A lot of my friends frequently ask me about itineraries in the places that I’ve travelled to and the first thing I always tell them is not to retrace your routes (if time and money permits).
Here’s why:
More Places to See:
Instead of booking Manila-Singapore-Manila, I will usually opt for Manila-Singapore – Kuala Lumpur - Manila (or vice versa) instead. There might be an additional charge for the overland trip from Singapore but there will definitely more places to see in almost the same amount of time. I also do that for overland trips. Instead of going to Sagada from and to Banaue, I chose Manila–Banaue-Sagada-Baguio–Manila.
Sometimes it’ s Cheaper:
Specially for flights. Why? Because in some areas, there are more low-cost carriers that fly to your next destination. That means you have more options to choose from and more airline competition often results to cheaper fares (though it doesn’t always apply). Always check fares in nearby airports before you book your ticket. Sometimes the overland cost is still insignificant compare to the savings that you might get.
Gain a Lot of Travel Learning Experience:
Sometimes my “no retracing policy” gets me into little trouble but it’s still worthwhile. Since I’m not a fan of going back where I came from, I always end up researching possible routes thus gaining more information and experience about travelling.
Do you always book Roundtrip Tickets?
Depends on the trip. Like, when I'm just going away for the weekend, I book round trip because I would just be staying put in one place. For longer trips, I would sometimes have different entry and exit points. But from experience, I usually use Singapore as my jump off point, so I buy round trip tickets for Singapore and then open jaw tickets for the rest of the trip
P.s. check your Facebook inbox.
@nina: yup… depends on the trip… i'll check my FB
I'm a fan of the one-way ticket…I really like the flexibility of being open to a changed itinerary AND have found it to be cheaper especially when going in and out of Europe – I've found Aer Lingus to have the best one way fares and they don't penalize you for the one way.
I do this when I can too. On my first trip to Asia, I flew into Bangkok and flew out of Singapore. It was a great way to make sure I saw as much as possible. I tried to do it on my last trip to Costa Rica/Nicaragua, but the price was way too high so I just opted to fly in and out of San Jose.
@Kristin: same here. although in the Philippines, we need to present a ticket that will prove that you're indeed going back home, which suck especially if you dont know when it is…
@Steve: i agree. cost indeed is a big consideration… i'm envious of your trips hehe since i've never been to Central and South America… keep on travelling man! let me know when you visit southeast asia again…
i agree, its better not to buy a round trip ticket if time is not a problem. we were in cambodia at that time and wanted to go to bangkok since the bus fare was really cheap but we can't because of our returning flight and rebooking would cost us arms and legs…but sometimes it will really depend on the situation especially money and time matters
when i try to book online and have different destinations, i get all the more confused. maybe i just need a little more patience — and more money too!
flip, in the past, i did buy round trip tickets and ended up not using the flight back to Manila. One, i stayed longer. Two, i exited from a different country. So, what you're saying is absolutely true! Will try to that every time i will go on a trip!
i love (re)discovering new routes
its fun 
although sometimes it does not apply to others like short business trips etc… that's why i want to be location independent so i could do whatever i want hehe… thanks for sharing your thoughts carla, ed and jerik…
Can you please teach me about this route: – Manila – Banaue – Sagada – Baguio –Manila, i wanted to do this with my husband…=) and this will be our first time
thank you!.
from manila you’ll take a bus going to banaue (autobus [contact:(02)740 7959 and (02)493 4111 - not sure if this is still working] or florida bus[contact: (02) 731 5358 or (02) 743 3809] in sampaloc) and then when you arrive there you can go sightseeing and spend a night if you want to before going to sagada (via jeep)- the terminal is in front of the tourism office. spend a few days in sagada and then hop on a bus heading to baguio city by bus, from baguio you can take victory liner back to manila
happy trip