Route notes
Why this routing works
This seven-week economy itinerary is built as a westbound arc from Costa Rica to North America, across East Asia, onward through Southeast Asia, then into Europe before returning to Costa Rica. The stop pattern mixes shorter city breaks with longer stays, including a week each in Tokyo and Shanghai and a two-week base in Zurich.
One surface sector breaks up the China portion of the trip: the flight path ends in Shanghai, overland travel connects Shanghai to Beijing, and the next flight resumes from Beijing. Using that open segment avoids backtracking within China and keeps the onward routing pointed in the same direction toward Hanoi and Bangkok.
From Southeast Asia, the itinerary continues in a single long-haul progression through Istanbul, Zurich and Madrid before the final return to San Jose. That sequencing keeps the trip moving steadily west while limiting repeated crossings, with the shortest European stay placed at the end just before the journey home.