Last Updated: August 18, 2023
How Long Does It Take to Fly Around The World?
We all dream about flying around the world but for most of us, it is the destinations along the way that take our interest. But in this case, is it not the destination or destinations we are talking about, we are looking at how long it takes to fly around the world in one shot.
Join me as I run through everything you need to know about how long it takes to fly around the world, costs, and even how long it takes on foot.
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How Long Does It Take to Fly Around The World?
Non-stop Flying
Flying around the world non-stop can not be accomplished with a standard commercial aircraft, it requires special airplanes and flying at very high altitudes.
The aircraft need enough fuel capacity to fly around the world without refueling and they need to use military-grade aviation fuel that does not freeze at high altitudes.
How long it takes to fly around the world non-stop depends on a lot of things such as speed, wind, weather, and more.
It can take anywhere between 67 hours (the fastest to date) or up to 10 days, depending on the plane and the speed it is traveling.
Flying Around the World in a Fighter Jet
A fighter jet can fly a lot faster than a commercial aircraft and can hit speeds of 2,500 km/h which is faster than the speed of sound.
A fighter jet that flies at this speed non-stop could fly around the world in just 18 hours. But, no fighter jet in the world can hold enough fuel to do this.
So how long does it take to fly around the world in a fighter jet? In actuality, a fighter jet would need to refuel 13 to 15 times in order to fly around the world, but they can refuel in the air.
It would take about 25 hours for a fighter jet to fly around the world nonstop.
Flying Around the World in a Passenger Plane
So, how long does it take to fly around the world in a passenger plane? It would take around 45 hours non-stop to fly around the world. With refueling, it will take around 60 hours to circumnavigate the globe in a passenger plane.
There is no standard commercial aircraft that can fly around the world non-stop without refueling.
The longest commercial aircraft flight in the world is currently the Singapore Airlines flight that flies from Singapore to New York directly. The flight is an insane 19 hours long, is flown at high altitudes, and requires a special long-range Airbus A350-900ULR.
An Airbus A380 at full speed could fly around the world in around 40 hours if it did not have to refuel. But, an A380 would need to refuel about 3 to 4 times, and refueling these beasts takes a while.
First Flight Around the World
Rutan 76 Voyager in Washington D.C. – Image courtesy of Johnny Comstedt
The first ever non-stop around-the-world trip on a plane was achieved in 1986 by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan.
The non-stop flight around the world used the Rutan Model aircraft 76 Voyager plane which was designed specifically for the around-the-world trip.
Flying at a speed of just 115 mph, it took the pilots just over 9 days to complete their world flight.
Fastest Flight Around the World
The fastest flight around the world was done in Concorde in 1995 which took just 31 hours and 27.5 mins. The world record was achieved by Michel Dupont and Claude Hetru.
The first and fastest solo non-stop flight around the world was completed in 2005 by Steve Fossett using a special plane, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. The trip was sponsored by Richard Branson and Steve Fosset completed it in just 67 hours.
In 1980, David Springbett decided to fly around the world using only scheduled flights. He of course chose to fly on Concorde and managed to fly around the world in 44 hours.
In 2019 a new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world via both the north pole and south pole was set by UK company, Action Aviation.
They flew in an ultra-long-range Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER in honor of the 50th anniversary of man walking on the moon.
The plane took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and flew around the world including both poles in just over 46 hours traveling 21,691 miles.
First Woman to Fly Around the World Solo
Cessna 180 – Spirit of Columbus – Image courtesy of Wikimedia
The first woman to fly around the world solo was Geraldine (Jerrie) Mock. She completed the journey in 1964 flying a Cessna 180 with a single engine.
To complete the 22,860 miles, Mock stopped 21 times and took a total time of 29 days, 11 hours, and 59 mins.
Cost to Fly Around the World
For us mere mortals using scheduled flights it would cost between $3000 and $5000 USD to fly around the world, depending on the flights chosen and the time of year.
Flights that are non-stop and attempting to break a world record obviously cost a lot more.
How Long Would It Take to Travel Around The World by Foot?
Unsurprisingly, walking around the world takes a while and how long it takes depends on how fast you walk.
To walk around the world you would have to cover 24,901 miles. On average a human walks about 2.5 to 4 mph, so over 10 hours one would cover 30 miles.
At this pace, it would take 830 days, so 2.35 years to walk around the world.
How Long Would It Take to Travel Around The World by Car?
Driving around the world should only take about 4 to 6 months, depending on how fast you drive. But, this is assuming that one is driving across the oceans too.
If you were to get on a ship with a car across the oceans, it would take a lot longer.
How Long Would It Take to Travel Around The World by Ship?
Sailing around the world is one of the best ways to see the world. If you were to sail non-stop, you could go around the world in about 100 days.
But, you would probably want to stop at all the beautiful places you see along the way, so it can take up to 10 years to sail around the world.
How Long Would It Take to Travel Around The World by Train?
You can actually book a round-the-world train ticket and it takes about 56 days to complete. You do have to fly across the oceans to join the trains along the way though and this includes both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
How Long Would It Take to Travel Around The World in a Hot Air Balloon?
Flying around the world in a hot air balloon has actually been done, and by the same man holding the record for the quickest solo flight around the world.
Steve Fossett tried to fly around the world in a hot air balloon five times but failed, it was not until the 6th attempt that he got it right. It took him 13 days to fly the 22,100 miles around the earth in a hot air balloon.
How Long Would It Take to Fly Around the Sun?
The sun, as you probably know, is much bigger than earth and therefore it would take a bit longer to fly around than the world.
The sun has an approximate circumference of 2.7 million miles and a passenger flight can fly at speeds of around 600 mph. The simple math shows us that it would take around 4500 hours to fly around the sun. This equates to around 6 months.
Of course, a passenger plane would also have to refuel which is not factored in and it is impossible to fly that close to the sun also.
Can You Fly Around the World Using One Ticket?
Yes, you can book a round-the-world ticket with numerous airline alliances including OneWorld and Star Alliance. You can pick all the stops along the way but you have to start and end in the same country, and go in one direction too, east or west.
You do have the option to hang out at each destination or you can simply change planes to continue on flying if you want to fly around the world as quickly as possible.
Can You Fly Around the World in 24 Hours?
In theory, you can fly around the world in 24 hours in a supersonic jet but in reality, it is pretty much impossible. Between having to refuel, weather, and speed, the chances of a supersonic jet flying around the world in 24 hours are close to zero.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
