Can I do this for Flights?

[MyJawisFred]

Obviously in order to do the following you need to have the money so this is just a hypothetical, but:

Could I right now book a flight from the UK to, say, Canada or Australia or the USA for literally tomorrow or two days’ time and just go?

Like, if I had the money and the time, would I be able to go or is there anything else you have to do?

Also, could I theoretically like fly from London to NYC on one day and then fly back within hours?

Obviously, nobody would do that - but I’m just cultus if you’re allowed to do that

You would need visa's?

Well theoretically you could, but you’d need to have the correct visa/ESTA/permit to enter.

yes and yes

people do craxy flights all the time for airline reward points - things like Istanbul via Honolulu or whatever. Or Long haul return after a few hours. they're called "points run"

If you have an ESTA, you can book a flight to the US on the same day. Recently saw a reel of a travel vlogger who flew into New York, want to Times Square for a slice then back to the airport for a flight home.

Visas aside yes of course. You could fly the same day or even turn up to the airport and buy a ticket.

DBro was once asked to go to a job interview about 5 days later. In Australia (he lived in the UK at the time). He flew out, did the interview, came home. For the job though! Lived there for 15 years.

You can get Estas within minutes, if you apply correctly...so yes.

Why do you think no-one would do that? Business travellers probably do it all the time, arrange meetings then book flights to attend the same/next day.

Likewise leisure travellers who see where they can go last minute once a window in their schedule appears. Either very rich or busy people or people who leave it to the last minute in the hope of getting a deal.

And it's definitely possible for short haul. A couple of years ago, DP was booked on a group activity holiday to Spain leaving on a Saturday. On the Friday a friend who couldn't go because he was moving house had it all fall through on the day of exchange so he checked there was space in the accommodation and then booked a flight for the next morning to join the holiday.

Apart from time and money (and a valid passport of course), the only limiting factor is visas where it's required and I don't know about the practicalities of that, sometimes you can just get them on arrival, although it's often easier and cheaper to arrange online in advance, and sometimes it's compulsory to do this, eg to the USA.

You asked the question just after midnight. At that time you could have looked on Skyscanner for everywhere from your local airport today and booked on a morning flight from about 6 am.

I travel frequently for business, I have booked same day for interstate and often change my flights (earlier or later same day) if I’ve booked flexi and my schedule changes. ESTA lasts two years so US flights are easy but I usually book at least a week in advance.

You would need the right visa in place, but yes you could.

There are couriers delivering documents all over the world all the time, taking flights at short notice and returning after making the drop.

Of course you can. I could book a flight to New York now and leave this morning.

Book and travel same day?

Definitely a yes..

Also, could I theoretically like fly from London to NYC on one day and then fly back within hours?

New York, specifically JFK, definitely yes because of the number of flights.

The AM departures out of LHR get you into JFK early/mid-PM (local time).

That's enough time to get through immigration and then check-in for one of the evening flights that head back overnight to LHR.

I used to book like this all the time for a busy exec. He had visas permanently in place, two passports and would go at the drop of a hat, sometimes the same day.

Most comfortably-off immigrants with elderly parents have a few thousand in the bank or some credit card mentally reserved for when they get the call to say goodbye. I can be airside within 70 minutes from my office. The only time I did it in that much of a rush was when the boarders were closing during Covid. We bought the tickets on the train on a phone!

All yes, like others have said if you have an Esta for America.

I have done some funny ones such as booked a holiday for Egypt a few hours before I flew and went to Cape Town for three days. This year I booked a holiday to visit my friend in Florida and then we went on a cruise the day before I flew.

Of course. We always have passports, ESTAs and annual travel insurance, just in case.