Route notes
Why this routing works
This 3-week round-the-world itinerary keeps the long-haul structure simple: New York City out to Southeast Asia, an open segment into Bangkok, then short regional flights through Siem Reap, Phuket, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur before the final return to New York City. The overland arrival into Bangkok creates flexibility at the front end of the trip while keeping the ticketed flight sequence intact from that point forward.
Within Southeast Asia, the routing uses Bangkok twice: first as the point where the ticketed flight sequence begins after the overland segment, and later as a practical reconnection stop between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur. That 1-night Bangkok stop helps separate regional sectors rather than forcing a same-day onward connection, which can be useful on a multi-stop economy ticket.
Timing is compact but workable for this route: 3 nights in Phuket, 1 night in Bangkok, and 2 nights in Kuala Lumpur are defined on the itinerary, with the remaining trip time split across the open segment and earlier stops. For travelers pricing out a May departure, this sold routing came in from USD 3,803 in economy, giving a clear benchmark for a 3-week RTW with four Southeast Asia stops plus the transpacific or transatlantic positioning from New York City.