How RTW travel direction (eastward vs westward) affects jet lag, pricing, hub routing, and booking availability.
Westward travel produces less severe jet lag, roughly 2/3 day adjustment per time zone vs. 1 day for eastward.
Direction doesn't
Quick facts
Eastward jet lag adjustment
~1 day per time zoneas of May 2026
Westward jet lag adjustment
~2/3 day per time zoneas of May 2026
SYD-LAX bookability
80% on RTW faresas of May 2026
SYD-JFK direct bookability
0% on RTW faresas of May 2026
The Physics of Direction (Jet Lag, Time Zones)
When you circumnavigate the globe, you cross every time zone, and the question is which direction you experience them. This isn't trivial. The direction you travel affects jet lag severity, how you experience daylight, and how your body adapts to the trip.
Traveling eastward means losing time. You skip forward through time zones, and your days get shorter. Flying from Los Angeles to Tokyo, you lose a calendar day crossing the International Date Line. Your body's circadian rhythm has to compress, which most people find harder to adjust to. Sleep research consistently shows that eastward travel produces more severe jet lag, roughly one day of adjustment per time zone crossed going east, versus about two-thirds of a day going west.
Traveling westward means gaining time. Your days get longer, and your body gets extra hours to adjust. Most travelers report that westward travel feels easier. You're essentially staying up later rather than forcing yourself to sleep earlier. Flying from Asia to Europe to the Americas, you're "following the sun," and the longer days help your body clock shift gradually.
Here's a practical way to think about it. If you normally go to bed at 11pm and you fly east across 8 time zones, your body wants to sleep at 3pm local time. You have to force yourself to stay awake. If you fly west across those same 8 time zones, your body wants to sleep at 7am local time. You just need to stay up a bit longer the night before. Most people find "stay up later" much easier than "fall asleep earlier." That's the core of why westward travel feels gentler.
On an RTW trip, you cross all 24 time zones no matter which way you go. The difference is how you experience the big jumps. A westward trip puts the largest time zone shift (the transpacific crossing, 14-17 hours from the US East Coast) in the "easy" direction. An eastward trip puts the transatlantic crossing (5-8 hours) in the hard direction, but that's a smaller shift. Then the transpacific return goes westward, which is the easy direction for the biggest jump. So eastward routing gives you a moderate hit at the start and an easy ride home. Westward routing gives you an easy start and an easy finish, but the middle segments (Asia to Europe) involve smaller eastward shifts that accumulate.
For most travelers, this is a factor but not the deciding one. If you're the kind of person who adjusts quickly, direction won't matter much. If jet lag hits you hard, westward has a real advantage, especially at the start of your trip when you want to hit the ground ready to explore rather than sleeping through your first two days in a new city.
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The traditional eastward RTW route leaves from the Americas, crosses the Atlantic to Europe, continues east through the Middle East or directly to Asia, crosses the Pacific back to the Americas. Example: New York → London → Istanbul → Bangkok → Tokyo → Los Angeles → New York.
Advantages of eastward: Europe is your first major stop, which is an easy cultural transition for North American travelers. The language barriers are lower, the infrastructure is familiar, and the time zone shift is manageable (5-8 hours). You hit Asia in the middle of your trip when you're most adapted to travel mode. The transpacific leg (Asia to Americas) is a "following the sun" westward flight, so the longest leg goes in the easier jet lag direction.
There's a psychological benefit too. Starting in Europe lets you ease into the rhythm of long-term travel. By the time you reach Southeast Asia or India, you've already figured out your packing system, your airport routine, and your tolerance for 12-hour flights. The cultural intensity ramps up gradually rather than hitting you on day one.
Disadvantages of eastward: The transatlantic leg (Americas to Europe) goes against the sun. You arrive exhausted and start your trip jet-lagged. A typical red-eye from New York lands in London at 7am local time, and your body thinks it's 2am. You'll lose most of your first day to recovery. If your trip includes the Middle East as a connection, eastward routing through Doha or Dubai to Asia works well, but direct Middle East-to-Americas connections on RTW fares are unreliable.
Another practical issue: peak summer availability. The transatlantic legs in June through August are the most competitive routes in the entire RTW system. If you're starting an eastward trip in July, you may face tight availability on the New York to London leg. Booking early (3-4 months out) helps, but it's a real constraint that westward routing avoids since your July departure goes transpacific instead.
Hub routing for eastward: LHR is the primary transatlantic hub. From Europe, route through IST (Turkish Airlines), DOH (Qatar Airways via LHR or HKG), or directly to BKK/SIN. For transpacific return, use NRT/HND to LAX/SFO (strongest availability) or SYD-LAX via Qantas.
A note on the Europe-to-Asia connection: Turkish Airlines through Istanbul is one of the best-kept secrets in RTW routing. IST connects to practically everywhere in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Turkish is a Star Alliance member with strong RTW fare class availability, and Istanbul itself is a great 2-3 day stopover. If you're routing eastward on a Star Alliance product, IST should be on your radar.
For oneworld eastward routing, the Europe-to-Asia connection typically runs through Doha on Qatar Airways. But remember: Qatar direct to the US has poor RTW bookability. So your return path needs to go Doha to Hong Kong (Qatar, 78% bookability), then Hong Kong to Los Angeles (Cathay Pacific, 68% bookability). Plan the return routing before you commit to the eastward direction.
Westward Routes: Following the Sun
Westward RTW routes leave from the Americas heading west across the Pacific to Asia, continue through the Middle East and/or Europe, and cross the Atlantic back. Example: San Francisco → Tokyo → Bangkok → Delhi → Istanbul → London → San Francisco.
Advantages of westward: You start the trip going with the sun. The transpacific leg (Americas to Asia) has you arriving with a long evening ahead, which is easier for adjustment. You hit Europe near the end of your trip, arriving refreshed from Asia. And the transatlantic return (Europe to Americas) is also westward, following the sun home.
The practical advantage is real. Flying San Francisco to Tokyo, you depart in the afternoon and arrive in the evening local time the next day. You've lost a calendar day crossing the Date Line, but your body is only 8 hours ahead. Have dinner, go to bed at a reasonable local time, and you wake up surprisingly functional. Compare that to the eastward transatlantic arrival where you land at 7am having not slept, facing a full day with a body that's 5 hours behind.
Westward routing also gives you a strong finish. Ending your trip in Europe before the transatlantic return means your last major cultural experience is in a familiar, comfortable environment. You're wrapping up the trip relaxed rather than processing culture shock. And the Europe-to-Americas flight home goes with the sun, so you arrive in the afternoon or evening feeling decent.
Disadvantages of westward: Asia is your first major stop, which can be a more intense cultural entry point. The time zone shift to Asia is dramatic (14-17 hours from the US East Coast), and you experience it right at the start of your trip. If you're not an experienced traveler, this can be disorienting.
Tokyo or Hong Kong are forgiving first stops in Asia. Modern, efficient, English-friendly enough to get around. Bangkok or Delhi as a first stop is a different story. If you're going westward and Asia is new to you, choose your entry city carefully. Start with a city that has good public transit, clear signage, and reliable infrastructure. Save the more chaotic destinations for after you've gotten your travel legs.
There's also a seasonal consideration. Westward means your transpacific departure is at the start. If you're leaving in January, that's fine: transpacific availability is solid in winter. If you're leaving in peak summer, the LAX/SFO to Asia legs are busy but generally less constrained than the transatlantic summer routes that eastward travelers face.
Hub routing for westward: LAX/SFO are the primary transpacific departure hubs. Route through NRT (ANA/Japan Airlines) or HKG (Cathay Pacific) as your Asia-Pacific entry point. From Asia, SIN or HKG connect to Middle East/Europe. For the transatlantic return, LHR to US East Coast has the strongest availability.
Critical routing note: virtually all RTW transpacific legs should route through the US West Coast. It doesn't matter if you live in New York or Miami. Fly domestically to LAX or SFO, then cross the Pacific. Direct transpacific flights from East Coast cities (JFK to Sydney, for example) have near-zero bookability on RTW fare classes. SYD to JFK direct: 0% bookability across 235 tested samples. SYD to LAX: 80%. That's not a marginal difference. It's the difference between a trip that books and one that doesn't.
How Direction Affects Price
On alliance RTW products, direction itself doesn't change the base fare. An eastbound and westbound ticket at the same mileage tier costs the same. But direction affects which specific flights you book, and that affects availability and therefore bookability.
In practice, westward routing on oneworld tends to have slightly better availability because Cathay Pacific (HKG) and Qantas (SYD-LAX) provide strong transpacific options going west-to-east. Eastward routing on Star Alliance benefits from strong ANA and EVA Air availability on east-to-west transpacific legs.
On custom multi-stop itineraries, direction can affect price significantly. Some fare components price differently depending on direction of travel, and the fare construction logic (mileage system vs. routing system) may produce different results for the same cities in opposite directions.
Here's where it gets specific. A client wants to visit London, Bangkok, Sydney, and Los Angeles. Eastward: JFK to LHR (British Airways), LHR to BKK (Qatar via DOH), BKK to SYD (Qantas), SYD to LAX (Qantas), LAX to JFK (American). Westward: JFK to LAX (American), LAX to SYD (Qantas), SYD to BKK (Qantas or Thai), BKK to LHR (Qatar via DOH), LHR to JFK (British Airways). Same cities. Potentially different prices because the fare components, carrier combinations, and availability differ by direction. On alliance products the base fare is identical, but whether those specific flights are available in the required fare class is a different question entirely.
The real pricing difference shows up on custom multi-stop builds (not alliance RTW products). On these itineraries, your consultant is stitching together individual fare components. Direction determines which components are available and how they combine. It's not unusual to see a $500-$1,000 difference between eastward and westward pricing on the same set of cities when built as a custom itinerary.
When price is a factor (and when isn't it?), ask your consultant to quote both directions. It takes extra time, but on itineraries over $5,000, the savings can be meaningful.
Hub City Logic by Direction
The major RTW hubs work differently depending on your direction of travel:
Hong Kong (HKG): Critical hub for both directions. Eastward, it connects Southeast Asia to the Pacific. Westward, it's the Asia-Pacific entry from LAX/SFO. Cathay Pacific provides strong connections in both directions. Also the key connection point for routing Qatar Airways. Doha to HKG works well; Doha direct to the US does not.
HKG is arguably the single most important hub in RTW routing. It solves the Middle East connectivity problem (Qatar routes through it cleanly), it bridges the intra-Asia dead legs (Japan Airlines can't book NRT to Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, or Jakarta on RTW fares, but Cathay can connect through HKG to all of them), and it has strong transpacific connections to the US West Coast. If your itinerary touches Asia in any meaningful way, HKG is probably in your routing whether you stop there or just connect through it.
London Heathrow (LHR): Primary transatlantic hub in both directions. Eastward, it's your entry to Europe with onward connections to the Middle East and Asia. Westward, it's your Europe-to-Americas return. British Airways fuel surcharges can be high, so consider routing via other European hubs (FRA on Lufthansa, IST on Turkish) for lower costs.
The BA surcharge issue is worth understanding. British Airways adds substantial carrier-imposed surcharges on long-haul flights, sometimes $300-$500 per leg. If your routing goes through LHR on BA metal, that cost is baked into your fare. Routing through Frankfurt on Lufthansa (Star Alliance) or through Helsinki on Finnair (oneworld) can reduce this significantly. Your consultant knows these trade-offs and will flag them.
Singapore (SIN): Asia-Pacific hub connecting Oceania to Asia and onward to Europe/Middle East. Singapore Airlines provides excellent connections. Works well in both directions, but especially strong for westward routing connecting Australia/New Zealand to Southeast Asia and beyond.
SIN also solves the Australia-to-Europe "kangaroo route" problem. Flying Qantas SYD to LHR direct has only 6% bookability on RTW fares. Route it SYD to SIN (Qantas or Singapore Airlines), then SIN onward to Europe, and both legs book cleanly. Singapore is a great 2-3 day stopover too. Clean, safe, incredible food, easy to get around.
Los Angeles/San Francisco (LAX/SFO): The transpacific gateway. Virtually all RTW transpacific legs should route through the US West Coast. Direct connections from Asia to US East Coast cities are largely unbookable on RTW fares. SYD-JFK direct: 0% bookability. SYD-LAX: 80%.
Vancouver (YVR) is worth mentioning as a third option. Air Canada and Cathay Pacific both serve YVR with decent RTW availability, and it can work well for travelers in the Pacific Northwest or western Canada. But LAX and SFO remain the primary gateways with the deepest availability.
The Bottom Line
If jet lag management is a priority, go westward. You'll travel with the sun, days will feel longer, and your body will adapt more easily. If you want an easy cultural on-ramp starting in Europe, go eastward. If price is the deciding factor, compare both directions for your specific routing. The difference may be negligible on alliance products but significant on custom builds.
Most AirTreks clients don't choose direction for philosophical reasons. They choose it because their specific city list flows better one way. If your non-negotiable cities are Tokyo, Bangkok, and London, westward (Pacific first) and eastward (Atlantic first) produce similar routings. The choice comes down to which transpacific and transatlantic connections have the best availability and pricing for your dates.
A few practical rules of thumb. If your trip includes Australia or New Zealand, westward often works better because the LAX/SFO to SYD/AKL transpacific leg has strong westward availability on Qantas and Air New Zealand. If your trip is heavy on Europe (3+ European cities), eastward lets you knock those out first without backtracking. If you're including South America, direction matters less than which alliance you use (oneworld with American Airlines handles South American coverage; LATAM left oneworld in 2020 and has zero RTW fare class availability). If your trip includes Africa, eastward through Europe then south to Africa tends to route more cleanly than westward through Asia to Africa.
And if you truly can't decide? Ask your consultant to price both directions. The availability check will often make the decision for you. One direction will have better fare class availability on the key legs, and that's your answer. Don't overthink the theory. The practical reality of what flights are available at what price on your specific dates will point you in the right direction.
