Around the World on Low Cost Airlines (US$1,510)

Richard Quest, one of my favourite business and travel commentators, is about to embark on a fascinating experiment. He is travelling around the world using only low-cost carriers. I thought that it would be an interesting exercise to see just how much this would cost originating in Toronto, and using a similar route to Richard’s.

The journey would be as follows:

May 15: Toronto to Reykjavik with WOW

May 20: Reykjavik to Paris with Transavia

May 23: Paris to Tbilisi with Pegasus

May 25: Tbilisi to Colombo with Air Arabia

May 28: Colombo to Singapore with Malindo Air

May 30: Singapore to Sydney with Scoot

June 01: Sydney to Honolulu with Jetstar

June 02: Honolulu to Toronto with United

I chose some dates pretty randomly in May, and the price for this 25,000-mile journey would be a rather modest US$1,510 including all taxes (CA$1,995). Obviously, one can stretch this out endlessly, and it is not restricted to a couple of weeks.

This represents the price with no frills; no luggage, meals or breathing space, but shows what can be done … adding a few of these frills might add a few hundred dollars, and the choice is up to the passenger. If one can live with carry-on luggage, and buy picnics at the airport, travelling a long way is a pretty easy think to do.

Perhaps I should do this, just for fun.