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2006 Greetings!
Welcome to this edition of MTS TRAVEL'S electronic
newsletter targeted to the needs of the church,
mission, relief and
development traveler. We hope you will find the
information and articles useful. To view back issues of
this newsletter,
visit our website at www.mtstravel.com/newsletter
Spotlight on... MTS TRAVEL Offices
Newton, KS |
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Fifty-one years ago, in 1955, an amazing thing
occurred in the small community of Newton, Kansas
(population approximately 18,000). Two ladies from the
Mennonite Central Committee, began working as travel
agents in an enclosed front porch of a small home, thus
giving a whole new meaning to the term "storefront
location."
Their purpose was to locate an office in a heavily
populated Mennonite area and to assist making travel
arrangements related to post-war relief and mission
work. These projects were sponsored by the
Mennonite Central Committee, as well as a host of
other church denominations. Most of this travel was
by ship, such as sending refugees from Europe to
Paraguay.
Today, there are 14 employees, working in a beautiful
office situated ..
More »
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| 2006 Summer Travel Alert |
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Due to numerous global events, such as the soccer
World Cup held in Europe this June and July,
airline seats at the lowest missionary rates are
becoming limited! Please contact your MTS
TRAVEL
Consultant right away to insure the best prices,
schedules and availability. If you are new to
MTS TRAVEL, please call (877)908-8899 or email your
trip request to
service@mtstravel.com
| Katrina - the Work
Continues. |
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MTS TRAVEL is still busy sending teams to the
Gulf Coast in the clean up of the devastating hurricane
Katrina.
Many teams were there early to help feed the people
that lost their homes, and had to scatter ..
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More
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| Pilgrims are Returning to the Holy Land! |
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After several years with very few tours to this sacred
destination, MTS TRAVEL has experienced a real turn
around in the number of pilgrims traveling to the Holy
Land in 2006. The company customizes each program
to the specific needs of the group. Usually led by a
pastor or other church leader, we ask if they wish
to "open up participation" to a wider audience. If they
answer "yes", then we will post their tour on our
website. This results in two benefits. First, it provides
opportunities for travelers who may not have enough
fellow travelers to make their own group, to join an
existing group. Second, it helps the group leader fill
his/her tour faster. To see the current list of open Holy
Land tours, please click http:/
/www.mtstravel.com/tours/holyland
How about forming your own group? It is much easier
than it sounds ..
Details »
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| Featured Vacation Specials |
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HOLLAND AMERICA LINE - WESTERDAM -
7 nights Alaska Cruise from Seattle - 21 may 2006
Inside cabins start at $1029.00 per person
IRISH JAUNT - DUBLIN, KILLARNEY &
BUNRATTY -See the highlights of Ireland on this
escorted package from Brendan Worldwide
Vacations, 5 Days FROM $498
TOUR THE EUROPEAN CAPITALS -Peter
Deilmann's river cruises spectacular 12-day cruise-
tour - Vienna, Budapest and Prague, FROM
$1,790 per person outside
EASTERN CARIBBEAN - CARNIVAL VALOR -
July 16-23 From $820.00 per person inside cabins
(2 to a cabin)
Click for Details! »
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| Taxes, Taxes, Taxes - A Guide to Airline Taxes |
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The push is on here in the states to get all our
information organized to file our Federal Income Tax by
April 15. Every one is aware of the amount of taxes
we pay on everything from food and clothing in some
states to taxes on air travel. The increase in crude oil
has impacted every one of us, from high prices at the
gas pumps to rising fuel surcharges we pay for
international air travel.
A recent comment from an internet forum on taxes
was "yep, air tickets are second only to telephone bills
for incidental taxes, some only vaguely related to the
service in question." One of the recent taxes approved
by the French parliament will add to the price of travel
to or from France. This tax will provide finance aid to
developing countries, particularly for health-related
problems such as AIDS and malaria. France is the first
to implement this with a conference in late February to
encourage 79 other countries to consider this tax add
on. No one enjoys paying taxes but we all do benefit
from some of the efforts of our taxes.
As you purchase your airline tickets, please be aware
of the various components that make up the price.
The airlines must levy these taxes on travelers.
Likewise our Travel Consultants have no alternative but
to pass the airline fuel surcharges on to our clients.
In reality, it is additional work and expense to collect
and pay the taxes on the air tickets to the proper
government agencies. Please keep in mind that the
price of a ticket should include ALL taxes and fuel
surcharges. Some travel companies and internet
sources do not show this on the initial price quote. Be
aware of the total cost of your ticket.
Let's take a look at a couple examples of airfares to
Europe and Asia to see the dollars spent for taxes and
surcharges.
| Philadelphia to
Frankfurt (example only) |
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| Base air fare |
$476.00 |
| Airport Tax |
$4.50 |
| Security Service fee |
$2.50 |
| US Animal/Plant health inspection
fee |
$5.00 |
| US Customs User fee |
$5.00 |
| US Immigration & Naturalization
fee |
$7.00 |
| Germany airport security
fee |
$8.56 |
| Germany Passengers service
charge |
$24.93 |
| International sectors fee |
$120.00 |
| International transportation
tax |
$29.00 |
| Total taxes and
Surcharges |
$206.49 |
| Total ticket
price |
$682.49 |
| Taxes and Surcharges equal
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30% of total |
More Info »
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CST 2013363-40
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