Travel experts have revealed how to save 44 hours of flight time on multi-country trips.
By travelling to two cities in two different countries as part of one trip, you could save almost two whole days worth of travel time.
Sydney and Auckland are the easiest cities to combine across two countries, with frequent direct flights and a short flight time of just over three hours.
Pairing the two removes the need for a second long-haul return journey – saving travellers an impressive 2,685 minutes (44 hours, 45 minutes) in total travel time.
Escorted tour experts at Titan Travel analysed popular global holiday destinations to identify which pair most seamlessly, helping travellers plan the ultimate multi-city trip.
Tokyo and Seoul rank second, offering exceptional flexibility with almost 50 direct flights operating each day.
Combining the two cities saves 1,530 minutes (25 hours, 30 minutes) compared to taking separate long-haul flights from London.
Despite offering very different travel experiences, Bangkok and Hanoi work seamlessly as a multi-country pairing, saving travellers more than a full day in the air (26 hours, 15 minutes).
Travelling from Sydney, pictured, to Auckland is the route with the easiest cities to combine
If you want to cut down on journey time, certain routes lend themselves better
In light of this, Cassie Stickland, product manager at Titan Travel, has shared her tips on how to plan a multi-country trip for 2026.
Firstly, she says to think about frequency, not just geography.
Cassie explained: ‘Don’t pair places just because they’re nearby. What matters more is how you can travel between them.
‘Routes with frequent flights give flexibility, sensible travel times, and the ability to recover if plans change.’
Her second tip is to plan around travel days, not flight times.
She added: ‘A short flight doesn’t always mean a short day. Airports, transfers, and waiting can eat into exploration time.
Trains or high-frequency routes often feel gentler, dropping you straight into the city centre.’
‘Keep the number of countries realistic. Two countries usually work best, giving variety without constant packing.
Travelling to Auckland in New Zealand is becoming increasingly popular
Escorted tour experts at Titan Travel found the best city pairs to combine
Top 10 city pairs with the most efficient routes: City pairing Flight time saving (mins) Sydney – Auckland 2,685 Tokyo – Seoul 1,530 Bangkok – Hanoi 1,575 Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur 1,435 Dubai – Malé 825 New York – Toronto 790 Paris – Milan 90 Athens – Istanbul 380 Munich – Vienna 185 Milan – Zürich 140
‘A third can work only if connections are simple. The best trips give time to settle in and experience everyday life.’
Also, she suggests designing contrast into the itinerary.
Cassie said: ‘Multi-country travel works best when each stop offers something different, a busy city followed by a calmer destination, sightseeing balanced with outdoors, energy followed by relaxation.
‘Pairings like Australia- New Zealand or Thailand – Vietnam are satisfying for this reason.
‘In regions with complex travel like Southeast Asia, South America, Australia – New Zealand, escorted tours make multi-country trips effortless.
‘Flights, border crossings, and schedules are handled for you, so you can focus on enjoying the journey.’
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