An Airfare/Flying question to Europe from USA??

A one way ticket will probably cost at least as much as a round-trip economy ticket....so count on paying at least twice as much.
You may also get questioned at immigration upon your entry into Europe about why you don't have a return ticket.....they get a little jumpy about passengers who have no plans to head home, and may decide to refuse you entry.

Steve...correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the OP asking whether he should travel with a one-day ticket, then purchase his return when he gets to Europe?
And yes, they do question whether you have a round-trip ticket....having the "means" proves nothing. At least a return ticket shows an indication to go home.

Hi John,

It may be less expensive to buy your roundtrip ticket, even open jaw if you have a general idea from where you might be departing. Then you can pay whatever the airline charges for a change fee if you do in fact end up needing to leave from a different airport, or on a different date. (my last change fee on Lufthansa in 2006 was $200.)

Not sure if this helps, but it is another idea. Which is why we are all here. :)

John,

Given the current "travel climate", it could be a bit risky to travel with a one-way ticket, and as Norm mentioned also more expensive.

Whether or not you have problems travelling on a one-way ticket may depend on which country you arrive at, and the mood of the Immigration Officer.

I know of a couple of instances of people having difficulty after arriving in the U.K. In one case, the couple were questioned extensively and even though they could demonstrate adequate "means", they were DEPORTED immediately. They didn't get to see any more of the U.K. than an interrogation room at Heathrow.

You might want to speak with a Travel Agent to determine if it might be possible to buy a return open jaw ticket, but change the return leg if necesary (possibly for a slight additional charge).

Happy travels!

Sorry, I still don't see the logic of comparing a one-way fare on one airline to a R/T on the other. It seems like comparing apples and oranges. Using IcelandAir as an example, an R/T in July for a month-long trip would cost about $1050, with one way at $535....about double the price.
But if he buys two R/T tickets, isn't the OP going to have to book that second set before he leaves to get a good price? That would seem to negate any chance at leaving open his city of return.

John - before following the advice to buy two round trip tickets, and toss out half of them, realize this falls under the general definition of back-to-back ticketing and is expressly forbidden in your contract with most airlines.

Travel Terminal has a great mini-article on it: http://www.travelterminal.com/resfaq.shtml#backtoback

"Back-to-back ticketing is... when flight coupons are intentionally not used or they are used out of sequence in order to circumvent airline fare rules."

If the airline catches you (if you use the same airline, or one of their partners, etc). You could be charged for the full one way fares, lose all your frequent flyer miles, etc.

"You should be aware that back-to-back ticketing is against the rules of most airlines' frequent flyer programs. If an airline catches you using back-to-back ticketing, they may take away all your frequent flyer points and any status you have in their frequent flyer program. They may also charge you or your travel agent the full fare for both tickets."

As far as immigration, the general standard is "Proof of Return Travel" ie ticket to somewhere else, or proof of ability to travel ie bank statements showing you can pay to go somewhere else, copy of an itinerary, etc.

I was a bout 1/2 a second from not being allowed onto my flight to the UK in 2001, since I didn't have my return ticket on me - thankfully it was on the same airline, and they were able to confirm it for me - but made for a pretty ***ty 30mins.

Easiest solution - buy a good priced round trip from an airline (preferably US/Can) that flies out of the cities you might come home from, and just pay the change fee if you change your mind. Average is $150-200+ any increase in cost.

I'm going to agree with Norm, Ken and Chris on this one. Buying a one way ticket can spell disaster when it comes to immigration. And if you are under 30, it will be even tougher. Immigration officials want to make sure you are coming for the right reasons and not to stay and work. If they don't believe you, and want to deport you, you will have to buy a full fare return ticket on the next flight back to the U.S.

Your best bet is to buy a cheap round trip ticket and pay whatever change fees you incur. With the cheap cost of flying within Europe, it won't be hard for you to get to your final destination for your return flight. Just make it a major airport.

I agree with the previous posters that it is not the greatest idea to turn up at any border without proof of onwards travel.

One thing to add is that you are very unlikely to be deported as you'll probably not be allowed into the country at all - they'll just refuse you entry. Hair-splitting I know but being deported is much more serious than being refused entry when it comes to future foreign trips and/or visa applications.

Yup. You might not even get on the plane (I almost didn't!). Fine for the airline letting you on with improper documentation runs in the $10k ranges.

Yes, I did this when I moved to France to teach English. I bought a one way ticket Chicago to Brussels for $350, then a return from Paris to Chicago for $400, and I think in the end, doing it this way saved me money, since I flew there at the tail end of high season (beginning of September) back during the high season (end of May). I think it ended up this way because I flew out of hubs; I lived closer to Lyon, so initially I wanted to fly out of there, but that would have cost about $250 more, and since I was broke, I decided to just take the TGV to Paris (with my carte 12-25, of course!) and save the money. In any case, I definitely did not pay more for doing it this way, and at the same time, it allowed me to have more flexibility about when I'd come back. At that point, I wasn't sure I was going to even come back, and I nearly didn't because I was offered another English teaching job, but ultimately I chose to go to grad school instead. That was one reason buying the one-way tickets was good for me.

As far as how immigration reacted...they didn't even bat an eye; they just looked at the passport to verify my identity and looked at my visa. Then they just stamped my passport and that was it. I speak fluent French so I'm not sure if greeting them/talking to them in French while they looked at my visa and passport helped out or not. I have many other friends who have done the same thing (gotten two one-ways vs. a round trip) and they did not have problems either. For the record, I'm under 30 (now 26; at the time was 23), and I don't think that makes a difference...

I think the important differences in Erica's post from the OP's point-of-view are:

I did this when I moved to France to teach English.

[T]hey just looked at... my visa.

The rules are always different when entering on a work or other longer term visa. When you enter as a tourist they want to make sure you'll leave again and aren't trying to move to the country without the correct visa - hence the need for onward travel plans. If you have a visa that allows you to move to the country then a one-way ticket obviously is fine.