RTW TP Run in Jan 2026

By Nige on January 12, 2026 at 7:26 am
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: AA | American Airlines | Announcements | BA | British Airways | Cathay Pacific | CX | Fiji Airways | FJ | Japan Airlines | JL | Qantas Airways | Qatar Airways | QF | QR

Wow – where did this trip come from?

I’ve wanted to do a Round the World (RTW) trip for as long as I can remember. It was always one of those “one day” ideas — something the Vickster and I might build into a future Australia trip, or perhaps save for a milestone year.

But this trip? This one genuinely came out of nowhere.

By the end of 2024, I had more or less given up on renewing my British Airways Gold Guest List (GGL) status. BA’s December overhaul of its Frequent Flyer Programme felt like the final nail in the coffin. The value proposition had shifted, the rules had changed, and I had mentally parked the idea of chasing status altogether.

Then, almost by accident, I started hearing rumours.

New ways of maximising the earning of new Tier Points (nTPs). Creative routings. Opportunities hiding in plain sight. Curiosity got the better of me, and I began asking questions.

My first port of call was Propeller Travel, which had become something of a fixture on FlyerTalk in recent years. We had some initial discussions, but it quickly became clear that nothing meaningful was going to come from that route.

Fortunately, FlyerTalk has a habit of rewarding persistence.

Through a couple of well-connected FT members, I was introduced to an opportunity that immediately made my pulse quicken: a genuine Round the World itinerary, built around two Oneworld DONE4 tickets. Add in positioning flights, and suddenly this wasn’t just a trip — it was an aviation marathon.

The numbers still make me smile:

• 34 flights
• Just under 106,000 miles
• Split into two distinct phases

The first part ran over three weeks in January and February 2026. The second would follow with a one-week sprint in May 2026.

This blog is the story of that journey — the planning, the flying, the lounges, the seats, the airports, the cities, and the inevitable moments of exhaustion and awe along the way. A trip of a lifetime, by any measure.

There was only one downside. I was doing it without my best friend.

Next up: The preparation involved in my Round The World trip of a lifetime.

An index of all posts in this story can be found below:

Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026