The Skinflint's Guide to World Travel (part 2)

Continued from part 1
On the day of your flight you must make your own way to the airport, arriving at the appointed time and make your presence know to whomever the courier company has specified. This could be the courier representative him/herself, the airline check-in desk or a ticket sales desk. Your outbound ticket will be ready and waiting for you to pick it up.
You won’t receive your ticket until you get to the airport. The reasons for this are as follows:-
Firstly, the courier company needs you to be at the airport with a few hours to spare to make sure they have a courier for the flight. If, for some reason, you are late or fail to turn up they still have some leeway to arrange for another courier to take your place at the last minute and pick up the ticket. If you had the ticket in your possession, another ticket would have to be issued which means more delay and expense for the courier company.
If you’ve only been given the outbound part of your ticket, it’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes courier companies do this to make sure you fulfill your obligations of making the return trip with their inbound cargo shipment. Your written instructions will tell you when, where, and from whom you collect your return ticket at the end of your holiday. It’s not always the case though; some courier companies will give you the outbound and inbound ticket upon departure.
If the cargo company does not have a courier for a particular flight and you are willing to travel at short notice, this can be good news. If the courier company is desperate, they’ll offer the replacement (and remember this could be you!) the ticket at a nominal price or even for free! It has been known for courier companies to be so desperate for someone to accompany their cargo; they’ve paid the courier to travel! Being paid to go away! Now that’s my kind of holiday!
Before leaving for the airport remember that most courier companies like you to be smartly dressed because a) you are a representative of their company for the duration of the flight and b) if the economy section of the aircraft is full you could be upgraded to business or even first class and its always best to look well groomed and turned out if you are flying in these premium seats.
If the flight is over-booked you will still fly because it’s imperative that a courier does not get bumped off the flight. Airlines will not bump you if they know you are a courier so it is your duty to make sure they know what you are doing. Under no circumstances can you volunteer to be bumped off a flight in return for cash inducements or other incentives sometimes offered by airlines. To do so is to violate your agreement with the courier company which causes them no end of trouble. In return for the upset and inconvenience this may cause you are likely to loose your deposit and be barred from any future flights.
Now you have your ticket you may have to wait around for a representative of the courier company to come and meet you. He or she will be the person who gives you the cargo documentation, or ‘manifest’ you will need to carry with you on the flight.
The manifest is just a large plastic envelope containing paperwork detailing what the cargo is, where it’s going, where it’s come from and other information. The representative may be waiting for you when you arrive or turn up quite late, even minutes before the flight leaves! Don’t worry, this is quite normal and the flight won’t go without you!
Don’t be annoyed if you’ve been waiting at the airport a few hours and the courier representative turns up with minutes to spare, there is good reason for this.
The person meeting you may be busy doing his job of sorting out the cargo and paperwork. Because courier companies ship time sensitive materials, it is often necessary for them to wait until the last possible minute before sorting out the documentation, just in case some last minute cargo is booked in with them on your flight.
If it is the ‘eleventh hour’ of a flight and no-one has met you yet, don’t panic! The representative will turn up and make sure you get on that plane, even if he/she has to escort you to the front of the passenger cue at the departure gate himself/herself!
It has been known for the paperwork not to turn up until you are on-board the aircraft but again, this is nothing to get stressed about. The courier company knows what its doing, after all, they’ve been doing it successfully for many years. So just sit back, relax and let it happen. It’s all part of the adventure and excitement of being an air courier.
You do not handle or clear the cargo through customs yourself. That is all done out of sight and is nothing to do with you. But by occupying a seat on the aircraft with the cargo documentation, the requirements necessary for the shipment to be clear customs at the same speed as personal baggage, have been met.
Talking of baggage, some courier companies, depending on where you are in the world, may restrict the amount of personal luggage you can take but I’ve never had much of a problem. The courier companies I have used have always allowed me one carry-on piece of luggage and one large suitcase up to the usual weight limit, which is always more than enough for me. So if you are one of those people that like to take the kitchen sink with you on holiday, I suggest planning your essential packing well in advance!
As an air courier, you will be flying on your own. Couriers companies usually only need or allow one courier per flight. If you wish to travel with a partner, they can always book a regular ticket on the same flight. Alternatively, your partner could also fly as a courier and join you at your destination a day ahead or after you. In some cases, where there are several flights leaving for the same destination on any given day, your partner can simply book a courier seat on the next flight and arrive just a few hours before or after you do. It can take a bit of planning but the substantial savings you make on the ticket price will more than make up for this slight inconvenience.
So you’ve got your paperwork and are sitting comfortably on board. Enjoy the flight and try not to look too smug! Once you’ve landed and disembark the aircraft, collect your personal luggage and clear customs as normal. In your instructions you will have been told the procedure to follow when you get to your destination. Sometimes a courier company representative will be waiting to meet you at the airport, you may be required to drop off the paperwork at an airport office or wait at a specified place in the building with your paperwork. Then you just hand over the paperwork to the representative and when he is satisfied that all is in order, you are free to go and enjoy your holiday.
If your journey requires a stop-over on your way to your final destination, you would keep hold of your documents, clear customs and immigration in the normal way and meet a courier representative who will drive you to a business class hotel for your brief stay. The courier company pays for your rooms and, if you are lucky, meals too! Then, when your onward flight is due to depart, the courier company will pick you up from the hotel and make sure you get to the airport in good time to continue your journey.
So you’ve had a very nice holiday and are ready to return to your home country. The courier company will have included in your instructions everything you need to know regarding when to report back to the foreign airport for your return journey. Usually you will be required to re-confirm your intention to return on your booked flight with the courier company. In some instances there won’t be any cargo to accompany on the return leg of your journey and you will already have your return ticket. If this is the case you simply confirm your return flight with the airline as normal and turn up for your flight as Joe Public would.
If you are accompanying cargo back to your home country, the process at the airport is exactly the same. Your courier information pack will explain everything you need to know as regards where and when to check in and who will be meeting you at the airport. Once you arrive back at your home airport you will, as before, either be met by a representative of the courier company (if you have accompanied cargo back) or need to meet someone at a designated place in order to hand over your paperwork. Once that is completed you are free go and, having caught the courier travel bug, start planning your next dirt cheap flight!
In just a moment I’ll show you the current list of courier companies around the world that offer discount tickets but to get the very latest information on which courier companies serve which destinations, plus much more information about the world of courier travel, let me pause to tell you about The International Association of Air Travel Couriers (www.courier.org). The IAATC was founded in 1989 and its mission is to provide courier companies with a knowledgeable and dependable courier resource. Shipping firms continue to count on the association to provide them with last minute couriers in time of need as well as an information and support resource for couriers themselves. Courier companies often tell the IAATC about last minute bargain offers which are then posted on the IAATC web site.
As a member of IAATC you have a unique password which allows you access to this up-to-the-minute online information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Couriers can also call the association office during regular business hours and get the same information read to them over the telephone.
Members also receive regular bi-monthly editions of the associations magazine The Shoestring Traveler and Travel Guide International. Each edition is packed full of the latest courier and regular bargain travel information as well as fascinating travel stories from couriers around the world. I recommend checking out their website.
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