corner is a sight of such undeniable cuteness that even the most emotionally-stunted meathead couldn’t resist crumbling into a gushing “awwwwwwwww!” The two little penguin chicks are essentially just big balls of fur with intensely lovable faces, and they are one of the main reasons that so much work is going into Montague Island.

Landlubber David Whitley gets a taste of sailing without leaving the beach in Northern Queensland.

It’s a wonder that everyone in Mission Beach doesn’t have one of these babies. The four villages that make up the area are spread four or five kilometres apart, and the most direct path between them is straight down the 14km-long beach. As I stand on the shore, considering the post-pub transport possibilities in a one taxi town, Chantelle pulls up her Blo-kart. It’s an enormous contraption that she somehow pulled out of a bag half the size of a surfboard. At the bottom, there’s a metal frame with wheels and a seat. On top of that, there’s a big sail.

David Whitley becomes a temporary part of the family at Bullock Mountain Homestead near Glen Innes in New South Wales.
 
Containing the sort of energy usually associated with a nuclear reactor, Cruiser bounds down the bank, ploughs through the water and digs his paws in to climb up my chest. My new friend indulges in a frenetic bout of face-licking; a sure sign that he’s not planning to leave me alone for the rest of the stay.  I’ve been out in the bush for less than a day, and I’m evidently part of the family already. Cruiser is the younger of the two dogs at the Bullock Mountain Homestead, and the boisterous Labrador-cross comes everywhere, be it on a scramble down the river, a drive through the forest or pre-dinner kangaroo hunt. He’s after rabbits rather than roos, however.

Sucked in by tales of an extraordinary adventurer, David Whitley decides to spend his limited time amongst New Zealand’s highest peaks in a darkened room.

On a list of what would seem to be poor choices I have made whilst travelling, visiting Mt Cook for two hours after a eight hour round trip from Queenstown would have to be pretty high up. Close behind on that list would be the decision to spend the majority of that two hours inside a darkened room rather than getting out and walking around some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. Especially given that it was a perfect blue sky day.

For this, I blame one man: Sir Edmund Hillary.

In many ways, Singaporeans have it astonishingly good. The country has the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world - according to the International Monetary Fund, only Qatar, Luxembourg and Norway edge it out – and the people have an extremely high standard of living. The place drips in wealth and prosperity; shiny, odd-shaped buildings are constantly under construction, the streets are famously clean and the towers of the central business district are a physical reminder that Singapore is a global player.

To us, a theme park is generally full of rollercoasters and people in big animal costumes. The Chinese, it would appear, have an entirely different idea. Haw Par Villa in Singapore is billed as a Chinese theme park. There are no log flumes or big drops, but there are plenty of weird statues and small wooden men being tortured. It’s an interesting idea, and perhaps one that Alton Towers would do well to take on board.

David Whitley discovers how northern Australia has turned from shooting crocodiles to showing them off to visitors.

Swimming in front of us is one of the finest killing machines ever devised by nature. Even its swimming strokes are menacing; the slow, deliberate movements of the tail cut through the water in eerie silence. And nothing else on the Adelaide River is stupid enough to come near it. The estuarine (or saltwater) crocodile is an amazing creature. It is our closest living reptilian link to the era of the dinosaurs, and the essential design of the saltie hasn’t changed in millions of years.

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Summary,

Security and Local Travel section (to reflect post-curfew amendments). The overall level

of the advice has changed; we no longer advise against travel to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. 

We currently advise British nationals in Thailand to exercise caution.

In Alice Springs and Katherine, David Whitley discovers how people living in the remotest parts of Australia remain attached to the rest of the world.

The real Outback?

On my journey through Australia, I have been travelling across what I deem the Outback. In reality, I’ve been sticking to the main highways with the odd diversion up a short gravel track. It’s still more than many Australians will cover in their lifetime, but I’d be deluded if I tried to convince myself that I was really living the Outback life. For a reality check, a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre in Alice Springs is in order. The RDFS is a truly remarkable organisation, and one that literally keeps the people of the Outback alive.

In the Northern Territory, David Whitley finds the antidote to Australia’s disappointing drinking establishments.

There are a lot of rose-tinted myths about Australian pubs. The idea that they’re all magnificent places where everyone’s your mate and will buy you a beer as the good times roll is utterly absurd. The sad truth is that most Australian pubs are on a sliding scale of awfulness.

David Whitley braves the foul food and pricey petrol to discover glorious slices of Outback absurdity in the Northern Territory.

One thing that will become unavoidable if you decide to take on a big driving adventure through Australia is the roadhouse. These lonely outposts of expensive fuel, culinary horrors, country music CDs and porn mags in plastic wrappers quickly become something of an institution. They keep truckers in energy drinks, bacon rolls and staple-adorned libido appeasers - and tourists in reminders of how while remote Australia is great to visit, you wouldn’t want to live there.

Eager to get his hands on a few deadly missiles, David Whitley pays a visit to a secretive military town in the South Australian desert

I thought my primary school had a pretty cool setting – the playground was surrounded by corn fields, and we often got to see a tractor. But the primary school in Woomera wins hands down – it has a park full of intercontinental ballistic missiles outside. There are a fair few bizarre places in the Australian Outback, but Woomera takes some beating on this front. Approximately 300 miles north-east of Adelaide, Woomera has an eerie Truman Show-like feel about it as you drive through. The houses are prim and neat and the streets are kept spotless, but there seems to be no-one there.

Whilst we think a round the world flights trip is the perfect honeymoon trip, especially in business class or premium economy (we are biased) our eyes and heart did go all aflutter at this new honeymoon site 101honeymoons

David Whitley’s travelling partner was sceptical about the merits of Australia’s famous big red rock. And then she walked around it...

“Well, it’s just a big rock, isn’t it?” Katrina, it is fair to say, was excited about our drive-through-the-Outback adventure, but didn’t quite get why Uluru was so special. OK, we pretty much had to go there if we were heading through central Australia, but paying to stay at the severely overpriced resort and taking a six hour round trip out of the way was of debatable merit.

Image via BBC news

Although Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and City have reopened the reality is passengers may have to be patient for a bit longer. Airlines are restarting today but there will be delays. We have reissued loads of tickets but it looks like most major RTW airlines will be flying out of Heathrow tonight.

David Whitley meets the cave-dwelling opal miners in Hollywood’s favourite piece of post-apocalyptic Outback real estate.

The walls of my hotel room look like they’ve been splattered in blood, and there are no windows to allow natural light in. It would appear as though I am the unsuspecting star of the latest film in the Saw series. In Coober Pedy, this is all perfectly normal. My hotel room is underground, having been dug out into the side of a hill, and the deep red streaks are part of the remarkable natural sandstone in the area.

David Whitley strikes gold when he veers away from the big names in Australia’s most famous wine region.

Outside the church, I am greeted by a man pushing a lawnmower and bearing the hallmarks of having spent the last hour or so lugging firewood around. He is clad in wellies and sports a splendid moustache – making him look a little like Timothy Dalton in Flash Gordon, albeit having retired and moved to the country.

It would reasonable to assume that this redoubtable chap is the groundsman but, as I am soon to discover, he makes the best rosé wine I have ever tasted.

British Airways (BA) has advised that their cabin crew will take industrial action on the following dates:

• 18 to 22 May 2010
• 24 to 28 May 2010
• 30 May to 3 June 2010
• 5 to 9 June 2010

During these strike dates it may be necessary for BA to cancel services and this may impact Qantas (QF) codeshare services operated by British Airways.

All Qantas operated services will not be impacted by this disruption. BA are currently reviewing their schedule and have advised QF that they will notify changes as soon as possible. Customers travelling on BA flight numbers are advised to visit ba.com for the latest information on BA operated services. Qantas will continue to monitor the situation to minimise any impact this strike period may have on our customers. The following outlines the options available to Qantas customers holding a valid Qantas RTW for travel between 18 May to 11 June 2010 (inclusive) and travelling on British Airways operated services.

BA will announce their planned operation for each set of strike dates on the following days, the latest information about whether a flight will be operating or not will be available by checking the flight status

David Whitley looks with older eyes at Melbourne’s city centre – and finds that it has rediscovered its soul.

My hazy recollections of Melbourne’s city centre are not all that favourable. Back in 2002, I trawled the rigid grid delivering magazines every week, and found it all a little dispiriting. There were a few decent pubs and Chinatown was mildly diverting but central Melbourne always struck me as having a dull functionality and little heart.

Right there are loads of RTWs out there that don't involve airlines whose staff are threatening to strike.

David Whitley dons his not-entirely-flattering wetsuit, and takes on the white water in New Zealand’s action capital.

David Whitley discovers why Big Things are a big thing in Australian country towns – and stumbles across a new favourite.

Australian country towns can be comically magnificent. Most labour under the impression that they are comfortably the greatest place in the world. And, if by ‘greatest’ you mean ‘having the highest ratio of mullet hairdos’, then they’re usually spot on. The combination of big hearts and big hair tends to be a winning one, however.

David Whitley attempts to tick off Sydney’s must-sees and cultural attractions – but ends up on a glorious walk to nowhere.

Noble intentions and savage hangovers don’t tend to mix that well. And that’s my excuse for spending 20 minutes shambling around the Museum of Sydney before conceding to myself that I wasn’t taking anything in. Sydney is my second home. I lived there for just under five years, and enjoyed the experience enormously. But as is so often the case when you live somewhere, I was a bad tourist whilst there. There are so many things to do and places to see in Sydney, but I’d only scratched the surface during my stint as a resident.

The overall level of the advice has changed; we no longer advise against all but essential travel to the whole country. 

Sorry guys our BT phones went down between 8am and 10.30. They are now back up.

David Whitley prays for the silence about the lambs, but begins to understand

where the Kiwi sheep obsession comes from.

Mark Eveleigh is a travel photojournalist who had just returned from his own RTW trip. A selection of portraits from the kaleidoscope of characters and communities that call the Aussie Outback home and a few more from Bali and Thailand.

Apologies to our passengers. There was a problem with our BT line in Islington.

It's back up now. Open 11-4 Sunday & Bank Holiday Monday

Mark Eveleigh is a travel photojournalist who had just returned from his own RTW trip.

Below are some of the faces from his round the world journey. Enjoy

The overall level of the advice has not changed on; the FCO currently advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Thailand. More details here

David Whitley limbers up for another of New Zealand’s unique adventures – climbing the world’s steepest street in Dunedin.

I’m approximately two-thirds of the way up, when a horrific thought strikes me. Imagine actually living here, and not having a car? The buses only go past the bottom end of the street, and having to surmount Mt Baldwin every day would probably send you into nervous breakdown territory.

Baldwin Street isn’t really a mountain, although crampons and an ice axe probably wouldn’t go amiss in the depths of winter. Amongst New Zealand’s cavalcade of adventure sports, getting to the top of this suburban street doesn’t exactly rank high on the scale, but it has become one of Dunedin’s most popular tourist attr

If you believe the hype, Milford Sound is a must-see in all weathers. But David Whitley discovers the truth.

Weather, even though we’d sometimes like to pretend otherwise, can make a big difference. No-one wants to lie on the world’s most beautiful beach when gloves and a hat are more appropriate than swimming trunks and an ice cream. Similarly, skiing is a bit rubbish when there’s no snow and going for a scenic walk in the lashing rain is bloody horrible.

This FCO advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments.

The overall level of the advice has changed; we currently advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Thailand.

HERE YOU GO... YOUR BLOG HOP TRAVEL CONTEST PLAY CARDS!

• Click here to download the play card for this week, April 26th to May 2nd.
• Click here to get your play card for future weeks.

PLAYING THE BLOG HOP? You'll find the answer to the question for my blog by clicking on the correct post below.

1. On the Slide - Risking it all on New Zealand's East Cape
   
2. Charlie Papas Day
   
3. Me and Shakira - surreal
   
4. Vancouver: the bit that doesn't make the brochures
   
5. Fiji: meeting the natives, but without the silly costumes
   
6. Thailand - land of smiles
   

Okay the latest policy as of 1300 on Friday 23rd April allows roundtheworldflights.com passengers worried about travelling to Bangkok to either avoid Bangkok or to date change their Qantas RTW tickets free of charge. The details are here.

Okay the latest policy as of 1100 on Tuesday 27th April allows roundtheworldflights.com passengers worried about travelling to Bangkok to either avoid Bangkok or to date change their Qantas RTW tickets free of charge. The details are here.

Okay the latest policy as of 1100 on Tuesday 19th May allows roundtheworldflights.com passengers worried about travelling to Bangkok to either avoid Bangkok or to date change their Qantas RTW tickets free of charge. The details are here.

David Whitley is besieged by albatrosses and discovers that a sea lion resurgence is bad news for the Otago Peninsula’s yellow-eyed penguins.

In terms of lucking in, it doesn’t get much better than this. The sky is blue, the sun is warming to that perfect level before everything starts to get sweaty, and I am being stared at by an impressive – if slightly scary – bird.

Things are happening fast and changing but this is the latest from the FCO

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and the Terrorism/Security and Local Travel sections (violence in Bangkok). The overall level of the advice has changed; we currently advise against all but essential travel to Bangkok; against all travel to some specific areas of Thailand and all but essential travel to other specific areas of Thailand.

roundtheworldflights.com is a member of the Global Bloggers Network and next week we have an amazing travel contest that you'll want to play.

Win Great Prizes

There are some weeks that travel agents really earn their corn. The last week has been tough for everyone. We'd really like to thank all our passengers for the patience they've shown recently. And you obviously appreciate our hard work. The good feelings are mutual. Thanks again.

There is a Premium Economy class RTW that allows you to visit via the Far East, Australia and Argentina -  at a great price (only £600 more than in economy) within a variety of itineraries in a lot more comfort. Premium economy includes a self-service bar offering a selection of refreshments throughout the flight. A state of the art seat manufactured by Recaro, which makes seats for Aston Martin, Audi and Porsche.I t will offer extra width and recline, more legroom, a fully adjustable, in arm, digital wide screen television as well as lap top power connection.

David Whitley puts his manhood on the line to conquer nature’s own adrenalin sport – the Rere Rockslide.

It’s an unusual approach for a tour. Steve says: “I thought going for a drive would be a nice way to see the area.”

I agree wholeheartedly. But it seems as though there’s something I’ve not quite understood. It becomes clear when he hands me the keys to his car. After all, there are six of us, and it’s better to divide between two vehicles than squish into just one car.

All UK airports can reopen from 2200 BST on Tuesday, the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said.

He added that after the ban was lifted it would be up to airlines to bring flight schedules back on track.

The statement was delivered after consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority and a reassessment of the risk to aircraft from volcanic ash.

Some restrictions will remain in place, but they will be much smaller than those enforced under the current ban.

Dame Deirdre Hutton, of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said there had been detailed consultation with experts to reassess the tolerance of planes to the ash cloud.

There is no change to the advice issued at 2pm today.

UK authorities advise that current UK / Europe airspace restrictions will remain in place until at least midnight tonight Tuesday 20 April (NZ time).

The situation is highly changeable with reports of increased volcanic activity potentially causing further disruption.

As a result, Air New Zealand continues to strongly advise passengers with travel plans to affected parts of the UK and Europe to NOT commence their travel today. This applies to any Air New Zealand service and any connecting flight on another carrier to affected parts of UK / Europe.

Last updated 1400 - 20 April 2010

We hope to reach a position soon where we can begin repatriating customers in large numbers, and we are planning to operate a number of inbound longhaul flights today, subject to airspace restrictions.

"The continuing restrictions have forced us to cancel our earlier plans to operate some shorthaul and some longhaul departures from Heathrow today.

"We understand the frustration our customers feel and we thank them for their patience. We assure them we are doing everything we can to resolve this situation."

Auckland and I have never really seen eye to eye. That’s mainly because, while I am no oil painting, Auckland’s eye is pretty darned ugly.

Even the most proud Aucklander would struggle to deny that the city centre is a hideous scar on what should be one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The city lies on an isthmus between the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea; it has two sprawling natural harbours, islands off the coastline and 40-odd volcanic cones dotted within its boundaries.

We have announced today that we will resume our services between Europe and Australia and Asia and Europe on Wednesday 21 April (local times)

Scheduled services between Australia and Europe via Asia will recommence tomorrow Thursday 22 April.

Qantas is working with the relevant airport authorities to gain the appropriate clearances to operate supplementary flights between Australia and Europe.

Qantas has made further changes to its scheduled services.

Image via BBC news

We are constantly monitoring the Ash cloud situation and will update this page as necessary. The following procedures have been put in place to assist passengers who have travel plans booked for the next few days. However the sitution is very fluid and changing on an hourly basis. Below is a general summary of the airlines change policies, although all airlines vary most are allowing free date changes. This is an unprecedented situation and we do ask you to bear with us - but this is where we are posting the latest airspace news here

Air New Zealand have streamlined their baggage allowances so there’s one easy-to-remember allowance on all their long haul flights; Basically they will start charging for more than one checked in bag - this will affect quite a few RTW flight deals - so ask your consultants for details. Worth pointing out that  fuel surcharges haven't increased on Air NZ recently (although fuel has) and they are one of the few airlines that still allow surfboards. They are also a pretty darn comfortable airline to fly. Still they were one of the last airlines that still embraced the old "piece system" for flying via the Americas, and we think it's all a wee bit sad.

Following advice from the Met Office, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has introduced restrictions to UK airspace this morning as a result of volcanic ash drifting across the UK from Iceland. These measures currently affect almost all airports. Passengers intending to fly today must contact their airline for further information and should expect disruption in the coming hours. 

If you are a British national, and travelling abroad, or planning to do so, especially to Thailand should use the FCOs LOCATE service. The FCO are encouraging all British nationals travelling and living abroad to register with LOCATE, even for short trips.

Updated 4 flights within Australia deal from £1076; UK Tokyo Sydney Uluru Cairns Brisbane Melbourne Hong Kong UK

http://bit.ly/df1PSg

Latest on the political situation in Thailand (via BBC news) http://bit.ly/agPIxr

Latest FCO travel advice for Thailand here

An anonymous account from a Thai soldier involved in a fight on Saturday night in Bangkok here

David Whitley goes hiking and riding inland on Viti Levu, and discovers that Fijian life isn’t all about dressing up as cannibals for tourists.

Health and safety regulations, it would seem, are not held in particularly high regard here. The closest approximation to a riding helmet is Adam’s baseball cap and when the stirrups are clearly too long for my legs, he tells me to just put my feet through the straps on top of them instead. Poor Blondie underneath me doesn’t look particularly cut out for the task ahead – lugging a visitor who has clearly had the odd pie too many up to the top of a mountain – but she just about manages it.  And I’m glad she does – sitting on horseback with sweeping views of the Viti Levu’s Sabeto Valley is a pretty special experience.

Hmmm. So if you fly the same route, albeit with different airlines, then the Star RTW is now £1700 more than the Columbus RTW for most of the year....eg In May the Star RTW is £3499 vs Columbus RTW at £1599 ie UK Jo'burg Hanoi surface Bangkok OZ NZ Cooks USA UK . More details here

David Whitley tries his hand at Kirikiti, Samoa’s unique version of cricket.

As sledging goes, it’s a novel approach. Before the bowler trundles in to unleash his worst, the entire team embarks on a mini haka-like chant. They clap in unison, accompanied by hups, heys and a high-pitched squeal. But it doesn’t work – the batsman unceremoniously deposits the ball into the bushland on the other side of the main road.

The umpire raises both his red and his white flag to signal two points, and the rest of the batting team turns into a choir. Sat crossed-legged and in formation at the edge of the pitch, they launch into a traditional Samoan song, performed with exquisite harmonies.

This, it is fair to say, is just not cricket.

Vancouver: The bit that doesn’t make the brochures by travel journalist David Whitley for roundtheworldflights.com here

On April 24^th 2009 I touched down in Panama City. Eleven months later here I am 10kms above the frozen wastes of Russia, roughly halfway through a flight between Delhi and London. In the last year I have travelled around 30,000 air miles (and many more by train, bus, boat, car, tuktuk, motorbike, rickshaw and even elephant). In more than 13 years as a travel writer I can’t remember a year that has been so full of unforgettable experiences. Here are a few of the highlights of what might be a fairly typical year on a round-the-world trip.

Right there are loads of RTWs out there that don't involve airlines whose staff are threatening to strike.
Here are just a few of the RTWs but there are plenty more

The old Suzuki was rattling badly as I battered at the last of the potholes on the descent down to Bali’s spectacular Batur Volcano. I’ve been coming to Bali for years and have rented this same vehicle on every visit. Over the course of the last decade it has threatened to explode or simply crumble under me on pretty much every volcano, beach road and jungle track on the island. I’m always surprised whenever I get back to Kuta and my friend Mr Putu tells me that the old Suzuki is still “kuat dan sehat” (strong and healthy).

I was beginning to wonder if the road around Batur might finally be the last straw for the faithful old warhorse. But finally we made it and she was able to gasp to a halt on the waterfront at the village of Trunyan.