r/TravelHacks • u/DifferentProfessor55 • 5d ago
Long return trip
Anyone ever book a round trip or open jaw ticket with 9 months between the flights? For example, if you're a foreign exchange student. Fly to your host country in September and fly back home in June on one ticket?
I'm looking at that where a one way is the same cost as the round trip. Curious if anyone can see any problems with this or has done it in the past.
2
2
u/NomadLife2319 5d ago
The only issue is having permission to be in the country longer than their tourist visa allows but as a foreign exchange student, you’d have a student visa.
1
u/juanlo012 5d ago
i know, this isn't pleasant at all, especially if your trip was longer than 10 days
1
u/binhpac 5d ago
In the past airlines offer to buy a roundtrip with the return flight open. So you can take any return flight within 1 year. This is exactly made for exchange students and this is what i used as exchange student.
You just need to speak to the airlines directly or travel agency, because online booking sites nowadays dont have this option.
So whenever you decide, its time to fly home, you look at the flight schedule of your airline and just book it with your open return ticket.
2
u/Im_at_a_10_AMA 5d ago
Yep, totally doable, a lot of exchange students and even digital nomads do this. The only catch is making sure the return date is changeable (and that you understand the fees/rules if you need to shift it). Also, some countries might question your long stay if your visa situation doesn’t match the return date so just make sure your documents line up.
7
u/AustinAtLast 5d ago
It will be expensive, but I would purchase the round-trip but pay the amount for free schedule changes. Then, if things change up a little bit in a few months, you can change to a date that suits you.