What Happens When You’re Asked for Proof of Onward Travel? (2020)
“That’s great, thank you, Miss.” She smiled as she handed my passport back to me. “Now, can I just see your onward ticket?” My heart sunk. “Oh! Yes! My onward ticket… um… it’s actually, uh it’s, it’s actually on my laptop” , I lied, “and my, um, my laptop is out of battery. I, uh, I’m flying to Bangkok, though! In three weeks. I’ll be in The Philippines for three weeks.” I forced a nervous smile in the hope that she’d believe me. “I’m sorry, Miss. You need to have an onward ticket to board this flight. We can’t let you on the plane unless you can show me proof of your onward travel plans.” “But, my laptop? I can’t turn it on. What if I can’t find somewhere to charge it?” “I’m sorry, Miss. We won’t be able to let you on the plane. You need to find a way to charge your laptop.” “ But–” “You have 30 minutes,” she interrupted. “Good luck, Miss.” Shit. With a lump in my throat, I jogged past 20 rows of check-in desks, eyes darting around the room, no idea what...