How to Be a Travel Courier

A travel courier, sometimes also called a casual courier, is a person who carries important documents on flights for a company in exchange for a discounted or free flight. Often it is cheaper for a company to have a passenger check freight through as luggage than to ship it themselves. It is a legal and widely used practice. Read on to learn how to be a travel courier.

Instructions

1

Join a courier association to get flights. One of the largest is the International Association of Air Travel Couriers. There is a small membership fee, but they offer a money-back guarantee that assignments will be given out.

2

Have a passport. All of the flights are international, so having a passport is a must. Getting a passport these days may take many months, so have one before planning to travel or joining an association.

3

Maintain a clean-cut appearance. A courier carries documents for respectable, good-standing companies and needs to represent that company in a positive manner.

4

Be willing to travel alone. Couriers often have to travel alone, although it is possible to coordinate meeting times with other couriers a day or two later.

5

Be a low-maintenance traveler. A courier must be willing to pack lightly, since the documents or objects being carried often take the place of carry-on luggage.

6

Be willing to spend a little money. Even though being a courier is a good way to travel and see the world on a budget, it is not a career or even a complete freebie. Often flights are free, or at least discounted 85 percent, but they are not always round-trip. Meals and lodging are also not covered.