Booking a multi-stop trip

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

See recent posts by Ed Perkins

Just as the cruise, tour, and hotel world seems [% 1285803 | | fixated on double occupancy %], almost all widely used airfare booking systems default to round-trip flights. Although that may work for a majority of travelers, one size does not fit all, and lots of travelers are interested in multi-stop trips.

One reader recently asked about a specific itinerary, but the question could apply to just about anyone: “I would like to travel from Ontario, California, to Raleigh, returning with stopovers in Atlanta and Minneapolis. How can I book these connections as one itinerary?”

Actually, it’s pretty easy, but the details depend on what sort of airline you’re flying.

Several low-fare lines price their best deals on a one-way basis, including AirTran, JetBlue, and Southwest. On those lines, just book your trip as a series of one-way flights.
Other airlines require round-trip purchase for their lowest rates, and you can book these on an airline’s own website, or with the online travel agencies. On Expedia, click on “one-way trips” under “Additional Options,” then, on the next screen, scroll “Flight Type” to “multiple destinations.” On Orbitz, click on “expanded search options,” then click the button for “multi-city.” On Travelocity, click “multi-destination” on the first screen. Most individual airlines offer similar options—just take a hard look at the options on the first screens.

“Metasearch” sites (sites that search other search engines) are a different story. Kayak has an option for multi-stop trips, but most of the others don’t.

Normally, multi-stop trips qualify for at least some form of round-trip pricing. The most typical requirements are (1) the usual advance-purchase and maximum-stay limits and (2) a Saturday-night stay at your most distant point. The total trip price is then supposed to be the sum of half-round-trip fares on each segment. The online agencies’ fare computations should provide for whatever such deals are available for your trip.

However, multi-stop ticketing has always entailed a certain amount of black art. You might be better off going through a travel agent who is knowledgeable about multi-stop ticketing tricks.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.