Does anyone know of a credible website where you can get low cost tickets in exchange for courier service? I'm in Guatemala now and a girl told me it's possible to fly super cheap if you only have one carry on and take other people's stuff as checked baggage. I'm looking to fly to Asia in the spring and would love to save money if possible, any input is appreciated. Thanks, Melody
posted by:
|
Austin
|
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Sun, June 11, 2006 - 3:12 AMSure just swallow these 'capsules'... someone will be waiting for you on your arrival... dont shit...
'Ave Maria'
L -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Tue, June 27, 2006 - 10:27 AMha, yeah it seemed a little questionable to say the least. I guess it may be too good to be true or at least to be legit! Funny response though... -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Tue, September 5, 2006 - 11:15 AMHi Melody,
What is Courier tix? -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Tue, September 5, 2006 - 11:36 AMit sounds like the setup to being a mule... I would recommend xraying the baggage yourself before TSA does...
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Sun, October 1, 2006 - 3:34 PMA courier ticket is when you get free air fare in exchange for taking packages for people instead of your own checked bags. I met a couple in Gautemala who had gotten free flights doing this and they said it was how they finianced their trips around the world. They seemed to be intelligent and not the sort of people who would chance drug smuggling. I haven't been able to find any more info and I admit that it does sound like a good way to end up getting gang raped in prison or something. Mel
-
-
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Tue, September 5, 2006 - 1:23 PMO the replies are making me giggle here. In all seriousness you should make sure of what you arer carrying aboard. There are so many restrictions adn rules changes these days that you just need to watch your own back.
if you have time to look around you might chaeck out a few large companies and see what they might have going out or even just talk to a few friends and friends of the family who might have gifts or other things for people who live where you are heading too. i'll talk to some friewnds of mine and see if they know any good sites for information .
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, October 20, 2006 - 1:07 PMcontrary to the posts of people on here, there are legitimate companies that perform air courier services. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, since Sept 11, this has fallen off significantly. SF, LA, and NYC tend to be hubs. Sorry, I'm not on my regular computer, so I don't have my bookmarks with me, but I think that if you google air courier you can find some companies.
Good luck!
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Sat, October 21, 2006 - 11:30 AMI found your question interesting,so I did some searching. I found a site called courier.org that has alot of FAQ's. Unfortunately, one of the questions was about appearance & I don't believe we fit the mold. I remember back in the 70's when I worked airport screening,we had a gentleman that came thru weekly as a courier. He was always dressed in suit & tie. Apparently, this is a requirement ,according to what I read at the above site. I could be wrong, but from looking at your profile, I'm guessing business suits aren't a part of your wardrobe. I , on the other hand ,have several from my corporate days, but no longer willing to get a haircut to please others. I'd say we're out of luck on this one.
Cheers,
NB -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Tue, October 24, 2006 - 11:47 PMYes, I agree. Don't think my mohawk would pass for buisness attire. I could shave my head and dress in a power suit but the tattoos would be hard to hide. Oh well, guess I will just have to work enough to save up the money or find some kind of barter for airfare. Thanks alot for the information, it could be useful for other people. Melody
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Thu, October 26, 2006 - 7:14 PMHere is some information from cheaptrips. I have a membership and you would probably have to get one too. However when you want to travel you just call a phone number and they set all the courier stuff up for you.
Courier Flights
CheapTrips has partnered with courier companies to provide our members opportunities to fly at deeply discounted fares.
Courier flights are a discounted way of traveling internationally. In order to take advantage of these fares you will be transporting a time-sensitive package for a major shipping broker. Anyone over the age of 18 who is willing to give up some baggage allowance and pack light and has a valid passport can travel on a courier flight.
On passenger planes baggage that has the passenger present is off-loaded at the gate first and clears customers faster than packages that travel without a passenger present. Packages that are unaccompanied are taken to a warehouse where they can sit for days before going through customs.
Air Courier Companies only deal with legitimate corporate Air Cargo. You as the courier never actually touch the cargo. When you arrive at customs you will be met by a courier company representative who clears the shipment through customs, you are never personally liable for the cargo.
Courier companies usually have just one courier on each flight. But that doesn't mean you have to travel without a companion. Sometimes two people can arrange to be couriers on consecutive days. For instance, one courier might fly to Hong Kong on Monday, get to the hotel and get other arrangements in order, while the second courier flies into Hong Kong as a courier on Tuesday. Another possibility is that your traveling companion could buy a ticket on the same flight on which you're acting as a courier.
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, November 10, 2006 - 7:01 AMhahahahha
I never thought of courier tickets as mainly an option for drug smugglers to use unsuspecting dotes to deliver their dope or illegal/black market items to their destinations!!
Really, you can find courier tickets online, just google. As posted above, there are time sensitive documents and packages that need to reach their destination. You can travel very well if you tap into this vein, but also, I don't think that you will be able to have full control of planning, you will be at the mercy of their needs and if you want to go to a country, you will have to fit your schedule around what you can find from them. If you are buying through a reputible travel company, and not some shady, secretive person in a dark alley, you should be just fine. The Cheap Trips in the previous member's post is enough to point you into the right direction, very good post.
I would use it if I could, but I have a 10 year old daughter, and haven't looked into how hard it is to coordinate a courier ticket with a purchased ticket so we can travel together. If your traveling partner is your age or of adult age, it is not a problem to stagger your arrival times if you both get courier tickets on different flights. Since she is so young (my daughter), we do not have that option.
I have seen here in SF Bay Area, people on Craigslist.org looking for someone to escort their family member to their home country. They buy the tickets, and you provide company and safety. This is NOT sexual. This was for maybe a young child who needed an adult to watch over them and to make sure they arrive safely in motherland, where the awaiting relatives were at the arrival gate to take the child. I have seen this a couple of times. Look into this as well. I guess the parents and relatives here cannot take time off of work and are willing to pay others to take their loved ones back for them. -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, November 10, 2006 - 12:31 PM<<<<<<hahahahha
I never thought of courier tickets as mainly an option for drug smugglers to use unsuspecting dotes to deliver their dope or illegal/black market items to their destinations!!>>>>>
Apparently, you just havnt reached the level of paranoia, that the rest of us, drug- addled, americans have
PS remember we are Watching you!!!!!!
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, November 10, 2006 - 7:04 AMHow do you rate Cheap Trips? I had a membership over a year ago and let it expire without taking advantage of it. Would it be worth giving it another try? Do you have advice on how to pull in the deals. I stopped paying for it because the prices I was quoted was on average with the prices I got from non-membership sites. -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, November 10, 2006 - 11:24 AMId rate it really good. If you use the air option it basically scans a boatload of airlines for the cheapest flights and gives them to you. Obviously there are other websites that do this. However Cheaptrips has the courier and last minute specials where you can get a ticket for super cheap! I once used it to fly to London for a week during the summer and got a roundtrip ticket for $450! (normal summer rates can reach over a grand) Im planning to use the courier service to travel the world in the next couple years. The rates out of the US are about 25%-50% lower then what you would pay normally. Outside the country is where you really save though. You can stay in most countries for about 30 days. You basically call a special number and tell the operater where you want to go and a rough time around you want to leave.
The site also gives you some travel protection and medical benefits with your membership.
For instance if you are mugged or hurt , cheap trips will loan you the money you need for hospital or a ticket home. I think my membership is lifetime if I remember correctly.. -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, November 10, 2006 - 12:33 PMwow, that doesnt sound bad at all......
-
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Sat, January 20, 2007 - 11:38 AMdo you know about choosing how long you can stay somewhere? i heard from a friend who used to do this that he didn't really have a choice of when he went or returned, and sometimes he'd end up flying halfway across the world only to return in two days. but this was around 10 years ago. is Cheap Trips more flexible with dates? -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Mon, January 22, 2007 - 8:44 PMHere is the listings for cheaptrips.
Departure City Arrival City Round-Trip Fare Days of Departure Call to Book
New York* Bangkok, Thailand $600 M,T,W,Th,F 718-656-2883
*One check-in bag & one carryon allowed. Refundable deposit of $200 required in case of no show. Maximum stay valid up to 30 days
Los Angeles Hong Kong, SAR $550-$600 T,W,Th,F,Sa,Su 310-670-1197
*Stay is valid from 7-30 days
San Francisco* Manila, Philippines $550-$600 M,T,W,Th,Sa,Su 310-670-1197
*Two check in bags And one carry on. Stay is valid from 7-30 days
International Courier Flight Schedule
Departure City Arrival City Round-Trip Fare Departure Days Call to Book
London, England Bangkok, Thailand £430-490 M,T,W,Th,F,Sa,Su 011 44 870-606-1133
*Stay is valid from 2 days to 6 weeks
London, England Tokyo, Japan £490 Call 011 44 870-606-1133
Hong Kong Bangkok, Thailand HK$1500 M,T,W,Th,F,Su 011 852 2305-1412 -OR-
011 852 2316-1997
*Open return / 1 year
Hong Kong Manila, Philippines HK$1600 Call 011 852 2305-1412 -OR-
011 852 2316-1997
Hong Kong New York HK$5000 M,T,W,Th,F,Sa 011 852 2305-1412
*Stay is valid up to 30 days
Hong Kong Taipei, Taiwan HK$2000 Call 011 852 2316-1997
Hong Kong Tokyo, Japan HK$2600 Call 011 852 2305-1412 -OR-
011 852 2316-1997
Singapore San Francisco S$900 Call 011 65 6214-0260
-
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Thu, December 28, 2006 - 12:47 AMJupiter Air out of LA will fly you to Hong Kong... last minute airfares can be cheap... search online for their link... Jupiter Air ... couriers... legit... biggest of the couriers that do civilian passenger flights. You can negotiate for last minute flight cheap rates if you're not in a hurry. Like anything else, if they're more desperate then you are to get someone to fly with the courier parcels then you can get it cheap or if you're lucky Free.
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Fri, January 19, 2007 - 12:00 PMwww.casualcourier.com/User.Login.aspx
You may check this one out. You do have to register...jNo experience with them though. Just found them while looking for the same thing. Good luck! -
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Wed, March 12, 2008 - 11:31 AMSaw this article link pop up on my yahoo mainpage this morning so followed it.
"Air Courier Travel: No Longer a Bargain"
www.aviation.com/travel/07...rgain.html
-
-
Re: Courier ticket?
Sat, March 15, 2008 - 8:28 PMI've flown as a courier a few times with Jupiter, but it's been around 10 years since.
Totally legit. You never see what you're transporting.
I suspect it's often time-sensitive documents, or expensive things like computers.
You travel on regular planes with everyone else.
Yes, they had a business casual dress code, but it was no biggie (I have stretched ears and they didn't even look twice; just wear a hat over your mohawk!).
Airports and customs are used to couriers; they even have their people meet you at customs to whisk you right through.
I flew from San Francisco and L.A. to Singapore, under $500 RT each time, but last minute, and I had to wait around calling in every day to see if they had any last minute cancellations of their couriers so I could get a flight super cheap.
The price printed on my ticket was astronomical. I believe I had to pay like a $100 deposit.
They want a phone number of where you'll be overseas, but you can just give them a hotel's number and check in with them if need be.
Last minute is cheaper, and the maximum stay was 30 days. No one-ways.
Usually flights from the West Coast go to Asia; flights from the East Coast go to Europe.
If anyone has current contact #'s for any courier companies, please drop me a line!!!
