My 2025 World Tour — The Long Story of How It All Came Together
Intro: This Post Is About the Planning
Before diving into the full story, a quick note:
This post is all about the planning.
This was the most complex itinerary I’ve ever built — a world tour pieced together through award space, routing quirks, schedule changes, and some incredibly lucky timing.
Here, I’m focusing purely on how the itinerary came together: the logic behind every segment, the constraints, and how I connected South America, Africa, Australia, Japan, and Europe into one cohesive journey.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll publish separate posts covering the actual flights, lounges, cities, hotels, and on-the-ground experiences — including Emirates A380 First Class, the Doha stopover, Qantas’ rare southern hemisphere long haul flight, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, and more.
For now, this is Part 0: Planning the World Tour — the blueprint behind the journey.
Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)
Setting the Stage
I live in Tokyo now — no longer with my parents, though they’re still in Japan.
Meanwhile, my younger brother lives in Singapore. Between the four of us, our schedules, and our airports, coordinating family travel is always slightly chaotic. But there’s an extra twist:
Most of our family trips are determined by wherever my parents can find two Business Class award seats.
Anyone who plays the mileage game knows how absurdly hard premium award space can be — and finding two seats on the same flight? Near impossible these days.
Then in late 2024, a key moment.
ANA announced new routes from Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) to Milan (MXP) and Stockholm Arlanda (ARN), launching in early 2025. When ticket sales opened in October 2024, a flood of award space appeared — including plenty of Business Class seats from March 31 onward.
Pro tip: When airlines launch brand-new routes, they often load tons of award seats — sometimes even multiple Business Class seats.
My parents immediately grabbed HND–ARN–HND for May 15–27 in Business Class, planning to make Italy their main destination via separate tickets.
My brother then locked in his journey to Europe — also in Business Class, of course:
Singapore (SIN) → Doha (DOH) → London (LHR) on Qatar Airways, returning Copenhagen (CPH) → Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines, all on points.
And that left me with the fun question:
How should I get to Europe?
Ideas started flying through my head:
Qatar Airways via Doha
Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong
Finnair via Helsinki
Entry via London, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Milan, or Rome
Half the fun of travel is building the itinerary — except this one quickly evolved into something much bigger.
Helsinki Airport
Deciding My Return First: Cairo, Doha, and a Stopover Splurge
Before deciding how to start my world tour, I made an unusual decision:
I planned my return flight first.
I knew I wanted to stay in Europe longer than my parents and fly back to Tokyo over the weekend of May 31–June 1.
And if you know anything about premium fares, you know this:
Cairo (CAI) is famous for cheap Business Class deals.
Having flown ex-Cairo itineraries before, I kept an eye out — and found exactly what I wanted: Qatar Airways, Cairo → Doha → Tokyo, with a 2-night stopover.
I had transited Doha many times, but had never actually visited Doha itself. Perfect excuse.
So back in November, I booked through Qatar Airways Holidays:
Flights (all local times):
QR1306
Cairo (CAI) → Doha (DOH)
May 29, 02:20 → 05:25 (same day)
First Class (marketed as First, but Business cabin)
Doha Stopover
Park Hyatt Doha, 2 nights, breakfast included
“Luxury Stopover” package
QR806
Doha (DOH) → Tokyo Narita (NRT)
May 31, 02:35 → 18:55 (same day)
Business Class (Qsuite)
Total cost: USD 1,356.
Why these flights?
I chose the 02:20 departure from Cairo so I could arrive in Cairo on the evening of May 28 without rushing.
This timing would later become a bottleneck — but at the time, it felt like the safest choice.
I picked Narita (NRT) instead of Haneda because JAL had taken over the DOH–HND route, meaning:
No Qsuite.
And as much as I like Japan Airlines, Qsuite any day over JAL Business Class.
The one downside
The fare booked into Business Lite, which doesn’t include lounge access.
A bit disappointing given how good the Al Mourjan Lounge is at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH). But with oneworld Emerald, I could still visit the Platinum Lounge, and with the flexibility of the Park Hyatt Doha stopover, I planned to spend more time at the hotel anyway.
With that, the end of my trip was locked in.
Everything else — the entire first half, the middle, the transitions, and how to even get to Europe — remained completely unsolved.
Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER Qsuite Business Class
The Hardest Part: Building the Rest of the World Tour
By December, my brother’s Business Class flights were set.
My parents’ Italy plan was set.
And I had only:
CAI → DOH → NRT at the very end of the trip.
But the family trip itself was Milan → Florence → Rome, with my parents starting and ending in Stockholm (ARN). So none of my return plans connected to the departure side.
Thus began months of searching.
Seriously — months.
I spent countless hours on Google Flights, digging through award calendars across multiple airlines, and even considering round-the-world tickets. At the same time, I was developing a set of constraints and themes for what I wanted this world tour to be.
What I wanted this trip to accomplish:
Fly Business Class as much as possible (or First Class if lucky).
Use points or cheap fares wherever possible.
Visit South America for the first time.
Visit South Africa for the first time.
Try the rare southern hemisphere long-haul: Qantas Johannesburg (JNB) – Sydney (SYD).
Maximize my oneworld Emerald status and First Class lounge access before expiry in Aug 2025.
Specifically visit:
Finnair Platinum Wing at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL)
Oneworld lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 3 (BA/QF/CX/AA)
Any remaining oneworld Emerald lounges I hadn’t experienced
Visit a former colleague in Helsinki (HEL).
And if possible… try Emirates First Class departing Dubai (DXB).
But most importantly:
I had to arrive in Cairo (CAI) on the night of May 28.
And I wanted my world tour split into two parts:
Part A: early May → return to Tokyo around May 11
Part B: family trip → late May → return via Cairo
So I needed a round-the-world chain that:
connected South America → South Africa → Australia → Japan → Europe
aligned with the Tokyo → Europe family itinerary
enabled the lounge visits I wanted
and remained reasonably priced
It was like solving a global jigsaw puzzle where every piece moved every few weeks.
Breakthrough: Qantas JNB → SYD and the Japan Return
One key breakthrough happened when I found one single Economy award seat on:
QF64
Johannesburg (JNB) → Sydney (SYD)
May 9, 18:45 → 14:45 (+1)
Economy
36,250 BA Avios + 9,820 JPY
Qantas QF64 Johannesburg (JNB) → Sydney (SYD)
This flight is notoriously difficult to book, and finding even one seat was huge.
It unlocked my entire plan to return to Tokyo.
From Sydney (SYD), I found an incredible fare sold by JAL:
JL52
Sydney (SYD) → Tokyo Haneda (HND)
May 11, 08:55 → 17:45 (same day)
Followed by:
AY62 (sold as JL6877)
Tokyo Haneda (HND) → Helsinki (HEL)
May 14, 21:50 → 04:40 (+1)
AY801 (sold as JL6897)
Helsinki (HEL) → Stockholm (ARN)
May 15, 07:25 → 07:25 (same day)
All for 1,150.65 AUD total.
This was cheaper than a simple one-way Tokyo → Stockholm ticket.
A very satisfying win.
South America Segment: Tokyo → Hong Kong → New York → Buenos Aires
After nearly giving up on South America, I found a paid fare on Cathay + American that worked perfectly:
CX543
Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) → Hong Kong (HKG)
Apr 25, 10:05 → 13:50 (same day)
CX844
Hong Kong (HKG) → New York (JFK)
Apr 26, 02:15 → 06:00 (same day)
AA953
New York (JFK) → Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE)
Apr 26, 22:25 → 10:15 (+1)
All for 154,280 JPY (Economy).
This routing gave me:
A short time in Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific lounges at HKG
A day in New York
A reasonably priced entry into South America
And it set me up perfectly for the next segment.
American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER at New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport
South America → Europe: The BA Buenos Aires–London Discovery
Flights between South America and South Africa are:
limited,
expensive,
and often difficult to book on points.
But I discovered a British Airways service:
London (LHR) → Rio de Janeiro (GIG) → Buenos Aires (EZE) and vice versa.
Award space was basically nonexistent — except for one miraculous set of dates:
BA248
Buenos Aires (EZE) → Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
Apr 30, 12:15 → 15:05 (same day)
Economy (World Traveller)
13,750 Avios + 95 JPY
Then the next day:
BA248
Rio de Janeiro (GIG) → London Heathrow (LHR)
May 1, 16:35 → 07:55 (+1)
Economy (World Traveller)
35,000 Avios + 1,470 JPY
Booking this as one long segment on a different date would have cost ~40,000 JPY in taxes alone.
Breaking it saved money — and paid for the overnight in Rio.
During the EZE → GIG sector, I was also unexpectedly upgraded from Economy to Club World (Business Class) thanks to BA Gold.
A small but welcome win.
Europe → South Africa: London → Helsinki → Doha → Cape Town
Now in London, I needed to get to Cape Town (CPT).
I wanted Finnair for the Platinum Wing, plus the chance to see a former colleague in Helsinki.
I found an incredible fare:
Helsinki (HEL) → Doha (DOH) → Cape Town (CPT) for 395.44 EUR (Economy)
(Finnair + Qatar Airways)
So I pieced it together:
AY1336
London Heathrow (LHR T3) → Helsinki (HEL)
May 2, 16:10 → 21:00 (same day)
Business Class
18,000 Avios + 12,230 JPY
Then:
QR6121 (operated by Finnair)
Helsinki (HEL) → Doha (DOH)
May 4, 17:10 → 23:55 (same day)
QR1369
Doha (DOH) → Cape Town (CPT)
May 5, 02:05 → 10:50 (same day)
Only one issue:
My original Finnair flight (AY1336) was canceled due to IAU strikes.
I was automatically rebooked:
BA974
London (LHR T5) → Hamburg (HAM)
May 2, 14:25 → 17:05
Club Europe (Business Class)
AY1426
Hamburg (HAM) → Helsinki (HEL)
May 2, 18:15 → 21:05
Business Class
This killed my Terminal 3 lounge hopping… but it was the only way to stay on schedule.
South African Airways SA326 Cape Town to Johannesburg, looking down over Stellenbosch
South Africa → Australia → Japan: Cape Town → Johannesburg → Sydney → Tokyo
This part was straightforward:
SA326
Cape Town (CPT) → Johannesburg (JNB)
May 9, 11:05 → 13:05 (same day)
Economy
2,089.65 ZAR
Then the rare southern hemisphere long-haul:
QF64
Johannesburg (JNB) → Sydney (SYD)
May 9, 18:45 → 14:45 (+1)
Economy
36,250 Avios + 9,820 JPY
Then back to Japan and on to Europe:
JL52
Sydney (SYD) → Tokyo Haneda (HND)
May 11, 08:55 → 17:45 (same day)
AY62 (JL6877)
Tokyo Haneda (HND) → Helsinki (HEL)
May 14, 21:50 → 04:40 (+1)
AY801 (JL6897)
Helsinki (HEL) → Stockholm (ARN)
May 15, 07:25 → 07:25 (same day)
Then joining my parents on SAS:
SK2689
Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) → Milan (MXP)
May 15, 17:05 → 19:55 (same day)
21,280 JPY
At this point, the entire first half — plus how I’d reach the family trip — was set.
Only one segment remained:
Rome (FCO) → Cairo (CAI) before my Qatar flight.
The Rome–Cairo Headache (and How It Led to Emirates First Class)
My first attempt:
RJ102
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) → Amman (AMM)
May 25, 18:05 → 22:45 (same day)
RJ505
Amman (AMM) → Cairo (CAI)
May 28, 18:50 → 20:30 (same day)
30,000 JAL miles + 19,290 JPY.
Two days later, RJ102 was canceled.
Scrapped.
Second attempt:
I booked Emirates First Class Dubai (DXB) → Amman (AMM) to connect onward — but RJ505 changed schedules again, now arriving into Cairo at 00:35 on May 29, far too close to my 02:20 Qatar flight.
Scrapped again.
Then, while in Buenos Aires, I refreshed the Emirates system…
And finally — First Class space opened for:
EK923
Dubai (DXB) → Cairo (CAI)
May 28, 15:15 → 18:05 (same day)
A380 First Class
63,000 Emirates miles + AED 980
Emirates Airbus A380 First Class
I booked instantly.
Now I just had to get from Rome (FCO) to Dubai (DXB) — ideally via London Heathrow Terminal 3 for the full oneworld lounge circuit.
Using JAL’s single-partner award chart, I stitched together:
BA555 FCO → LHR (T5) — May 25
BA762 LHR (T3) → Oslo (OSL) — May 26
BA761 Oslo (OSL) → LHR (T5) — May 27
BA105 LHR (T5) → Dubai (DXB) — May 27
All in Business Class
for 60,000 JAL miles + 43,440 JPY
This gave me:
Leaving Rome almost the same time as my parents (check)
Recovering my long-awaited LHR Terminal 3 lounge hopping (check)
A bonus day in Oslo — my first time in Norway (check)
Positioning into Dubai for Emirates First (check)
First Class Lounge access in Dubai (check)
It took until May 22, literally the final days, but I made it work.
Full Routing Summary (Chronological)
Part 1: Asia → North America → South America
HND → HKG → JFK → EZE → GIG
Part 2: South America → Europe → Middle East → Africa
GIG → LHR → HEL → DOH → CPT
Part 3: Africa → Australia → Japan
CPT → JNB → SYD → HND
Part 4: Japan → Europe (Family Trip)
HND → HEL → ARN → MXP → FLR → FCO
Part 5: Europe → Middle East → Africa → Middle East → Japan
FCO → LHR → OSL → LHR → DXB → CAI → DOH → NRT
All in all, 22 flights!
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) Terminal 5
And Looking Back… I Miraculously Hit Almost All My Goals
Fly Business or First Class as much as possible → Yes, including Emirates A380 First
Visit South America for the first time → Buenos Aires, plus Rio
Visit South Africa for the first time → Cape Town
Try Qantas’ rare JNB → SYD → Check
Maximize oneworld Emerald lounges → Visited almost every key one
Fly via Helsinki → Yes
Visit the full spread of Oneworld lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 3 → Yes (despite cancellations)
Stopover in Doha → Yes, Park Hyatt Doha
When I first started planning back in November 2024, I genuinely thought maybe half of this would happen.
But somehow — through schedule changes, last-minute award space opening, partner award charts, a lot of persistence, and honestly a fair amount of luck — everything came together.
This was without a doubt the most complicated routing I’ve ever built.
And also one of the most rewarding.
