Archive for January, 2011

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Missions Round-Up: Sudan and Vietnam

Sudanese Christians, who live predominately in southern Sudan, are elated about the outcome of a recent referendum to divide the African nation. “Secession has become a reality—99 percent of southerners chose separation but we will not be sad…we will go to the south and celebrate with them,” said Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir yesterday in a quote by the Reuters News Service.

Persecuted Christians who fled Sudan to neighboring Kenya were excited to be able to cast their vote for independence. According to the International Mission Board (IMB), eight voting locations were established in Kenya to allow Sudanese there to cast their ballot.  “I am so happy that I voted…I want to go back to my country. I believe God will bless our new country,” one Sudanese Christian told IMB reporters.

The predominately Muslim north and Christian south have been at odds for years, with southerners feeling increasingly threatened by the north’s enforcement of Islamic law. Christians are hoping that the new country will provide religious freedom and equality.

While the issue of secession is accepted by both sides, Reuters points out that there are still major unresolved issues. These include disputes over the border, citizenship and how to share the nearly $40 billion in external debt. Also, the central Abyei region will hold its own referendum on whether to join the north or the south.

The issue of persecution is also center stage for the Asian nation of Vietnam. “Vietnam’s crackdown on religion is systematic, severe and getting worse by the day,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in the organization’s just released World Report 2011. The report sites repeated police harassment of religious groups, including the detainment of a Mennonite pastor who is awaiting trial. Other religious leaders are being held under house arrest.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope. The Southern Baptist Convention recently reported that one Vietnamese church they helped start more than 35 years ago is alive, thriving and has birthed many other churches. In 2008 Grace Baptist Church was officially recognized by the government. The church survived, according to a retired Southern Baptist Missionary, because it held its own deed to building and land, giving it legitimacy with the communist government.

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Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Show Me the Money: Currency Exchange for Your Trip

While traveling with only a credit card and little or no cash may work fine in the United States that is not the case when traveling abroad, especially in developing countries. In many of these nations credit cards are not widely accepted and may be more susceptible to fraud. Regardless of where you travel, you will want to carry at least some national currency with you.

Wells Fargo bank advises its customers to carry many different forms of payment when traveling internationally, including currency, travelers checks, credit cards and ATM cards. We concur—except for travelers checks, which are accepted at fewer and fewer places around the world.

There are basically eight sources that you can use to exchange currencies. These include your local bank, online services, ATM cards, pre-paid currency cards, airport exchange desks, in-country banks, retail exchange centers and some international hotels.  

Many banks in the U.S., especially the large national ones, and online services such as Travelex.com can exchange money for you if you are headed to one of the more frequently traveled nations. If you are headed to a nation that is more off the beaten path, then most likely you will have to wait until you arrive in the country to make your exchange.

Many ATM cards can be used abroad to get cash in the local currency. Just be sure to check with your bank about fees and availability of machines that will accept your particular debit card. Travelex offers pre-paid currency debit cards, in addition to cash exchanges, but only for Euros and British Pounds.

Once you arrive in country, the airport there should have a currency exchange desk but know that these rates are typically not as good as what you might get at a bank. In tourist areas you often will see numerous retail exchange outlets. Be sure to shop around as rates can vary greatly between outlets. Some larger hotels also offer exchange services, but may include a higher service fee, so be sure to check.

Regardless of where you exchange your money, you should know what the current exchange rates are so that you know if you are getting a rate close to market value. One site to check current exchange rates is http://www.oanda.com/. There also are mobile phone apps such as GlobeMaster for the iPhone that includes currency conversion.

Another tip is to not exchange more than you are sure you will use as it will cost you to sell the currency back. Also, if you are in one of those less-traveled nations, be sure to sell back all of your currency before leaving the country. You may find it difficult or even impossible to exchange once you get home.

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Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Layover at Frankfurt Airport? Take A Tour

You’ve got time to kill while you wait for your connecting flight at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport. You could read that magazine again—for the 3rd time—or you could go behind the scenes and get a glimpse of the airport that most travelers never see.

The airport has several tour options that can accommodate large groups of 20 or more persons as well as individuals. The Mini-Tour is 45 minutes hitting the airport’s highlights including the runways and cargo areas. On weekdays, the tour starts at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. On weekends and holidays it starts at 11 a.m. and 12 noon. The price of the tour is €8.00 for adults, €7.00 for students, children, and persons with disabilities.  A family option is available for €24.00 Reservations are not needed for individuals. Groups of 20 or more should make reservations before traveling.

The Maxi-Tour is 90 minutes long and it explains the operations and history of the airport, shows you the maintenance base, cargo terminals, site of a future terminal and the airport fire brigade’s training grounds. Prices are €15.00 per person. Advanced registration is required.

The Fire Department Tour includes the Maxi-Tour plus a visit to the fire department to find out how the airport’s firefighters work. You also get a close look at “Simbas” the unique fire trucks used at large airports. Price is €17.00.

The Zeppelin Tour takes you back in time to the Zeppelin airship museum before touring the modern-day airport. Duration is 120 minutes and prices are €17.00 for adults and €15.00 for students, children under 16, and persons with disabilities. Advanced registration is required.

A reservation form can be found on the airport’s website http://www.frankfurt-airport.com. Just search for “Airport Sightseeing Tours.”

In addition to the tours, Frankfurt Airport offers an outdoor visitor’s terrace where you can observe airport operations. From the terrace, visitors can see aircraft loading, unloading, takeoffs and landings. The visitor’s terrace is open daily April to October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The admission fee for the terrace is €5.00 for adults, €3 for students and disabled, and free for children under age 6. Terrace entrance is included free with the tours.

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Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

What the Airlines’ Feud with Online Travel Sites Means to You

The recently publicized squabble between airlines—namely American and Delta—and online travel sites such as Expedia and Orbitz may turn into a full-blown war that will once again change the way travel is purchased.

But for international travelers, especially those traveling for ministry or humanitarian purposes, the feud is a reminder that there are pitfalls both to buying directly from the airline and to buying from an online travel site. The two main reasons for this are the lack of discounted contract fares and the complexity of international travel. The alternative is to work with an agency experienced in international travel that offers contract airfares.

At Ministry Travel we have access to rates that are not available to the general public. These are discounted fares that you cannot get from an Internet travel site or even directly from the airline. They are based on specially negotiated contracts that we have with the airlines for missionary and humanitarian travelers. Plus, we are able to shop all the airlines and routings, including those that do not show up in the Internet travel sites, and make recommendations that are in our client’s best interest.

The complexity of international travel, especially when a group of travelers is involved, is best handled by a “live” person who can look at various scenarios and make good recommendations. Sometimes this means suggesting alternate airports to reduce cost or offering alternative airlines and routings to avoid a forced overnight stay while traveling. “Having been in business for more than a decade and arranged travel for tens of thousands of people to every corner of the earth, we know the right questions to ask and the right things to look for to ensure our clients get the best options possible,” said Ministry Travel President Beth Banfill.

The airline-online feud took center stage last month when American Airlines pulled its fares from Orbitz. Expedia, in a show of solidarity with its online competitor, initially made it more difficult for users of its site to access American’s fares. On January 1 they dropped American’s flights all together.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that American Airlines remains in “active discussions” with Expedia and Orbitz to return their flights to the online travel sites. Many industry experts, however, feel that American and other carriers will eventually eliminate doing business with online sites. According to USA Today, Delta recently removed its fares from three smaller travel sites “in an attempt to steer customers to its own website and build brand loyalty.”

Travel guru Arthur Frommer, founder of Frommer’s Travel Guides, wrote on his blog yesterday that, “The real reason for the stand-off, and it is becoming more clear that the obvious answer is the real answer: American Airlines no longer wants to pay commissions to Orbitz or Expedia…and it feels it can fill its flights without their assistance.”

Frommer went on to say, “In the future, it appears that would-be passengers will need to consult several sites of several airlines to learn the airfare situation for a particular trip. What a mess!”

Of course passengers can avoid the mess all together by simply contacting a travel agent!

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