Big Blue Marble Newsletter: Sample Article

You will, if you're wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the unstream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it.
Freya Stark

Courier Travel: Myths and Realities
February 2002

When I told my friends that I was going to travel as a courier, their first response was: ?What will you carry? I hope you don?t get arrested.?

My first thought, like most budding journalists, was being arrested could make a great story. Imagine the royalties that could be generated from the story: Low Cost Travel Can Kill: Innocent Housing Bureaucrat Condemned to Death for Drug Smuggling- a bestseller, for sure.

Yet, I knew I?d be OK. Every day, hundreds of Americans travel as couriers. The biggest challenge faced by air courier is finding the right fare. In order to help, I joined the International Air Courier Association where I discovered that the only courier trips available from San Francisco flew to Manila, Singapore, and London.

I decided to go to Singapore. Since I needed to plan my vacation in advance and travel during high season (Chinese New Years), I paid the highest fare available: $400 round trip. While the cheapest air fare offered by travel consolidators to Singapore was $575 round trip, I could have flown to other Asian destinations such as Tokyo or Taipei for the same $400. In addition, most of the consolidator flights would have allowed me to accumulate frequent flyer miles, which I didn?t get from the trip.

The courier trip was also not very convenient. I had to put up an additional $100 deposit (which was returned a month after my return) to ensure my return, arrive three hours early on both ends, and spent an extra ten hours (though a free hotel stay was included) in transit at Narita Airport in Tokyo.

Would I do a courier flight again? It depends. Courier flights are great for people who can travel at a minutes notice to anywhere the company needs a courier. However, for people like me who need to plan the trip in advance during a high travel season, I don?t think they are worth the hassle.

• Couriers do not actually check in any courier bags or take them through customs. The couriers merely exchange part of their baggage allowance for cheap airfares. Couriers are allowed to check in some personal bags (sometimes, this may be limited to only one bag, however).
• Usually there is one courier per flight and therefore you can?t travel with a companion on the same flight.
• Most couriers are required to return within a couple weeks. However, once you?ve established a good relationship with a courier company, you may be allowed to stay longer.
• Courier company staff handle the plane tickets and check you on the plane. You have to arrive at least three hours earlier at the airport and wait for the company?s staff to arrive.
• Making courier arrangements can be a pain. I had to call Jupiter, the courier company, around ten times before I could make my arrangements.
• If you live in or near New York or London courier travel is a great option. There are hundreds of flights available. The International Air Courier site frequently advertises, for example, for couriers from New York to Hong Kong for $100 round trip. There are some flights from the West Coast (including Vancouver) but the destinations are limited. Almost anywhere else, courier flights are rare or non-existent.
• If you can travel on short notice, courier travel can be a good deal. On my trip to Singapore, I met another courier who traveled from San Francisco to Manila for $275 round trip. She called daily for a couple weeks and offered repeatedly to travel on short notice in exchange for a cheap fare. I have heard stories of couriers who scored free trips for leaving on a flight the day after they called.
• Joining an air courier association isn?t really worth the cost unless you live in or around New York or London and plan to frequently fly as a courier. The associations do provide, however, some good information about budget travel that may be worth the dues (typically $35-50 a year).

• Singapore provokes very mixed reactions. Some travelers love the cleanliness, order, and greenery. Others find it overly oppressive, costly, and too Westernized. I was endlessly fascinated by the mingling between Western capitalism and Asian values.
• While Singapore is expensive by Asian standards, it is still cheaper than the USA or Europe. When I was there two years ago, everything cost about 40% less than in the USA.
• Eat in Little India. The food, most of which comes from Southern India (the Indian food in the USA and Europe is from Northern India) is inexpensive and tasty.

• This is a sample article from the FREE Big Blue Marble Newsletter about my (Paul Heller) trips around the world, meeting along the way others who share the pursuit of following their dreams to travel and live in another part of globe. The newsletter also features many tips, program reviews, and other useful information gathered from the road to help you become a participant rather than a spectator in the daily life of distant corners of the planet. If you'd like to subscribe to the newsletter (and my Postcards from the Road), please send me an e-mail or fill out your e-mail address in the space indicated on the left side panel of this website.
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