Travelling to New Zealand to stay 6-12 months. Is round the world ticket option best?

[mears]

22 yr old DS1 and his friend are planning to travel to New Zealand at the end of the year and is planning to stay a minimum of 6 months, maximum 12. It has been suggested to DH that the cheapest option is to but a round the world ticket which gives flexibility and is cheaper. Any seasoned travellers on here who would know?

oh how exciting I thought this was going to be you

personal choice I think you will get flexibility if you pay for it but there will be some cheap there and backs available I'm sure.

seems a shame to go all that way without checking out a few other places en route though!

watch for luggage allowances you used to get was it 60 kg via the States and only 20kg heading East (not sure about amounts and whether it still applies but worth considering)
hope he has a great time

Thanks 1dilemma. Don't know why DS1 is focussing on New Zealand only. They have a friend who stays there so maybe once they are out there, their confidence will increase and they will venture somewhere else.

It will depend on whether they are looking for the cheapest fare or something more flexible. You get what you pay for so to speak. NZ is a great place - (a bit biased- we live on the South Island!!). If they meet the criteria (ie. have certain visa types/money available) for NZ they could just get single tickets out here and go from there otherwise they would need a return ticket with either locked in dates (the cheapest) or flexible dates and/or stopovers (more expensive).

Thanks Catper33.

I am not completely sure of their plans. DS1 hasn't a clue what he wants to do with his life other than it must include music!

Hopefully he will be safe travelling around New Zealnd - I worry about his common sense at times!

tickets are only valid for 1 year maximum, so if they plan on stopping in either direction that would cut into the 12 months. I'd suggest he included a few other places into his trip - the standard itinerary for a first time on his big OE, would be Thailand, Aussie (sydney usually) on to NZ and back via Asia again or the States. Or if he was feeling much more adventurous, via Sth America.
He'll be ok in NZ, he'll most likely meet a whole lot of fellow travellers to hang around with

He'll need a good bank balance for that I would assume. I am not sure he is as financilaly prepared as he should be.

yes definitely.. wouldnt want him to be stuck somewhere and calling you for a loan!

stopping somewhere like Thailand neednt be expensive though, I backpacked there on a budget of £10 a day and that was fine. You can find accomodation for a couple of quid a day and eating is cheap as well. It's also a well beaten tourist destination and very easy to travel within.

It's also good to break the journey a little as it's 24 hrs flying time alone, so well over 30hrs travelling if you include airport time and travellng to and from airports.

I've done a fair amount of travelling and the trip from UK to NZ 3 or 4 times so if I can be of help, just ask

Thanks missmelly.

A Colleague who work with my husband has a sister who lives in NZ has said that NZ has a very high crime rate due to a gangland culture? He suggests it is an unsafe country for him to be going to and travelling. Would you agree that this could be a problem?

If he applied the same precautions as he would here he would be fine.
Its no less safe than any other country, and probably a lot safer than others.

Hi

Nz is a relatively safe place to be. We certainly feel safer here than in the UK. You obviously need to be sensible, but there's nothing to be overly worried about. There are 'Gangs', usually in particular cities and the majority of gang related problems seem to be between the rival gangs themselves.

It is easy to travel in NZ and can be a cheap place, however there are alot of temptations all requiring lots of money!!!! eg. bungy jumping, skiing, rafting etc. along with the usual social entertainment!!

Feel free to ask us any further questions.