Open-ended tickets I've just landed myself a 12-month contract teaching English abroad, but am unsure if I buy an open-ended ticket or confirmed ticket.
English teachers heading abroad for the first time are often unaware of their options when purchasing airline tickets.
An
open-ended ticket seems the perfect alternative to most, however be wary. We recommend against purchasing open-ended tickets for the following reasons:
- You have no reservation.
- You have no guarantee of travel.
- Too expensive.
Buying an open-ended ticket will work out more expensive, only allowing you to take a flight if a seat is available.
Our suggestions are:
Option 1 - confirmed reservation
Isn't it better to purchase an airline ticket with a confirmed reservation for a specific date with the option to change dates later? Having a
confirmed ticket with freely changeable dates is the perfect solution!
Changing a date on a confirmed flight may incur a small fee, but will still come out cheaper than an open-ended ticket.
Option 2 - discarding the return sector
Some English teachers purchase the return sector departing for a nearby country in which they will be teaching. Teachers heading to Taiwan often buy the return sector to Hong Kong or Thailand.
When entering a country on a tourist visa, an outgoing ticket is required. Immigration do not care to the destination of your outgoing ticket, but as long as you have one. You can then forfeit this outgoing ticket if you have since received your work visa. Of course, you will then eventually need to buy a one-way ticket back to your home country.
We suggest weighing up the costs of each option and using the one suitable to your needs.