Cheap International Flights
Want to fly to London for $100 round-trip? Hong Kong for less than $300? Rio for around $150? Mexico ABSOLUTELY FREE?! Travel as an air courier.
There are numerous air courier companies that will fly you to cities around the world for prices that no consolidator or any of the major internet travel sites can beat.
Being an air courier requires nothing more than signing up, being willing to or able to travel light on short notice, and being responsible enough to meet a representative in an airport for a few minutes before beginning your trip. It's not hard, but like other alternative options for getting cheap airline tickets, it requires a little more planning than simply buying a ticket and climbing aboard.
Why travel as an air courier? One reason---cheap airline tickets. There is virtually no other way to get airline tickets as cheaply. Think of being an air courier as a little bit of an adventure in what is usually a pretty routine and sometimes boring way of traveling.
What is an air courier? An air courier is basically a freelance deliveryman/woman who is hired by a delivery company to escort cargo by plane. In reality, you are a passenger on a plane whose baggage allowance (or excess) is used for shipping goods or documents quickly meaning you're going to be traveling light---one carry-on bag. As payment for your temporary employment to the company, you get a discounted (and sometimes FREE!) round-trip ticket to a destination.
But a courier is also the "point person" for the shipment, which means that you will often be carrying the paperwork for the shipment and are responsible for making sure that the paperwork is received at its destination. However, once the shipment and/or the paperwork arrive at the destination, you are free to go about your business. You may never even see the shipment, or if you do, you won't handle it directly.
Don't worry, you aren't transporting drugs or contraband, usually the cargo is nothing more than documents or small parcels and it's all perfectly legal.
Who can be an air courier? Almost anyone. You must be over 18 years old and have a valid passport, usually a US or EU passport. Some courier companies require that you have a presentable appearance, i.e. take out the nose ring and don't dye your hair green before your flight. If you want to be an air courier you should join the International Association of Air Couriers (IAACC).
What is the IAACC? The IAACC is an organization with offices in the United States and England that provide valuable information about travel offers and a forum for air couriers to share travel experiences. For a $45 membership fee you can join the IAACC to have access to searching their flight itineraries whenever you want, an easy way to get into the courier business, and a host of other resources which include bonuses such as cheap hotels and car rentals. For further information go to courier.org.
How long can you stay on an air courier ticket? The amount of time you can stay in your destination varies airline ticket by airline ticket. The average length of stay is one week, some are three or four days, some are as much as two weeks and still others allow you up to a month or longer.
Some are open returns, meaning that you can be flexible on your return date as long as it is within a certain time window. However, missing a return flight means that you forfeit your return ticket and will have to pay for a new one, not at courier rates! So keep that in mind if you decide to use this method to get cheap airline tickets.
There are numerous air courier companies that will fly you to cities around the world for prices that no consolidator or any of the major internet travel sites can beat.
Being an air courier requires nothing more than signing up, being willing to or able to travel light on short notice, and being responsible enough to meet a representative in an airport for a few minutes before beginning your trip. It's not hard, but like other alternative options for getting cheap airline tickets, it requires a little more planning than simply buying a ticket and climbing aboard.
Why travel as an air courier? One reason---cheap airline tickets. There is virtually no other way to get airline tickets as cheaply. Think of being an air courier as a little bit of an adventure in what is usually a pretty routine and sometimes boring way of traveling.
What is an air courier? An air courier is basically a freelance deliveryman/woman who is hired by a delivery company to escort cargo by plane. In reality, you are a passenger on a plane whose baggage allowance (or excess) is used for shipping goods or documents quickly meaning you're going to be traveling light---one carry-on bag. As payment for your temporary employment to the company, you get a discounted (and sometimes FREE!) round-trip ticket to a destination.
But a courier is also the "point person" for the shipment, which means that you will often be carrying the paperwork for the shipment and are responsible for making sure that the paperwork is received at its destination. However, once the shipment and/or the paperwork arrive at the destination, you are free to go about your business. You may never even see the shipment, or if you do, you won't handle it directly.
Don't worry, you aren't transporting drugs or contraband, usually the cargo is nothing more than documents or small parcels and it's all perfectly legal.
Who can be an air courier? Almost anyone. You must be over 18 years old and have a valid passport, usually a US or EU passport. Some courier companies require that you have a presentable appearance, i.e. take out the nose ring and don't dye your hair green before your flight. If you want to be an air courier you should join the International Association of Air Couriers (IAACC).
What is the IAACC? The IAACC is an organization with offices in the United States and England that provide valuable information about travel offers and a forum for air couriers to share travel experiences. For a $45 membership fee you can join the IAACC to have access to searching their flight itineraries whenever you want, an easy way to get into the courier business, and a host of other resources which include bonuses such as cheap hotels and car rentals. For further information go to courier.org.
How long can you stay on an air courier ticket? The amount of time you can stay in your destination varies airline ticket by airline ticket. The average length of stay is one week, some are three or four days, some are as much as two weeks and still others allow you up to a month or longer.
Some are open returns, meaning that you can be flexible on your return date as long as it is within a certain time window. However, missing a return flight means that you forfeit your return ticket and will have to pay for a new one, not at courier rates! So keep that in mind if you decide to use this method to get cheap airline tickets.
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