The decision was taken quickly. I woke up one morning and I knew this was the day I was going to book round-the-world tickets. My budget was $3,000. A significant outlay for airline tickets, but considering around-the-world journeys can cost up to $15,000, I was swimming in the shallow end of the pool in terms of budget.

Luckily, the day I opened my laptop and began my search it was Black Friday and cheap international flight deals were plentiful. I used a combination of Skyscanner Price Alerts and multi-city searches to plot my route around the globe and book when airfare dropped. You could do the same right now.

I completed my 30-day around-the-world flights visiting Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bali, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, with stopovers in London, Helsinki, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and Reykjavík. The total flight cost was $2,938.78.

Here’s how you can book your international adventure for less too.

How I took control of booking flights

While the actual flight search took seconds to complete and the entire trip was booked within an action-packed 20 minutes of online activity, I had been thinking about a round the world journey for the last five years.

In truth, it had been a daydream for much of my adult life, but the idea lingered during vacations in the United States and Europe. Things started to take shape during my first visits to Nepal and India. I was starting to be bolder with online travel bookings. The logistics seemed increasingly possible.

In the meantime, all around us there has been a quiet revolution in air travel. New international airlines have entered the market with modern fleets connecting popular destinations. More-expansive airline alliances have created greater flexibility in flight options, too, and the ability to easily book your bags through to your next destination reduces stress. Increased competition and the next generation of aircraft offering increased energy and fuel efficiencies have further reduced the cost of long-haul flights.

Most importantly, booking a round-the-world ticket is no longer a complicated endeavor reserved for travel agents. It can now be booked online thanks to sites like Skyscanner, which offers a comprehensive view of the best flights available. Even a complex trip involving many different destinations can be booked with a few clicks online or in the app.

How I created my itinerary

I’m going to lay out how this all came to be, and then explain in detail how to use Skyscanner's flight search tools to get the right flights at a great price.

I started with Hong Kong. My friend and his wife moved there with their son and I wanted to visit to spend time with them and take advantage of their local knowledge. So I began looking at the range of prices for flights to Hong Kong International Airport and set up a Skyscanner Price Alert to monitor changes in airfare. I had ambitions to go further around the world, but I wanted to know the costs for this part of the journey first.

Then I heard from a group of friends that they were going to Bali for a surf trip and could meet me there for five days in April. So now I had dates to lock in. Start in Hong Kong, then move on to Bali. Contrast a mega-city of soaring skyscrapers and rooftop bars with serene beaches, mango smoothies, plates of nasi goreng and temples. This was becoming a plan. What next?

Tokyo seemed like a fascinating destination. I imagined it to be quite different from anywhere I’d been before. That would take me further on my journey and give a sense of purpose for me continuing east. I started asking everyone I knew for Japan tips and gathered some useful recommendations on social media.

Next, I settled on the idea of flying to Los Angeles to get me across the Pacific. This was especially intriguing because I'd spent so much time exploring the east coast of the US but neglected the west coast. Nothing was booked yet, but I had put some pins in the map and things were starting to make sense.

How I booked my round-the-world ticket

I set up some more Price Alerts, just to get an idea of airfare for each leg of the journey. That’s when I decided to add in Jakarta, as I found affordable flights from Hong Kong to the Indonesian capital, and I figured a few days there would be an interesting introduction to the country before flying to the island of Bali. Still nothing booked, but getting closer.

Then came Black Friday. Airlines were publishing flight deals at a ferocious rate. Now was my chance. Seize the day! I entered my my dates and destinations into Skyscanner's multi-city search to create my round-the-world ticket itinerary.

Results from first search weren’t what I expected. I altered my dates slightly and the next set of results were much better. I’d need to fly through London and Helsinki to get to Hong Kong, but it wouldn’t add much to my travel time. I would be going through Seoul to get to Tokyo, but again it would be a short layover at the airport – just long enough to get some Korean fried chicken.

Each detail of the journey was laid out in front of me. The airline, the flight times and duration, the airports. The price was right. Deep breath. Click. I was delivered through to the booking page. I added some details and my 12-flight itinerary for a month of country-hopping became a reality.

Tips for booking a round-the-world ticket

It’s an exciting moment: reaching the point where you are ready to book a trip that will take you around the globe. Here are some things to consider before you click that button.

• Consider flight length. Be realistic about the maximum amount of time you want to spend on a plane and use that as a basis to plot your journey between destinations. If the flight time is too long, you may want to add a stopover in-between two places. It may even reduce the flight price.

• Do more than one search. Try different date options, check nearby airports, and look at alternative destinations. It can ultimately change the price and open up better options.

• Weigh price vs trip length. Cheapest doesn’t always mean the best for you. An itinerary with multiple layovers may save you money, but it'll elongate your journey.

• Ensure layovers are long enough. If you check bags, you'll need to make sure there's enough time for your luggage to be transferred between flights. Also consider whether you'll need to go through passport control and how long that may take.

• Start your hotel search ASAP. It's easy to lose control of your budget on a trip of this length. Search hotels to have a clear idea of price ranges for value in your chosen destinations.

Final thoughts: Around-the-world airline ticket cost

I selected my round-the-world ticket itinerary based on places I’ve longed to explore and people I could meet along the way. It turned out to be a rewarding, uplifting, fascinating, and at times bewildering adventure. And the final around-the-world airline ticket cost was much less than expected.

Everyone has their own idea of their ultimate travel adventure. Skyscanner makes it easy to find the best flights and complete your itinerary with confidence. Use multi-city search and Price Alerts to book the best airfare and begin your own around-the-world trip. You won’t regret it, or ever forget it.