Today is “Black Friday,” the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping sprint. As storefront and online retailers ramp up their advertising push, and shoppers scour for the best Christmas deals, there are other deals to consider beyond the Christmas season. You see, now is the time to be thinking about airfare for next summer’s international mission trips.
While summer may seem a long way off, it is not too soon to make your airline reservations, especially if you want to save money. “The airlines only allot so many discounted seats, so once those are gone you can expect to pay more. We already have a lot of groups who have started their summer preparations,” said Ministry Travel President Beth Banfill.
What many travelers do not realize is that through its special missionary contracts, Ministry Travel is able to hold space on many of its airlines now without any payment or deposit. “If you wait until the beginning of the year to arrange your summer missions travel you may find it difficult to get the flights that you want or you may have to pay a premium for them,” said Banfill.
Her recommendation is to begin working on the air portion of the ministry trip now, even if all the other details are not in place. She also recommends doing trip information meetings before the end of the year and gathering names and birthdates of those interested. “If we have the legal names and birthdates of those interested, then we can go ahead and begin locking in the airline space, depending on the number in your party.” Also, if you can be flexible with your travel dates you may be able to realize additional savings.
Airfare is usually the single largest cost of a mission trip, so having accurate cost estimates is important to good budgeting and setting the trip price. You cannot assume that next year you will pay the same for airfare as you paid this year. “There can be huge fluctuations in price year to year, especially if your dates are different,” Banfill remarked. Ministry Travel agents offer no-obligation price comparisons and can recommend the best travel options for your unique situation. They can be reached at 1-877-541-5726.
Ministry Travel is closed today as part of the Thanksgiving observance, but will re-open on Monday. You can, however, submit a quote request anytime online at www.MinstryTravel.com.