My Dummy Ticket
Plain-English answers from people who've worked both sides of the border counter. Written daily by four travel-industry insiders.
Indonesia's visa-on-arrival scheme means immigration and airline staff can ask to see an onward or return ticket before you board or land.
Ireland sits outside Schengen and inside the UK Common Travel Area, which confuses a lot of backpackers about what onward proof they actually need.
Whether Laos actually checks for a dummy or onward ticket depends on where you cross, not just what visa you hold. Here are the real questions backpackers ask before the Golden Triangle loop.
United Airlines checks for an onward ticket when your destination requires proof of onward travel, using the same IATA Timatic system every major carrier relies on.
A dummy ticket, a refundable fare, and an airline's 24-hour cancellation window all prove onward travel, but they suit very different timelines and budgets.
American Airlines only checks for an onward ticket on certain international routes, not every flight. Here is when it actually comes up, and what to book if you need one.
El Salvador sits inside the CA-4 zone with Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and whether you need an onward ticket depends more on your airline than the border itself.
Lufthansa can deny boarding on one-way flights without proof of onward travel. Here is when the check actually happens, what counts as a valid onward ticket, and what to do at the gate.
Cathay Pacific check-in agents can ask for proof of onward travel before you even reach the border, and a dummy ticket is the easiest fix.
Free dummy ticket generator sites hand you a PDF, not a real airline reservation, and that gap is exactly what verification checks catch.
Does Qatar Airways check for a dummy ticket at check-in? Here is how the airline handles onward-ticket proof for one-way flights through its Doha hub.
Vietnam's e-visa system doesn't erase the onward-ticket question. Here's when it actually comes up, and what to book if you're traveling loose.