I am traveling to the Philippines from the US to see friends and travel for an unknown amount of time (between 3 months and 2 years). Everything I read says I need a roundtrip ticket. How do I get around that?
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I believe it's related to visa requirements. I know how to obtain the travel visa, but I keep reading people needing round-trip airfare. I can't imagine that I am the only one that travels with an unknown return date. Does that make sense?– Todd B.Commented Feb 11, 2015 at 16:34
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Book a fully refundable one-way ticket home, then cancel later?– GagravarrCommented Feb 11, 2015 at 16:36
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2Or buy a cheap ferry ticket to Malaysia that you later throw away!– GagravarrCommented Feb 11, 2015 at 16:46
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2I don't really know, to be honest. The best would be to add all this info (that you are concerned about onward travel requirements, whether having money instead of a ticket is enough, whether it needs to be a return flight or simply a cheap ferry) to the question and hopefully someone who went there will provide more details.– RelaxedCommented Feb 11, 2015 at 17:07
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1Here is a good post regarding onward travel (a term that I wasn't very familiar with until this post) requirements in the Philippines. lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/…– Todd B.Commented Feb 11, 2015 at 17:25
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1 Answer
Without knowing where you are flying from originally and what time of year, you may find that a discounted round trip ticket is just as cheap as a one way. Which would cover your visa and entry needs. And depending on the fare class, you maybe able to change the return date, once you figure out how long you are staying (in worse case you throw away the return portion's value but do cancel the return booking).
You could also look at more expensive round trip airfares that allow date changes. Though if you stay a long time you could find the original fare no longer applicable and you would have to pay the fare difference when you changed dates.
Another option is the proverbial throw away ticket, find some really dirt cheap flight to any country outside the Philippines and buy a ticket.
Or the other extreme, buying a fully refundable airfare, then cancelling it and getting your money back.
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I've actually found round-trip tickets to the Philippines from the U.S. to be frequently cheaper than one-way tickets for the same city pairs. Air fares can be a very strange thing.– reirabCommented May 12, 2015 at 20:44