The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Around the world in 28 days

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Trip Planning
Introduction: Around the world in 28 days
EVA Air B77W Business Class Singapore to Taipei
EVA Air B77W Business Class Taipei to Los Angeles
Silvercar LAX
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
United A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
Le Meridien Mexico City
United A319 First Class Mexico City to Houston
United B767 Business Class Houston to Sao Paulo
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC
South African Airways A330  Business Class Sao Paulo to Johannesburg
Hilton Sandton
Ten Bompas Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Johannesburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class Istanbul to Zagreb
Westin Zagreb
Croatia Airlines A319 Business Class Zagreb to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A330 First Class Frankfurt to Riyadh
Four Points Riyadh
Air India B77W Business Class Riyadh to Mumbai
St Regis Mumbai
ANA B787 Business Class Mumbai to Tokyo
Asiana A330 Business Class Tokyo to Seoul
Westin Chosun Seoul
W Walkerhill Seoul
Asiana B744 Business Class Seoul to Tokyo
ANA B787 Business Class Tokyo to Singapore

Around the world in 28 days

Jules Verne’s vision of a world so inter-connected it could be circumnavigated in the mere space of 80 days seems charmingly antiquated in our present day and age. Phileas Fogg’s 7 day rail journey from San Francisco to New York is now serviced non-stop daily by 45 different flights, each promising gate-to-gate service in no more than 5.5 hours. His 8 day steamer journey from New York to London can now be regularly accomplished in 6 hours on any run-of-the-mill airline (Or, until 2003, 3.5 hours on the Concorde). And Detective Fix’s meddling with Fogg’s schedule has nothing on the TSA.

Today, I am making my own attempt at such a journey, although my route is considerably less direct than Fogg’s. While Fogg spent most of his time in transit with little time on the ground, I’ll be doing 3-4 day stints in each of the cities above (except the stopover cities TPE, HOU, IST and NRT).

Fogg’s journey, had he swapped the chugging of a steamer for the dull drone of a 747 cabin, would have taken him approximately 20,564 miles. Mine will take 41,451 miles, in part because I am overshooting Singapore on the way back to do a site visit in South Korea.

But perhaps where I have it better than Fogg is in the comfort department. Even all of Fogg’s considerable wealth could have at best bought him a slightlier roomier cabin on the train or steamer. My quarters will be somewhat improved from that.

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So that’s the plan. 28 days, 14 cities, 11 different airlines and 41,451 mies.

This trip presents a great opportunity to write about many new cabin products and hotels, and my aim is to get these reports out as fast as I can while doing justice to the level of detail that a great trip report demands (and of course, to my day job which lets me take these trips in the first place).

I hope you find the reports enjoyable to read, and that they give you some great ideas for your own travel plans in the future. Here’s praying for God’s blessings and protection upon the trip and many great experiences.

All aboard!
Aaron

Random fun fact: Fogg pledged his £20,000 stake as security with Barings Bank. Yup, that Barings Bank.