Open round trip air trael ticket

[Humbertico]

I will be doing the CF in September with wife and will be going through different parts of France and Portugal and in between the CF. Has anyone had a problem keeping their return flight open (no definite return date) to allow more time and not be rushed to get to a particular airport to get back to US? Any customs or Homeland Security issues on this? Gracias Peregrinos for any advise. Humbertico

 

[Marbe2]

Generally,
I do not book one way tickets because they are usually more expensive! However we did have one way ticket a few years ago and no one flagged us. No one, when we arrived, questioned us abt our return flight. Do not think we fit the profile and as we were Americans...we generally go home.

 

[Bala]

I can't speak to homeland security or immigration issues, but as a former travel agent I definitely echo the caution to check one-way fares. Sometimes there are bargains, depending on the city you're flying to. More often, the price can be exorbitant, especially if using a major carrier, or need to make a connection from an international gateway to a smaller airport.

Also, the closer you are to your travel date, the higher the fares tend to be. But, you never know. (The trouble is, you won't know, until you go to buy the ticket.)

Hope that's of use. Best of luck and happy travels!

 

[C clearly]

Generally, on the major airlines, flights with open return dates are at least twice as expensive as return trips with the date specified. It is better to make your best estimate of a return time, and then pay the change fee (plus any difference in fare) if you want to change.

Regarding the legalities, I don't see how this would affect your return to the US. However, when you travel to Europe, in theory they could refuse you if you don't have an onward or return ticket. (They don't want to have to pay for getting you out of the country at the end of your stay.) However, I have never heard of this being a problem, and expect that if you have a valid credit card, that would be enough evidence of your financial independence.