To return flight or not to return flight

Ladyhawke

Hi all
Have been granted a working holiday visa. Happy days. Next step is to book flights. Wondering is it necessary to book a return flight? Will we have any trouble in immigration if we don't have a return flight booked?
Have been told different things by different people. What is the majority verdict here?

burrentech

Ladyhawke wrote: »

Hi all
Have been granted a working holiday visa. Happy days. Next step is to book flights. Wondering is it necessary to book a return flight? Will we have any trouble in immigration if we don't have a return flight booked?
Have been told different things by different people. What is the majority verdict here?

My advice is to book the return. There are restrictions to booking a return a long time off online however, a travel agent would probably be able to sort it out for you.

Think of the situation too. You're heading off to somewhere you may not be familiar with. If it all goes pear shaped, its a lot cheaper to reschedule your return date than to buy a one-way ticket at short notice.

Keep your options open, go to a travel agent and book a return, it won't be so much more expensive than the one way, and if you need to there's a way home if you need it.

Enjoy your adventure

Ladyhawke

burrentech wrote: »

My advice is to book the return. There are restrictions to booking a return a long time off online however, a travel agent would probably be able to sort it out for you.

Think of the situation too. You're heading off to somewhere you may not be familiar with. If it all goes pear shaped, its a lot cheaper to reschedule your return date than to buy a one-way ticket at short notice.

Keep your options open, go to a travel agent and book a return, it won't be so much more expensive than the one way, and if you need to there's a way home if you need it.

Enjoy your adventure

Thanks for that. Booking a return flight does seem like the sensible thing to do. I'll just have to fork out the extra euro I think.

Fingers crossed all goes well and I won't need to use the return flight before I have to.

Thanks again

burrentech

Ladyhawke wrote: »

Thanks for that. Booking a return flight does seem like the sensible thing to do. I'll just have to fork out the extra euro I think.

Fingers crossed all goes well and I won't need to use the return flight before I have to.

Thanks again

You're welcome.

It might save you money in the long run. There was on 80 euro difference for me between the one way and return flights to the US. Might be a little more to Oz, but its a small price for that extra insurance.

I sure hope you have a great time, and really have fun.

s.c

If you're sure you are coming home after a year then fair enough, book a return filght. But if there is any chance that you might stay longer then get a one way flight as most return flights expire after a year. There is not that much of a difference price wise in a return flight versus two x one way flights.

Also you might want to come home through Asia or South America etc.

There will be no problem with immigration if you only have a one way flight and this is what I'd recommend.

If you are afraid you wont have the money to pay for your flight when it is time to come home, you could always just leave enough money in an Irish bank account to pay for it and it'll be there when the time comes.

lg123

book one way, who knows where you will be 12 months later. it would be a pisser having to fly back to sydney from perth just to fly home to ireland.

plus the flight will expire after 12 months if you dont use it. you may want to hit up NZ, asia or stay here for longer.

you wont have any bother with immigration if you have the specified amount of money available.

spunkymunky

Ive not heard a lot of this but immigration might ask about how you are going to exit the country, ie. have you a return flight or the funds to pay your way out of the country?
Otherwise book a single. Like said above, you may end up wanting to go somewhere else and not know where you'll be in 12 months!
Now the big decision...where do you fly to??

rightyabe

I'm doing what lg123 said....

amybabes

I'd 100% advise you to book a 1 way unless you know you definitely want to return within a year / for a wedding/event

Otherwise the flight will be a complete waste of money. I booked a one way as when my bf booked his flights the furthest off they could book the return part was 10 months from departure, so not even a full year.

I don't know anyone who has actually used the return leg of the flight as they didnt want to go home when the time came and couldnt extend the ticket.

Lavattack

Hey OP,

It really depends on where you are travelling to as to whether its a necessity or not.

What country are you going to on the WHP?

spunkymunky

Lavattack wrote: »

Hey OP,

It really depends on where you are travelling to as to whether its a necessity or not.

What country are you going to on the WHP?

Id imagine, Australia or New Zealand:p

Mellor

book a single, paying for a return flight when you don't know where you'll be, or even if you are going is stupid

C0N0R

What is the story with extending the date of your return flight?? I have a flight home for June that I won't be using with quantas and need to look about changing it, how hard is it to do this and how do I do it!?

Lavattack

spunkymunky wrote: »

Id imagine, Australia or New Zealand:p

Maybe, I was thinking Canada myself. We will see when the OP gets back I guess

Edit: Just noticed what thread its in

boreds11

Is it possible to do a name change on a return ticket back from Australia? That way you could sell on the ticket and get some money back but Id imagine the airline wouldn't allow this or if they did they'd charge so much as to make the ticket worthless.

missmyler

This is my fourth time in Oz and not once have I been asked for a return ticket nor how much money I have in my bank account.

On the other side, I am planning to go home in July for 2 weeks and have been quoted 2000 euro for the tickets. It only cost me 500 euro to get over here 6 months ago!

For some reason to fly from Oz to Ireland and back is way more expensive than the other way around

amybabes

missmyler wrote: »

This is my fourth time in Oz and not once have I been asked for a return ticket nor how much money I have in my bank account.

On the other side, I am planning to go home in July for 2 weeks and have been quoted 2000 euro for the tickets. It only cost me 500 euro to get over here 6 months ago!

For some reason to fly from Oz to Ireland and back is way more expensive than the other way around

2000 EUROS you were quoted?? Coz I booked my flights home at the start of April and ended up getting them for $1983. (Return Sydney - Dublin via Abu Dhabi with Etihad)

Who have you been quoted by?? I got quoted by Student Flights and STA Travel. Both had a different price. I was quoted $2199 and my bf was quoted $2499 (over 26) and was about to book when someone on here recommended sky scanner and i checked up there and we both would have got them on that for $1983 (same dates I had been quoted for!) So went back to Student Flights and told them and he said there was a 10 day Etihad sale on so he matched the price. Would have been disgusted if I had booked them at $700 dearer! And i would have but was waiting to get the money together that week.

Just check out that website, although I was told July and August are peak times to fly to Europe so around $2000 is to be expected, esp as the trouble in Libya has driven the cost of fuel way up. I was quoted $1799 last July - so you can imagine what I was like when I was originally quoted the first price!

missmyler

Ahh didnt know think about the fuel costs, was baffling me why so expensive.

The "flight centre" quoted me 2600 so I emailed USIT back home and they quoted me 2000 euros, so pretty much the same. I am planning on flying out of Darwin though so thats why you probably have it cheaper.

I swear by the "Kayak" app on my phone which gives me the best flight prices, usually better than sky scanner tbh....When I saw 2600 on it though I thought it failed me for the first time ever....turns out not

mandrake04

Heard on the radio that Malaysia Airways are doing a special atm with a return ticket to London for $1200 all in.

barefoot

C0N0R wrote: »

What is the story with extending the date of your return flight?? I have a flight home for June that I won't be using with quantas and need to look about changing it, how hard is it to do this and how do I do it!?

Here is the link to Qantas....have a read through the FAQ...it explains things pretty well. There seems to be a 30 dollar charge for changing online and 60 dollars if you have to go through a Qantas call centre/branch. If you have a restricted ticket you may not be able to do it online.
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/change-flights/global/en