Get paid to fly?

Josh Roberts believes the best trips involve long hikes and muddy boots. His life goals haven't changed much since he was a kid: He still wants to be Indiana Jones when he grows up.

Follow him on Twitter (@joshwhowrites) and Instagram (@joshwhowrites), and visit his website (joshrobertsbooks.com) or Goodreads page to learn more about his forthcoming novel.

Josh joined SmarterTravel in 2001, and is an active member in both the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In addition to SmarterTravel, he has written for USA Today, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Travel, The Huffington Post, Airfarewatchdog, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, ABC News, Oyster, and Business Insider. His travel photography can be seen in Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places, published by Penguin UK.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A lacrosse ball. It's small, lightweight, and works wonders on loosening up tight muscles."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Being the first to discover an ancient lost city. Failing that, visiting as many of the already-discovered ancient ruins as possible."

Travel Motto: "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle."

See recent posts by Josh Roberts

In what might be the least intuitive sale ever, one airline says it will pay people to fly on its planes. That airline is SkyEurope, a European discount carrier that announced yesterday it plans to cut prices on some routes to minus 10 koruna (or about -$0.44).

“As of today, SkyEurope becomes the first airline that pays its passengers for flying,” the company said, according to an AP report.

Qualifying travel dates are November 1 through December 15, and from January 9 through March 24, 2007. You need to book by Sunday, October 22.

It’s clear SkyEurope doesn’t expect to make a whole lot of money on this offer, but despite the rather unorthodox approach this is similar in many ways to “free” travel promotions run by other European discounters like Ryanair, and even the recent $8 sale here in the U.S. by Spirit. The goal is to get the airline’s name into the public consciousness, and in that sense I’d call this a success.

Whether paying people to fly is a winning proposition in the long term is another matter altogether.

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