Fly cheap as an air courier

If you love to travel, are flexible, and can travel light with only carry-on luggage, consider flying as an air courier.

Businesses often use couriers to carry their packages and documents to international destinations. (The business saves the shipping cost by using the courier's checked baggage allotment.)

The deals for you can be tremendous - up to 85 percent off the price of a regular airline ticket. This summer, couriers paid only $200 for roundtrip tickets from the US to the Orient, and they went to Europe for a mere $99 to $199.

Generally, a courier can stay at the destination for anywhere from seven to 21 days. You won't be paid as a courier and all ground expenses are your personal responsibility.

You must carry a valid passport, agree to a flexible departure and return date, and be willing to travel without checked luggage.

There are a number of air-courier organizations out there. For a clearinghouse of information on this type of travel, contact the International Association of Air Couriers in Lake Worth, Fla. (561-582-8320), or visit their Web site (www.courier.org).

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society