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September Greetings!
Welcome to the 6th edition of MTS TRAVEL'S electronic
newsletter targeted
to the needs of the church, mission, and not-for-profit
traveler. We hope you
will find the information and articles useful. Please feel
free to forward
this enewsletter to others who may also benefit from
the information. To
view back issues, visit our website at
www.mtstravel.com/newsletter
| See the USA . . . and Canada, too! |
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You're a foreign missionary planning your home
assignment travels. You have six supporting churches
and two
sets of relatives to see in three months, or maybe in
one year. Trouble is, they're spread out all over
North America. How can you quickly and economically
visit all these places-and still have a little time for
rest? MTS TRAVEL suggests two possible answers,
rent a Recreational Vehicle or purchase a Visit
USA/Canada pass.
Visit Your Supporters/See the
Country
Turn the stressful travel of visiting
supporting churches into a vacation
(and a great time of family bonding) by renting a
recreational vehicle. By having your hotel on wheels
and the ability to cook,
this might be a feasible option for trips while on
furlough. MTS TRAVEL has partnered with the leader in
RV rentals to bring this
opportunity right to your computer. Visit www.mtstravel.com or
click here to begin booking
online.
Visit USA/Canada passes may only be purchased
outside North America
An airpass is valid on
one-or in some cases more than one-carrier.
You may save money versus buying the same flights
once you reach the States. We checked the following
major
airlines for details regarding their Visit USA/Canada
passes. Here is a brief summary.
Eligibility and Overseas Purchase
To be eligible for the airpass, you must: 1) Show proof
of residence outside the USA, Canada, Mexico or the
Caribbean. 2) Produce a scheduled international airline
ticket. The Visit USA pass is usually issued with
the international ticket cross-referenced to the
VUSA/Canada. Purchase the pass at any reputable
travel
agency overseas, or at the issuing airline's foreign
ticket office. What if a U.S. carrier doesn't have a
ticket office in your country of residence? Some
airlines told us to buy the pass at any airline who has
an
agreement with them. One resourceful Delta agent
even raised the possibility of purchasing a Visit USA
while
connecting through Frankfurt-as the airport has a
ticket counter within the Customs area! (Try this only
as
a last resort.)
Which Airline Will Issue Your Pass?
Some airlines insist the pass be validated on their own
paper tickets-which may or may not be a problem,
depending on where you're originating. Others say it
doesn't matter-as long as that airline has an agreement
with the carrier you'll use in North America. Northwest
and KLM cooperate easily if you fly KLM from
overseas. Some limit the carriers you can use
transatlantic or transpacific.
Reserving Your Flights
Most say there is no advance-purchase rule. Some
require ticket purchase at lease seven days before
departure from your country of residence. All say you
must reserve at least the first flight. For most,
you can leave the remainder open with just origin and
destination points. As with any lower fare, airlines
set aside only a few seats on each flight, so you may
want to reserve space just in case. There may be
blackout
dates around certain holidays on which you cannot use
your pass. It's always a good idea to reconfirm your
flights upon arrival in North America.
Where Can You Fly?
United, for instance, has different types of passes,
depending upon where you originate: Western
Hemisphere,
Transpacific, Transatlantic, Worldwide and Japan. Most
airlines say you can fly anywhere in their route
system. Air Canada and Continental allow you to travel
anywhere in the 48 states and Canada the carriers fly.
Coupon Purchase and How They're
Used
The basic minimum number of coupons . . .
More »
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Spotlight on... MTS TRAVEL Offices
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
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Our Colorado Springs, Colorado, office has 15
employees - most with over 10 years' experience in the
travel
industry. It is a full-service agency offering
international missionary travel, corporate travel and
expert
vacation planning. As a member of the Virtuoso group
of travel companies, MTS Colorado also specializes in
vacation cruises and tours.
With a long illustrious history as Vincents' Travel,
Colorado Springs joined the MTS TRAVEL family in 1989.
In 1998,
MTS TRAVEL purchased the local All Points Lennox
Travel and merged it with the Colorado office.
Denise Sharp, has served as Travel Service Center
Manager since 1997. . .
More »
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| Raising Support - AIM's Successful Program |
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Africa Inland Mission's Director of Development,
Rev.
John Barney, has developed a winning formula for
getting donors excited about the work the mission is
doing in Kenya . . .
More »
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| Featured Link: Air Travel |
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In this month's featured link
we
introduce you to "Air Travel" This section is a
compilation of links pertaining to air travel. Need to
know an airline's toll free number, traffic delays at an
airport, want to track a flight in progress?
Go to
www.mtstravel.com and click on Travel
Links then on Air Travel or Click here to explore on
your own.
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| Cost-Cutting Tips for Air Travel |
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Major U.S. airlines are in a budget crisis,trying to
make every penny per-seat-mile count. Many
carriers have reduced their flight frequencies, thus
making the lowest-cost seats even less
available. Some of the smaller, leaner airlines continue
to make money - adding selected flights and
routes. How can you make the most of your travel
dollar in this changing environment. . .?
- Reserve early.
- Book over-the-weekend itineraries for domestic
travel.
- Meet the minimum-/maximum stay requirements for
international travel.
- Fly off-peak.
- Know the non-refundable fare rules.
- Buy during fare wars.
- Use a travel agency with
- Negotiated airfares
- Experienced agents
For details on these guidelines, please continue
reading . . .
- Reserve early.
Depending on the airline, to
qualify for the lowest domestic fare you
must purchase your ticket 21, 14, seven, three days,
or one day prior to departure.
Many domestic budget carriers sell space on a first-
come, first-served basis. Although some may
have no advance-purchase rules, the earlier purchasers
get the cheapest seats. For low-cost domestic
travel, you must purchase the seat immediately upon
reservation, or the fare may be lost.
International travel varies according to world region.
For some areas you must buy at least
90 days ahead to qualify for the lowest fare. Other
regions permit a seven-day advance. Some require
ticketing within two weeks of booking
travel. Increasingly, many special fares are "instant
purchase."
To guarantee the price, you must pay immediately upon
reservation.
Major carriers have reduced their flight schedules in the
wake of recent world events. With
fewer aircraft departing each day, reserving ahead
becomes even more essential, as the lowest-cost seats
will be more limited.
- Book over-the-weekend itineraries - for
domestic.
For domestic travel, you must usually
stay
over a Saturday night. There are itineraries, however,
which require a Friday or Sunday-night stay. In
contrast, many budget carriers sell space on a one-way
basis. There is no minimum or maximum stay.
- Meet the minimum-/maximum-stay
requirements - for international.
To qualify for the lowest international fare, usually you
must stay between six and 13 days
at your destination-but even this varies by
country.
Some international advance-purchase tickets are valid
for as little as 21 days. If you must stay longer
at your international destination, buying a three-month
or six-month ticket may save you money over the
more expensive one-year fare.
(Note: MTS TRAVEL offers flexible tickets on
selected airlines for church-related and humanitarian
workers. For these specially negotiated MTS TRAVEL
fares, some airlines waive the most stringent minimum-
stay
rules and thus provide significant savings.)
- Fly Off Peak:
Airlines divide their flights
into popular (peak) and not-so-popular (off-peak)
times. Sometimes popularity is determined by certain
times of the day, days of the week or months of the
year. For instance, varying your departure time by
about two hours can sometimes save money. Choosing
another day can at times boost your savings even
more. For international travel, regions of the world are
divided into different "seasons." If your preferred travel
date is within one or two days of a change
of seasons, you may want to alter your plans to save
money.
As you deal with the person handling your airline
reservation, it's important to let him/her
know if your plans are flexible enough to accommodate
the lowest fare available. Tell the agent you can
fly another day or leave at a later time, if that will save
money.
- Know the Non-Refundable Fare
Rules.
If you find you cannot use your non-refundable ticket,
you must cancel your reservations prior to travel
in order to retain its value for another trip. Some
airlines permit cancellation up to departure
time; others say you must cancel at least one day
ahead.
If you cancel prior to your travel, you can . . .
More »
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