In addition to rock-bottom service at rock-bottom prices, budget airlines allow us to explore the concept of one-way flights. I had long dreamed of devising an itinerary that would whisk me into one city and out of another, but it was only several weeks ago that I finally made the idea reality. Our chosen route took us into Faro, Portugal, and saw us returning to home base Germany via Malaga, Spain, flying with Ryanair. Since Ryanair and many other budget airlines sell flights as separate, one way-segments, there's no need to pay a pricey surcharge for the privilege of choosing different arrival and departure airports. The five-day itinerary was busy, but shy of what I’d term hectic. Here’s a sampling of our route and what we did and saw along the way:

-- Day One: Flew Frankfurt-Hahn to Faro, arriving late morning. Left baggage in bus station and explored Faro by miniature tourist “railway.” The Carmelite Church (Igreja do Carmo) and its Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos) was a highlight, as were the storks who had built their nests among the town’s steeples and towers. We ate lunch in the town and headed back to the bus station for a transfer to the town of Tavira, a journey of less than an hour. The muddy red rivers of the Gilão River initially jarred the senses, but an evening’s wander helped the town’s beauty to gradually unfold. We spent the night in a small pension on Rua Almirante Candido Dos Reis and dined just a couple of doors down, where a cluster of restaurants awaits the visitor.

-- Day Two: Left baggage in hotel and spent day at the beach known as Ilha da Tavira, easily reachable by taxi, mini-train or on foot, with a short and cheap ferry ride across the bay. Golden sands and small dunes reminded me a bit of Cape Cod, Mass. Surfers were out, restaurants were plentiful, the sun warm and the water freezing cold. At 4 p.m., a three-hour bus ride took us to Seville, Spain. Cork trees, vineyards and empty fields were the predominant features of the landscape, broken up by the occasional stork nest on power lines or modest homestead with a couple of skinny horses out front. Stayed in modest pension and went to flamenco show at a bar called La Car*****ía. The dancing wasn’t great, but the venue was spacious, the décor suitably rustic, no cover charge was charged, and drinks were modestly priced.

-- Day Three: Explored Seville, a truly world-class city the impressions of which are bound to linger with any visitor. By day and by night, by foot and by bus tour, we took in the view alongside the Guadalquivir River, the neighborhood of Triana, the grounds of Expo 92, and countless churches and monuments. Toured the cathedral, the world’s third largest, and climbed La Giralda, its bell tower. An evening stroll led us through a park with a world crafts and food market and to the Plaza de Espana — beautiful by day, it was a wonderland by night and a trip highlight. Experienced churros and hot chocolate, tapas, paella, Tinto de Verano — red wine and lemon soda, and perhaps the greasiest French fries ever made.

-- Day Four: Transferred to Ronda, Spain, a two-hour ride in which the flat fields gradually yielded to a rugged, mountainous landscape and hawks soared above. Explored town by foot, enjoyed shopping Ronda’s main pedestrian streets, dined on remarkably good fish as part of a set-price meal costing only 10 euros. Took countless photos of the city’s dramatic setting, atop a plateau and straddling a gaping ravine.

-- Day Five: The bus ride to Malaga was just over two hours and again took us through steep and dramatic terrain, beautiful farm houses, orchards, and modest villages. The urban sprawl of Malaga contrasted unfavorably with the beauty of previous days. The walk through the vicinity of the bus and train stations was marred by bland high-rises, noisy traffic and exhaust fumes. If I had the day to do over, I’d probably just spend a few hours shopping at the mall attached to the train station and enjoying tapas from one of the many Spanish chain restaurants there.  A two-hour flight departing in the late afternoon had us back at Frankfurt-Hahn in good time to catch the next homeward-bound shuttle.

This itinerary worked well due to the efficiency and modest pricing of the bus network. Had the bus routes not provided such dramatic scenery, all that travel would likely have proved tedious. All told, I would guess we clocked in close to 10 hours riding time, and the sum total of all bus tickets purchased hovered around the 50 euro mark.

Gazing at the Ryanair route map, other itineraries that suggest themselves include Madrid and a city such as Barcelona, Santander or Valencia; Portugal from Porto to Faro; Bratislava, Slovakia to Lake Balaton, Hungary; Rome to Venice or Verona, Bologna or Pisa; or Ireland from Kerry to Dublin.

Has anyone else ever tried a multicity itinerary with success?