Route notes
Why this routing works
This itinerary is built as a true westbound multi-stop loop from San Francisco, crossing the Pacific first to Auckland and Sydney, then stepping up through Seoul and Kathmandu before entering Europe via Istanbul. From there, the route continues as a dense sequence of shorter intra-Europe sectors through Tirana, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Oslo, and Reykjavik before the final transatlantic return to San Francisco.
The sequencing spreads the longest flight segments across the beginning and end of the trip, with a mix of medium- and short-haul flights in between. That structure is useful on a 27-week plan because it limits repeated backtracking and keeps the ticket focused on forward movement across regions rather than separate roundtrips.
As a ticketing pattern, this is a complex open-jaw-style multi-stop itinerary rather than a simple out-and-back fare. It combines Pacific crossings, an Asia segment, and an extended Europe chain in one economy ticket, which is where multi-stop planning matters most: keeping the order logical, preserving connection flow, and fitting many cities into one overall fare framework.
With departure in March, the route starts in the January-to-March season window and gives a long timeline for spacing out each stop. The sold price range on this economy itinerary was USD 2,720 to USD 4,789, reflecting a substantial 15-city routing anchored by San Francisco at both ends.