RTW Flights advice!

That price is very good..as you say,the weather is not optimal-that's why it is so much cheaper than doing it the other way around.

So..you have several options...do it like that,and suffer the heat in some places and the cold in others.Or do it the other way,and pay more.

The third option is the one I would choose..do it yourself.Get a flight to your first (most wanted) destination,and stay there long enough to do what you want to do.

Then..if you still have time,go to your next one.IF not,go home.

This may well cost more (or not-depends where you go) but it allows you the freedom to change plans as you go,which IMHO is worth the possible extra cost..

I see little point in going to a place at a time of year when the weather does not suit you. Price is only one criteria in planning travel.

There are many different ways to skin a cat as the saying goes. I agree with lucapal that you should look at third alternatives. For example it may be just as cheap to buy a return ticket UK-Singapore-Australia and then a return ticket UK-US-UK. You would just have a one week visit at home in between possibly.

UK to Australia is possible for 650 GBP and UK to US for 400 GBP. That's a total of 1050.

I've spoken with a few people who have successfully gone for the go-home-halfway-through option suggested by lucapal and Nauta, above. If you have time on your hands to do some research it's possible to do this almost entirely on low cost airlines:

UK to Istanbul: easyJet
Istanbul to Sharjah (close to Dubai): Air Arabia
Sharjah to Colombo: Air Arabia
Colombo to Singapore: Tiger Airways
Singapore to Australia: Tiger Airways
Australia to NZ and back: Virgin Blue
Australia (Melbourne or Sydney) to Hawaii: Jetstar
Hawaii to Las Vegas: Allegiant Air (seasonal to California)
Canada to UK: Air Transat or Thomas Cook (not really low cost but often cheap)

Another company worth trying is www.roundtheworldflights.com.

Great post from OllyB. But I'd recommend pegasus (a Turkish airline) instead of easyjet for the London to Istanbul leg.
They're just a bit nicer, give you a designated seat when you check in, and don't charge for a bag.

Thanks for the help guys. I hadn't realised I had got any replies thought it would notify me by email - maybe I missed it. Great posts, looks like I may be going for a shorter time on less money due to my friend dropping out. Not really sure what to do anymore! But will look into the suggested itinery and he an appointment with sta travel at the weekend. Thanks again!