If a career break is something you're in the midst of planning, then you have no doubt come across the maddening puzzle that is multi-stop, or around the world, airfare.

There is plenty of information out there about the costliest part of long-term travel - some of it good, some of it bad, most of it contradictory and difficult to decipher.

Fortunately BootsnAll simplified the matter with their latest version of the Around the World Airfare Report (which is totally free!).

Anyone who has planned (or is planning) a career break trip has had to read about or research air travel. It's not a fun endeavor.

And after spending hours traipsing the interwebs, people often end up with more questions than they started with:

• How many options are out there?

• Why are airline alliance tickets so complicated?

• Why are there so many rules?

• Is there a way to get around those rules?

• What is the process for changing tickets?

• Is there anyone I can actually talk to who can help me?

• Is there a way to estimate a price for my airfare before committing?

• Are there any companies who specialize in this type of ticket?

The Fall 2014 version of the Around the World Airfare Report helps answer all the above questions, and then some.

The goal of this report is to help make it easier for you to decide which option is right for your trip.

This 33 page report suggests which companies to search depending on what type of traveler you are, whether you're experienced, inexperienced, a family, or a traveler with airline miles - the airfare report will have something for you to learn.

Everyone has different needs when it comes to their trip, and we realize that, which is why we encourage anyone planning a big trip like this to learn as much as they can about their options and search across multiple companies until you find the right fit for your route.

What the airfare report does is teach you, in an easy-to-understand way, about the various options available and cuts down on that learning time.

Setting aside some time to read this report will save you hours of research.

We've been researching and putting this report together for months. We've done the homework for you, creating 3 different traveler personas to secret shop 3 multi-stop routes across nine different companies and airline alliances. Our goal was to simulate a real customer experience, then we took that data and everything we've learned from being in the long-term travel game for 15+ years to create this report.

We searched each route based on three factors, two of which can be measured by data:

• Cost: How much does the ticket cost?

• Service Speed>: How quickly can you receive a bookable price on your route?

The third factor is more difficult to measure because it there is no data behind it:

• Frustration Factor: How frustrating is the process of building and pricing a multi-stop route?

In regards to Frustration Factor, we explain all the rules, terms, and conditions of each company and airline in the simplest manner possible, so you can know what you're getting into before shopping and purchasing with whatever company you choose.

If you want to learn more about all things multi-stop air travel, like costs, search options, how to change a ticket (and what it costs to do so), and all the ins and outs of shopping for and purchasing flights for your trip, then this report is for you!

This is the 4th version of this report, and we'll be researching and updating again in 2015, so we'd love to hear your feedback after reading it. Feel free to comment below or leave a review here. 

Adam Seper is the editor at the BootsnAll Travel Network and primary researcher and author of the Around the World Airfare Report. Adam and his wife, Megan, took a career break in 2008-2009, traveling for a year through South America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and India. Adam was also the host for Meet, Plan, Go St. Louis in 2011.

Photo credits: Jaroslav Franicsko