Backpacking & Onward Journeys – The Dos, The Don’ts & Everything In Between

Picture the scene… you’ve saved up for the backpacking adventure of a lifetime. You march down the concourse at Heathrow Airport ready to catch your flight to Bangkok. You’ve had your jabs, insurance is sorted and the parents have waved you off at the terminal gates. Your backpack is a little full but you know you’ll probably dump half the stuff you’ve taken 2 weeks into the trip anyway. Mum really did insist that you take those door stops in case someone tries to break into your hostel room…

Life is good.

You’ve arrived at check in 2 hours before your flight and are now proudly handing over your passport. This is the start of a big adventure! You enjoy some small talk with the check in team (they’ve heard it all before but humour you nonetheless). Everything’s going great.

‘Onward journey please’, comes the request from behind the counter.

Your heart stops. 

Onward journey you think to yourself? What on earth is that? I just told you I’m headed to Thailand. 

‘I can’t let you through without an onward journey, I’m afraid’.

The anxiety kicks in. You’ve only booked a one way flight to Bangkok and 3 nights in a hostel. You were going to wing the rest of the trip. Is this the end of the backpacking dream?

The short answer is no. But this, my friends, is a scenario which has played out hundreds of thousands of times across airports and land borders across the world.

So buckle up and read below as to why YOU MUST have an onward journey when backpacking in 2023 and beyond. And how you can get one quickly. 

What is an onward journey?

An onward journey is basically proof that you’ll leave a country before your visa/tourist stamp expires. 

Chances are that if you’re new to backpacking or long term travel you won’t have heard the term before. This is because when you book a traditional holiday there are two legs to your trip. The ticket that takes you into your destination and the ticket that takes you back from your destination. Your onward journey is basically your ticket home.

Not all onward journeys are return tickets, however. An onward journey could also be documented proof that you will be leaving the first country you arrive in for another – anywhere else in the world. 

For example, say your first flight is from London to Bangkok, and you also have a ticket from Bangkok to Singapore – the Singapore ticket would count as an onward journey when entering Thailand.

However, and this is very important, the flight to Singapore would have to occur before your Thailand tourist visa expired. You’ll also need an onward journey prepared from Singapore to your next destination (but this can be sorted nearer to the time of departure).

Who will ask for onward journeys and why?

Generally speaking, both the airline you fly with and the border guard at the country you arrive in may ask for an onward journey. Although it’s pretty rare, you may also be asked about your onward travel plans by the border staff at the country you are exiting. 

Unfortunately, it’s down to the individual behind the desk as to how far they quiz you about your onward journey. So there’s no real golden rule when it comes to what countries will and won’t ask you for proof. And how many questions they will ask. 

Some countries, however, do make having proof of onward journey a requirement by law. The UK Gov travel website normally has all the up to date information.

I myself have been asked for onward journeys many times in countries including Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Malaysia and Singapore. In these countries it’s been a mixed bag in terms of whether it was the airline or border guard that asked. Sometimes it was both. 

There’s an age old rumour that land border guards don’t ask for onward journeys. I can say from experience that post COVID this is rubbish. Some of the most thorough interrogations I’ve had at passport control were over land crossings!

As to why there’s a requirement for onward journeys? It’s basically a way for countries to ensure you don’t overstay your welcome. Also, as a result of COVID, it seems that border staff are becoming a lot more strict in terms of who they will and will not let in.

In regards to why the airlines ask, it’s because they can be heavily fined if someone they fly into a country overstays their welcome.

What forms of onward journey options are available?

So what are the best ways to overcome the onward journey issue? Let’s take a look at your options and what not to do.

The Dos

• Buy a ticket to your next destination – The straight forward and obvious option, but also the most expensive and inflexible. Before arriving in a country, work out how long you would like to stay and how you’re going to leave. Book an onward ticket to your next destination in advance and screenshot/print out the details. Bring these along with you when you cross the border.

• Buy a burner ticket – Find a nearby country to your arrival destination and buy a ticket you’ll never use. While it’s horrible knowing you’re throwing money away, you can get some pretty cheap flights if you book in advance between less popular airports. Other ticket options such as trains and buses may also be available (more on that below).

• Buy a refundable ticket – As with the burner ticket option, find a nearby country and buy a ticket out of your arrival destination. Refundable tickets are normally more expensive (and have a lot of T&Cs), but at least you know you’ll get your money back eventually. Just remember to cancel the flight during the refund period!

• ‘Borrow’ a ticket – Websites that allow you to ‘borrow’ a ticket – basically get access to a screenshot of an onward journey – have begun to pop up all over the place. Normally there’s a fee involved but it could be a cheap option. We haven’t used these services ourselves but others say it works well. 

• Have an honest conversation – Airlines are unlikely to let you pass without an onward journey but that doesn’t mean they can’t help you out. They might have a cheap option available on their system or be able to point you in the right direction to get help. Border staff at land borders may let you pass without an onward journey if you’re honest about the situation and explain your travel plans. 

Do your research. There are other options than flying:

• Train tickets between countries are a lot cheaper than flights and generally accepted by border staff and some airlines. Make sure you are able to show the details of your trip, e.g. train company name, day of departure/arrival etc.

• Bus and boat tickets between countries are sometimes also accepted as proof of onward travel, generally speaking, more so by border guards than airline staff. It’s worth doing some research online to see what luck other travellers have had. Always make sure to screen grab/print out the ticket in advance so you can show as much information as possible.

The Don’ts

• Book an onward journey that is impractical – Although it’s super rare, some border staff may actually write your onward journey in your passport (alongside the visa stamp). This could either be the next country you are visiting, the date you are leaving – or both! It’s only ever happened to me once but meant we had to make some pretty annoying changes to our travel plans.  Again, it’s super rare that this will happen. However, try to make the destination of your onward journey a sensible one, and push the day you’re leaving your arrival country to as far away as possible (within the limits of your visa). You can always leave the country earlier than the date written in your passport should you need to! But you can never stay past it!

• Lie – Airline desks have heard it all. Don’t bother making up a story to try and get past without an onward journey. It won’t work. NEVER ever lie to border control as it can land you in a heap of trouble.

• Make a fake ticket – I’ve read some crazy stories about how people spend hours on their laptops mocking up fake tickets to get their way through border control. Sure it may work most of the time, but do you really want to run the risk of getting caught? Just seems like a silly idea to me. Plus who has time for that!

• Spend a ridiculous amount on airline tickets – If you’re going down the burner ticket route, set yourself a budget on how much you’re willing to pay. Tickets can quickly add up and before you know it you’ve spent almost a month’s travel money on tickets you’ll never use.

• Panic – Onward journeys are a pain in the ass for all travellers. Unfortunately it’s just part of the journey. There’s always a way around it and plenty of advice out there to help you navigate each country’s requirements. 

If all else fails, pick another route! We’ve ended up in some amazing places because they were much cheaper to get into than paying big £ for an onward journey we’d never use.

At the end of the day long term travel isn’t all plain sailing. Unplanned situations and hurdles arise when backpacking and you’ll have to overcome them one way or another. It’s all part of the process and the adventure.

When it comes to onward journeys, however, it’s best to be as prepared as possible. The absolute worst thing that can happen is you have to chat with border control or the airline about what your options are and work out an alternate route.

Cheers,

Adam