I recently read a post by The Travel Critic, Klaudia Jakubiak, about how she had bought a one-way ticket – and what it meant to her!
There are practical reasons for buying a one-way ticket: it can be cheaper or more convenient. But there’s more to it than just that.
Klaudia is a travel and lifestyle influencer whose mission is to impact, empower and inspire through travel and well-being. Here’s how a one-way ticket serves those purposes.
Benefits of Buying a One-Way Ticket According to The Travel Critic, Klaudia Jakubiak
1. It’s CHEAP! International flights scare people because they think they’re going to be extremely expensive. It doesn’t have to be so! Search the Google Flights calendar and find the lowest prices for the month you’re looking to travel in. For instance, I searched for one-way flights to London for August. I found one for $270 and booked it right away!
2. You’re living in the unknown. When you book your one-way flight, you don’t have a set time when you’ll be coming back home, so it keeps everything exciting. You don’t have to dread your impending flight back. Come home when you want to.
3. You can travel to many countries! Once you’ve booked your one-way, you’re free to take whichever short train or air trips fit your budget. You’re not forced to limit your travel, so you fly back from a specific place.
4. You can plan your next country. Some countries require you to show a departure flight, so you may need to book a flight out of the country to your next destination to avoid any troubles at the airport – but nothing forces you to make that flight a return trip home. Go forward!
5. It’s FREEING. I’ve learned that it’s quite thrilling and freeing to book a one-way because you don’t have too much of a set itinerary. When you book a one-way, you usually figure out your travels while you’re traveling and it’s easier to flow into what you want.
There is a risk with a one-way ticket. Immigration could deny you entry to a country for a range of different reasons. If that were to happen, the airline would be liable for flying you back to your point of origin.
That’s why airlines can sometimes get fussy when you’re trying to fly on a single ticket. Even though they sold you a one-way ticket, once you get to the check-in desk they might start to ask you about your return ticket or proof of onward travel.
That’s because they don’t want to risk having to take you back if there are any issues at all at immigration. Just be aware and know what you’ll say.
In 2019, the first reason appears to no longer be valid: unexpectedly, the one-way fares can be several times more expensive than a round trip fare. That is, the round trip fare to the same destination on the same outbound flight may be half or a third of the one-way fare. Obviously, the passenger is not paying only for the expense of their share of getting a plane from city to city.