Riding elephants in the Golden Triangle. Sailing the Greek isles. Cycling the Scottish coast. Riding a careening bus through the Andes. And 76 more ways to get around the world.

Every issue this column will focus on innovative ways to globe trot. Whether it is the best way to abuse the Eurail system, or what not to do when riding camels in the desert, we all know that it is in the details of travel that the fun and complexity lies. We will give you some tips on the best way to get from here to there, because it doesn't always matter where you are going, but how you get there that counts.

Imagine flying from LAX to London for $350 round-trip, or for free. One of the cheapest ways to get anywhere is by air courier flights. These companies look for people willing to escort packages for companies and sometimes other mail service companies overseas. The reason? Customs in foreign countries can take up to two weeks to release a package and can charge a substantial amount for storage space. This Catch 22 has opened the possibility to send a package overseas in a little more than a day.

Courier companies buy airline tickets in bulk, then resell those tickets to couriers willing to give up luggage space at a 50-70% discount. An intermediary courier company promises to deliver a document, package, and then "hires" you to be the physical delivery person (required my international law). They pay 50-70% of your plane ticket-and all you do is sit back, enjoy the peanuts, and walk through customs with a grin of satisfaction.

A prime example took place in a movie studio in London. The cast had finished shooting and flew back to Los Angeles to finish the project. A wig for a cast member was left behind. Instead of mailing the wig, which would have taken a week or more to arrive and go through customs, a courier company "hired" a person to simply take the wig as their luggage. The courier took it on the plane, checked it through customs with his own carry-on, gave it to a contact upon arrival, and the wig arrived to the studio in Los Angeles the next day.

I recently flew round-trip from LAX to Hong Kong (almost all flights are RT) for $400 (compared to a minimum of $800 normally). I never carried a thing, was met courteously by a courier official from IBC, and was reassured several times that the boxes which I "accompanied" contained nothing illegal. (Note: No air courier company listed here or on the following page has ever been cited for any illegal merchandise) They were loaded directly onto the plane into the space normally allocated for my luggage, which is the only complication to courier travel. Due to claiming your normal luggage space allowance, you are only allowed one carry on bag. I even racked up frequent flyer miles.

However the real deals for air courier travel come to those that can leave on the spur of moment. Although air courier companies seem to be filling seats more regularly lately, seats that have not been bought a few days before departure receive substantial discounts to take the flight. Our own Eric Tiettmeyer waited until four days before a departure to purchase his ticket to Hong Kong. The damage? $100 RT. I made a huge mistake last fall by passing up a round-trip flight to Singapore for two weeks for $49 due to school priorities.

One company that efficiently tracks prices and flights for air courier companies is the Air Courier Association. Members receive a catalog full of information on current air courier schedules, visa requirements and travel discount companies. The company also has a full color quarterly magazine. In addition, the company has an extensive web site at www.aircourier.org which has a listing of last minute deals for members by air couriers nationwide. This page eliminates the problem of calling around for the best deal. For details call (303) 279-3600.