Round-trip tickets for long-term stay

[DKStuntz]

I live in the USA, and have been offered an internship in Costa Rica, which might last for about a year.

I am wondering how to book my flights. I am planning on leaving in June and returning the following June (2007). However, I couldn't find a travel website that had the capabilities to book my return as far out as June 2007, and many round-trip airfares have a maximum-stay requirement of a month or 2.

I'd like to know how traveling interns book their flights when planning on spending a whole year interning abroad. I'm wondering if there's an organization that deals with long-term-stay round-trip tickets, or if one has to simply purchase 2 separate one-way tickets in order to stay at their destination for a whole year.

I would greatly appreciate a response. Thanks.

[John]

Is it possible that you could book a return ticket, but the return leg being "open", that is, still to be defined exactly. Many airlines will agree to issue tickets on that basis.

It could well be that airlines are not yet in a position of knowing their exact flight schedule 12 months ahead. But having an open return ticket would get round that. When you wish to return you would simply contact the airline concerned and book yourself on to the flight of your choice .... without charge.

[Traveler33]

Normallyyou cannot book a flight more than one year in advance.
So you could pick an earlier return date, even though you know you won't be returning on that date, and then change it. You can aee how the price of theticket varies depending on different return dates.

In general one way tickets are very expensive and it's cheaper to buy a two way ticket even if you throw away the return portion unused.