A recent survey by ebookers UK has found that round-the-world tickets are cheaper than ever, and a wider range of people are taking advantage of the fares.

Twenty years ago you could expect to pay more than £1,500 for a round-the-world ticket, but today they can be well under £1,000. Airline networks such as Star Alliance and OneWorld Alliance have been key in the change.

'Instead of having to buy several tickets, you can now buy one ticket making trips easier to plan and bringing down prices through economies of scale,' explained Darren Wallace, air product manager at ebookers.com.

Perhaps the most surprising finding, however, is that the average age of the round-the-world traveller is now 32 where once these trips were the preserve of the under-25s. 'Round-the-world tickets are growing in popularity with the 'Silver Circulars' - over-55s - and with those chasing major world sporting events such as the Melbourne Cup in November and the cricket in South Africa in December and January,' said Wallace. 'They're travelling for shorter periods but in more comfort, generally in business class.'

Tom Griffiths, founder of gapyear.com, agreed. 'We call them the Saga louts, the bungee-jumping grannies. We've found the 50-60s is now the second-fastest growing round-the-world group after the 25 to 35-year-olds.'

So does this spell the end of the traditional gap year? A recent survey by STA Travel suggests not. It found that 65 per cent of students and young people were planning to take a gap year before or after university. 'The round-the-world trip is a bit of a rite of passage for younger travellers,' said Wallace, 'and there might be a bit of jealousy spurring older family members on when their children return with stories and photos.'

'We did some research in 2001 with 16 to 18-year-olds about how expensive they thought a round-the-world ticket was,' added Griffiths. 'They came up with the figure of £3,325 as an average price. When they find out they can actually pick one up for £900 they realise just what good value it is. We say, if you're going to spend £500-£600 getting to Australia you might as well spend the extra £250 getting a round-the-world ticket.'

Ebookers has launched a round-the-world guide called 'Born to Travel'. For a copy of the guide, plus advice and bookings, call ebookers (0870 814 6016; www.ebookers.com). STA Travel (0870 160 0599; www.statravel.co.uk).