Round the world flights

[Shock]

Can anyone offer any advice on how to get the best deals when booking flights around the world?

I've got a rough itinerary for next year which is basically SE Asia > South America > Australia

I think a single RTW ticket is out of the question because of the backtracking and I don't want to deviate from this order. Also I'm not planning on being back in the UK within 12 months.

I'd also prefer to stay as flexible as possible so thinking I should just book each leg separately.

Google is showing

One way to Thailand - £400
Thailand > Nepal > Thailand - £250
Thailand > Peru > Thailand - £1200
Thailand > Australia - £200

Is this a good way to go about it? Some of these flights were showing cheaper prices when booking a return.
How far in advance should they be booked to get the best rates?

First time I've planned anything like this so if anyone is in the know, I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[Shock]

That gives me some food for thought thanks. It's definitely the South America bit causing the biggest headache at the moment!

How are you finding Colombia? It's near the top of my hit list. Are you keeping a thread/blog?

Yeah it's a weird order. Basically I want to spend most of my time in the cheap third world countries until the cash starts to run out. I've got friends and family in Australia so plan on working there afterwards and possibly settling if I like the place