Over the past several weeks, seasonal rains that are heavier than usual have resulted in widespread flooding in Thailand. While the flooding is having some impact on tourism, key tourist destinations and attractions throughout Thailand have not been affected by the floods and most remain open. The floods are mainly affecting the provinces in central, north and northeast Thailand. Provinces in the south have not been affected by the floods.

We at roundtheworldflights.com are very proud to be the Daily Mail's Website of the Week Click here

To quote the esteemed organ " Considering a big trip, whether as part of a gap year or as a chunk of time off work? Then you might want to invest in a round-the-world, or RTW, flight ticket. With so many options, working out which to choose is complicated.You're best off turning to a company that specialises in RTW bookings - such as roundtheworldflights.com"

September newsletter out now here

David Whitley looks into reading on the road, and tries to work out what sort of books enrich the experience.

I don’t regret many things (other than excessive alcohol intake the next morning) but one thing frequently hits me when I’m on the road. I’ll go somewhere surprisingly interesting, and the same regret strikes. “I wish,” I’ll think, “that I’d read up on this a bit more before getting here.” Everybody wants something different from their holiday reading. Some people want entertainment – page-turning crime thrillers that can be ploughed through in airports or on long, otherwise boring flights. I’m partly in that camp – anything weighty and worthy on a plane tends to be really hard work.

The following commercial policy options are available to Qantas customers holding a valid Qantas round the world flight issued on/before 23 May 2011 for travel to/from Scotland and Newcastle who wish to make changes to their booking for travel up to and including 30 May 2011.

Latest information as at 3:00pm AEDT 22 December 2010.

Qantas continues to experience significant delays and disruptions to services between Australia and Europe due to severe weather conditions. Qantas recognises that the Christmas holiday period is an extremely busy time for travel to and from Europe and is attempting to provide as much assistance as possible to customers affected while working to secure arrival and departure times at Heathrow.  Qantas customers booked to travel to and from Europe should regularly check the Flight Status page on qantas.com for the latest updates on their specific departure times.

If you are visiting or transiting through the USA you must provide additional information as explained below.

If you are entering, departing or connecting through the USA from 1st November 2010 you must provide passenger information required by the US authorities under the Secure Flight Program. No airline will allow a passenger to board a flight to or from the USA unless clearance has been received at least 3 days prior to departure.

This is a recipe inspired by Terence Carter's Grantourismo blog. If you haven't read Lara and Terence's blog then I suggest you catch up here or follow them on twitter @gran_tourismo

David Whitley finds himself in the Spanish capital as 2010’s biggest street party erupts.

I’ve never heard a national anthem sung so vociferously. Which, given that the Spanish national anthem doesn’t actually have any lyrics, is no mean feat. Still, as the night unfolded, I’d learned that most Spanish songs are heavy on the “lo, lo, lo, lo” – whether they’re about Iker Casillas to the tune of Seven Nation Army or Andres Iniesta to Can’t Take My Eyes Of You.

Image via BBC news

Although Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and City have reopened the reality is passengers may have to be patient for a bit longer. Airlines are restarting today but there will be delays. We have reissued loads of tickets but it looks like most major RTW airlines will be flying out of Heathrow tonight.

The overall level of the advice has changed; we no longer advise against all but essential travel to the whole country. 

The overall level of the advice has not changed on; the FCO currently advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Thailand. More details here

Okay the latest policy as of 1100 on Tuesday 19th May allows roundtheworldflights.com passengers worried about travelling to Bangkok to either avoid Bangkok or to date change their Qantas RTW tickets free of charge. The details are here.

Things are happening fast and changing but this is the latest from the FCO

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and the Terrorism/Security and Local Travel sections (violence in Bangkok). The overall level of the advice has changed; we currently advise against all but essential travel to Bangkok; against all travel to some specific areas of Thailand and all but essential travel to other specific areas of Thailand.

All UK airports can reopen from 2200 BST on Tuesday, the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said.

He added that after the ban was lifted it would be up to airlines to bring flight schedules back on track.

The statement was delivered after consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority and a reassessment of the risk to aircraft from volcanic ash.

Some restrictions will remain in place, but they will be much smaller than those enforced under the current ban.

Dame Deirdre Hutton, of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said there had been detailed consultation with experts to reassess the tolerance of planes to the ash cloud.

There is no change to the advice issued at 2pm today.

UK authorities advise that current UK / Europe airspace restrictions will remain in place until at least midnight tonight Tuesday 20 April (NZ time).

The situation is highly changeable with reports of increased volcanic activity potentially causing further disruption.

As a result, Air New Zealand continues to strongly advise passengers with travel plans to affected parts of the UK and Europe to NOT commence their travel today. This applies to any Air New Zealand service and any connecting flight on another carrier to affected parts of UK / Europe.

We have announced today that we will resume our services between Europe and Australia and Asia and Europe on Wednesday 21 April (local times)

Scheduled services between Australia and Europe via Asia will recommence tomorrow Thursday 22 April.

Qantas is working with the relevant airport authorities to gain the appropriate clearances to operate supplementary flights between Australia and Europe.

Qantas has made further changes to its scheduled services.

Image via BBC news

We are constantly monitoring the Ash cloud situation and will update this page as necessary. The following procedures have been put in place to assist passengers who have travel plans booked for the next few days. However the sitution is very fluid and changing on an hourly basis. Below is a general summary of the airlines change policies, although all airlines vary most are allowing free date changes. This is an unprecedented situation and we do ask you to bear with us - but this is where we are posting the latest airspace news here

Air New Zealand have streamlined their baggage allowances so there’s one easy-to-remember allowance on all their long haul flights; Basically they will start charging for more than one checked in bag - this will affect quite a few RTW flight deals - so ask your consultants for details. Worth pointing out that  fuel surcharges haven't increased on Air NZ recently (although fuel has) and they are one of the few airlines that still allow surfboards. They are also a pretty darn comfortable airline to fly. Still they were one of the last airlines that still embraced the old "piece system" for flying via the Americas, and we think it's all a wee bit sad.

Following advice from the Met Office, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has introduced restrictions to UK airspace this morning as a result of volcanic ash drifting across the UK from Iceland. These measures currently affect almost all airports. Passengers intending to fly today must contact their airline for further information and should expect disruption in the coming hours. 

If you are a British national, and travelling abroad, or planning to do so, especially to Thailand should use the FCOs LOCATE service. The FCO are encouraging all British nationals travelling and living abroad to register with LOCATE, even for short trips.

Updated 4 flights within Australia deal from £1076; UK Tokyo Sydney Uluru Cairns Brisbane Melbourne Hong Kong UK

http://bit.ly/df1PSg

Hmmm. So if you fly the same route, albeit with different airlines, then the Star RTW is now £1700 more than the Columbus RTW for most of the year....eg In May the Star RTW is £3499 vs Columbus RTW at £1599 ie UK Jo'burg Hanoi surface Bangkok OZ NZ Cooks USA UK . More details here