Flights

For Thailand? Or somewhere else?

Being asked is a lottery, some do, some dont. I knew people who had flights home from Bangkok 42 days after they flew out of Z and still had to go and buy a ticket out within 30 days. Even some who fly often to Thailand have had times when they've been asked and times when not..
Some airlines MAY let you sign a waiver of some sort. One poster mentioned that but I should say it has been a while ago.
If you decide to risk check in with a one way ticket, be prepared with a Plan B for the onward ticket. Indonesia may also ask for an onward ticket if you get a visa beforehand.. No way round it really. Comply or dont fly.

You may be asked in these countries..sure.

Of course you may not.

If you want to be as sure as you can...buying a cheap ticket out (and then either using it or throwing it away) works well.So for example buy the cheapest possible flight out of Thailand for 30 days after you enter...say,a ticket to the north of Malaysia,which you can pick up for $20-30.

When your 30 days are up (and you have to leave the country anyway) either use that ticket,or bin it and go somewhere different.....

If you don't want to do the buy a flight you can just do the online evisa for Cambodia ($25us last time I did it). I have never been asked to see proof of onward travel by Thai authorities but have been asked several times by airlines.

Is there no way of getting around the proof of an onward/ return journey?

Some countries (I don't know which ones) may not require it at all.
In other cases the rules are relaxed for those who enter by ground instead of by air. If you enter country "ABC" by bus they do not always expect you to have advanced-purchased bus tickets to depart from the other side. If you enter country XYZ on a motorcycle they assume you can ride your motorcycle out the other side. In those cases simply having an onward visa (or an undated return ticket home) can sometimes count.

Moreover airlines have some flexibility, they don't always require you to select your date of departure in advance. They can allow you to change your date of departure even if you have pre-selected one etc.. I went to China (and Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and S. Korea) with an undated return ticket, and that was back in the days when visas were "hard."

"Proof of onward/return journey" does not mean you need to plan your entire itinerary in advance. A lot of times you can enter a country on a 30-day visa and then stay 1-30 days, or renew your visa while you're there and stay for another 30 days , etc., whatever strikes you as a good idea at the time.

Edited by: LongIslandBob