One of the major perks of booking your own round the world trip is the freedom that it offers you. You can travel exactly where you want to go, whenever you want to go, and with the growing number of airlines and routes out there, the options are vast. There are money saving tips that you can use along the way, so your round the world adventure need not be prohibitively expensive either.

There are round the world packages available, but if you want to do it yourself the obvious place to start is to choose your dream destinations first. You can get inspiration from fellow travellers online, from travel books, your favourite films, even music. Once you have your destinations in place, you can use this as your basis for setting out your schedule and checking out your transport options.

Once you have your destinations in place, all you need to do is join the dots. The internet makes it easier than ever to research all of your airline options as well as alternative transport methods. If you are looking to save, then allow your travel schedule to be as open as possible so that you can look for cheaper fares that will become available depending on when you choose to fly.

When booking your own flights, bear in mind that flying into and out of major airports can be more expensive as there is a higher demand for flights to and from these airports. Take a look and see if there are any small airports nearby – they could be just a cheap connecting flight, train ride or bus journey from where you want to be.

When booking your own flights, remember that discount airlines from your own country may not have the most extensive routes, but there are discount airlines in every country. Try Southwest Airlines in the US, WizzAir in Eastern Europe and Air Berlin in Germany for example, for cheaper routes within these countries.

To save yourself a lot of research and leg work, you have an easier option when it comes to booking your flights. RTW or Round the World fares are basically package tickets available from a range of travel agencies and airlines that are an all inclusive ticket that allows you to make a varying number of stopovers depending on how much you are willing to pay.

When booking RTW tickets, try to compare as many as possible. Each RTW will have its own route, some geared more towards US and South American travel, other better-suited to exploring the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.