Cheap Flights for Backpackers: One-Ways, Open-Jaws and Multi-City

Backpacking breaks the usual rules of flight booking. You often don't know exactly when you'll come home, you want to fly into one city and out of another, and your route changes as you go. The standard round-trip search is built for the opposite. Here is how experienced backpackers book flights instead.

Why a round-trip is often the wrong tool

A round-trip fare assumes you return to where you started on a fixed date. On a long or open-ended trip, that creates two problems. You commit to a return date you may want to change, and you end up paying to backtrack to your starting city when your trip actually finishes somewhere else. The cheaper and more flexible approach is usually to build the trip from one-way flights and open-jaw routes.

One-way tickets: the backpacker default

A one-way ticket gets you to your first destination without locking in a return. On many routes, especially those served by low-cost airlines, one-way fares are priced independently and can be close to half a typical round-trip, so you lose little by booking this way. On some long-haul routes, though, one-way fares from traditional airlines can cost much more than half a return. That's why it pays to compare both before deciding, as we explain in our guide to split ticketing.

Check the entry rules first. Many countries require proof of onward travel before they let you board or enter, and airlines can refuse boarding if you can't show it. Look up the official entry requirements for every country on your route, and keep a cancellable or refundable onward booking in mind if the rules require one. Rules change, so rely on official government sources, not a forum post from two years ago.

Open-jaw: fly into one city, out of another

An open-jaw route means your arrival and departure points are different, for example flying into one city, travelling overland through the region, and flying home from another. It saves you the cost and time of looping back, and it lets the trip follow your interest rather than your return flight. Many airlines and search tools let you book open-jaw as a multi-city itinerary on one ticket, and sometimes it costs about the same as a round-trip. Always compare it to two separate one-ways.

Multi-city and "everywhere" searches

If you know the sequence of countries but not exact dates, a multi-city search lets you price the whole route at once. If you're flexible on where you go, search from your departure airport with the destination set to "anywhere" or "everywhere", sorted by price, and let the cheapest places shape your route. Cheap flights are often a better reason to pick your first stop than a guidebook is.

Be flexible on dates and airports

Moving your departure by a day or two can change the fare noticeably, and mid-week flights are often cheaper than weekends on many routes. Our guides on the best time to book flights and secondary airports explain how to use flexible-date tools and alternate airports. Both matter more when you're free to choose any day.

Use cheap regional flights for the middle of the trip

In regions with strong low-cost airline networks, hopping between countries by air can cost less than a long overland journey once you count time, accommodation and food. Compare flights against buses and trains for each leg, and choose the option that fits your budget and the time you have. Just remember the extra fees that come with budget carriers, covered in our guide to carry-on-only travel.

A simple backpacker booking checklist

Ready to compare? Use the FareHacker flight finder to open your route on Skyscanner, Kayak and Kiwi.com side by side.

More guides: Round-the-World or One-Ways? · Split Ticketing Explained · all guides