Posts Tagged ‘avoid travel emergencies’

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Storms Impact Mission Teams–What to Do If It Happens to You

Heavy rains and flooding in Central America over the past few days have short-term mission teams there scrambling to adjust. Mission Network News (MNN) is reporting on one short-term mission team in Guatemala that was stuck in the storm and unable to continue the medical clinics it was conducting. The rains were so bad that people could not get to their clinics, and washed out roads made team travel difficult.

On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City issued an emergency message to U.S. citizens advising against all in-country travel until the weather improves and landslides are cleared. “The recent heavy rains mean that water saturation in the mountains is high and more landslides could occur,” said the advisory.

Honduras has issued a “state of red alert” according to the British Foreign Office. The situation there is similar to Guatemala with travel also disrupted by landslides and flooding. Reuters is reporting 81 people dead and thousands of people have abandoned their homes across Central America. In El Salvador, more than 13,000 people were forced to flee the rising waters. Humanitarian groups there are concerned about long-term food supplies as the floods have wiped out much of this season’s harvest.

What should you do if you are on a short term mission trip and your ministry team faces natural or other disasters? First, make sure that you get good information. That starts before you go by registering your team with the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at http://bit.ly/ptDdL9. This will enable the local U.S. embassy to get in touch with you in case of an emergency or advisory condition. Also, monitor local news and stay in touch with local authorities for information about road closings.

Second, don’t take chances. Roads in developing countries can be treacherous under normal conditions let alone during severe storms. Also, many of these nations do not have the resources to quickly respond to multiple emergencies and road closures. It often is better to extend your trip a couple days and allow for the situation to stabilize. If you do that, however, be sure to contact your Ministry Travel agent so that we can notify the airlines and work on re-booking you. Failure to do so may result in losing the entire value of your ticket.

Finally, look for ways to serve in the midst of the crisis. In the case of the Guatemalan medical team, a hospital near where they were stranded asked for their assistance. Flexibility is always important for these trips, especially when hit by unforeseen events such as severe weather.

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Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Severe Weather Tops Ministry Travel’s Social Media Updates

Looking back this past month at our daily Facebook and Twitter updates, we see a recurring theme: bad weather.

As we all know, Irene landed a real blow to the East Coast. But travelers also had to deal with Tropical Storm Maria in the Caribbean, Typhoon Talus impacting Japan and Hong Kong, Tropical Storm Lee in the Gulf Coast, Tropical Storm Nanmadol hitting Taiwan, and so on.

We often note in our updates that airlines have issued “travel waivers.” What this means is that airlines have relaxed their rules for cancelling or changing tickets if you are flying to or through cities affected by severe weather. We’ve noticed that since the storm-related travel fiascos of last year, airlines seem to be a little quicker to issue those waivers–which makes sense since they don’t want to deal with thousands of stranded passengers.

Note, however, that every airline’s “waiver” is different. Some will only allow you to postpone your flight for a couple days, some will let you fly early ahead of the storm, while others will let you cancel altogether without penalty. So always check the website of the particular airline that you are flying for their specific waiver details. And of course, keep watching our social media feeds for updates.

One article that we mentioned in our feeds this month was from the U.S. State Department on preparing for hurricane and typhoon season. They gave an 11 point “checklist” for travelers that bears mention here:

  1. Enroll your trip with the State Dept., (travelregistration.state.gov)
  2. Check with the airlines about travel services (the “waivers” that we mentioned earlier)
  3. Carry an international cell phone that can be used to stay in touch with family in the States
  4. Research the region so that you are familiar with local emergency procedures
  5. Pack an emergency supply kit
  6. Secure extra bottled water and non-perishable food
  7. Know local emergency phone numbers as well as the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate
  8. Have a water-proof container for your passport and other travel documents
  9. Get travel insurance prior to your trip
  10. Leave with family back in the States your detailed itinerary with local contact numbers
  11. Keep with you a photocopy of your passport, driver’s license and any credit cards that you take, and leave a photocopy with someone in the States

At Ministry Travel, we not only care about saving you money on airfare for your missions and humanitarian trips, but we also want you to have a safe trip and effective ministry. So continue to watch our blog and social media sites for all the latest information and tools to help you as you help others.

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Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

USA Passport Day Set for September 17

Are you going on your first international mission trip or getting ready to take a mission team abroad? Then chances are you or someone on your team still needs a passport. Here is a great opportunity to get it. 

The U.S. State Department, which issues passports for U.S. citizens, will have its regional passport offices open on Saturday, September 17 with no appointments needed. You also will be able to apply for standard processing (4-6 weeks) at the normal fee. Typically, you must pay an expedited fee any time you submit an application in person at a passport agency or center. 

The State Department plans passport-themed events for children and adults at the passport agencies and at thousands of passport acceptance facilities around the country. You can visit one of the offices and apply for either routine or expedited processing. The State Department has opened several new regional passport offices over the last several months, bringing the total to 26. For a complete list visit http://travel.state.gov/passport/npic/agencies/agencies_913.html.  

New passports for adults (age 16 and older) are $135. Renewals are $110. Minor passports, both new and renewals, are $105. Currently, routine processing is taking four to six weeks. Expedited service, which costs $60 more, takes about two to three weeks.  

If you need your passport quicker, Ministry Travel can help you secure either a new one or a replacement in as quickly as 24 hours. We also can help secure travel visas. For more information on this service, visit http://www.ministrytravel.com/travel-services/missionary-passport-visa.shtml. 

If you already have a passport, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Check the expiration date. Many short term missions travelers fail to do so, only to discover just before a trip that it is expired. No one wants the extra stress, anxiety and expense of trying to renew a passport when they are preparing to leave. Passports are valid for 10 years for an adult and five years for minors under age 16.
  • Make sure your passport will be valid for at least six month after you start your trip. Some countries require that your passport be valid for at least this long or they can refuse entry.
  • Locate your passport 3-4 weeks prior to your mission trip. We have heard many, many stories of short-term missionaries getting ready to leave for the airport and not able to find their passport.
  • Cary a copy of your passport with you when you travel. In case your passport is lost or stolen, the copy can make it easier for you to get it replaced while abroad. If you are leading a team, you should keep a copy of each team member’s passport. 

For more information on U.S. passports, including how to apply for one, visit http://travel.state.gov/passport. For information on visas and other international travel related issues, visit http://travel.state.gov. For discounted airfare for missionary and humanitarian travelers, click on the “Mission Travel Quote Request” link on our website at www.ministrytravel.com.

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Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

How the 2012 Olympics Will Impact Flights for Missionaries

Every four years the world turns its attention to the summer Olympic Games as the world’s greatest athletes assemble in one place to seek the coveted price of a gold medal. London 2012 may be the farthest thing away from your mind right now as you begin to plan your 2012 missionary airfares, but it shouldn’t be. That’s because its location—London—could impact you regardless of your actual mission trip destination.

Many flights for missionaries go through Europe to get to destinations in Africa and Asia. That means that you can expect a lot of company in European airports if you’re traveling just before, during or right after the July 27-August 12, 2012 event. Even if you do not plan to fly on an airline that transfers in London, you should still expect major crowding in all of the key European hub airports during that time. London, of course, will be the epicenter.

For those who do transfer through London and want to explore the city during any layovers, they can expect the subway and other transportation methods to be very congested. According to the London 2012 Organizing Committee, they are aiming for a “public transport” Games, meaning there will be no car parking at or around Olympic venues, pushing even more people into using public transportation. Keep in mind that many of the Games’ events will actually take place outside of London and be spread across the UK, including the cities of Cardiff and Glasgow. So travel throughout the UK will be affected as well.

Besides the crowds that you can expect if you fly through Europe during the Olympics, you can also expect to pay more for airfare, especially if you wait much longer to make your airline reservations. We would expect limited inventory for discounted missionary tickets.

The bottom line is if you typically fly through Europe for your short term mission trips, you may want to consider scheduling your trips to avoid the dates around London 2012. If you do need to travel during that time, ask your Ministry Travel consultant about missionary flight options that avoid London. Also, you should make your flight reservations just as soon as possible, knowing that the longer you wait the more you can expect to pay.

We do have clients that take ministry teams to serve at the Olympics. If that is you, our advice is to recruit your teams right away and book your travel just as quickly as possible. Remember that with many of our special airline missionary contracts you can reserve space now and not have to pay anything until 45 days prior to departure. This is a definite advantage to help you save money during next summer’s busy travel time.

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Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Scrutinize That Luggage Tag!

Just before the airline agent could hit the print button to spit out the passenger’s baggage tags, the power went out at the small African airport. The airport switched over to a generator, but the agent still could not get the printer to work. With a line of passengers literally out the door of the two-window terminal, the agent decided to hurry things along.

“I’ll hand-tag your bag to Nairobi, your transfer airport. You can pick it up there and then check it in for your long-haul flight back to the States,” she said. The passenger, who was part of a missions team, was ready to agree when his team leader stepped in.

 “We can’t do that,” the leader told the agent, “because then he will have to buy a visa and clear passport control before he can get his bag to re-check. That will take a lot of time and money.”

The team leader was a veteran international traveler and had overheard the conversation with the airline agent. They were flying from another country and getting a connecting flight in the capital of Kenya. He knew that in order to get the luggage, his colleague would first have to “enter” the country by purchasing a visa and going through immigration.

The airline agent responded, “You’re correct,” and then waited for power to be restored so she could electronically check the bag all the way through to its final destination.

The team leader had similar instances happen to him before—not power outages but times where airline agents for various reasons failed to check the bag all the way through. He had gone through the hassle of waiting in line at passport control, finding his luggage, clearing customs, re-checking his luggage and then going back through security screening. Not an enjoyable process and one he had determined not to repeat.

This time he made sure it didn’t happen to his colleague. But while they were able to get the bags checked through, the baggage tag printer at the small airport malfunctioned and didn’t print part of the barcode and bag number. This happened to everyone on the team and they didn’t catch it until they went to check into their connecting flight. Fortunately for them, the connecting airline realized the problem and visually checked to make sure the team’s bags were transferred onto their flight. They also re-tagged the bags.

The point of the story is to always look carefully at your baggage tags before you leave the check-in counter. Know the three letter airport code for the airports you are traveling through and make sure the airport code for your final destination is at the top of the tag. Also, make sure the tag printed properly. In addition, don’t leave the counter until you see the agent physically put the tag on your bag and give you your claim tag. By paying close attention to how your bags are tagged, you have a better chance of avoiding lost bags or having to retrieve your bags and re-check them.

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Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Preparing Emergency Sheets for Mission Trips

What happens if there is an emergency back home while you are on a mission trip in the middle of Timbuktu? Will your family or friends know how to get in touch with you? What if you experience an emergency or run into a snag in your travel plans—will you have at your fingertips the phone numbers to call for help?

Whether you are alone or leading a group, if you are serving abroad it is a good idea to maintain a single-page sheet of contact information that can be left with family at home as well as carried with you. While there are obvious things that you will want to include on that sheet such as telephone numbers where you can be reached, there are some other important items not as obvious but equally important. Here is a list of items to consider including on your emergency contact sheet.

How to dial an international number. From the U.S. you must dial 011 plus the number for international calls. Since most people do not make international calls, leaving this out can create confusion and make it more difficult for people to reach you.

Time difference. You don’t want a 3 a.m. non-emergency call!

Airline phone numbers including the numbers for the country you will visit. This is so that you can reconfirm your return flights or contact the airline should your travel plans change.

U.S. Citizen Emergency Center. This is the number in Washington D.C. your family can call to find out about arrests or your whereabouts abroad should you be unreachable otherwise. That number is (202) 647-5225.

Hotels/lodging plus the dates that you will be staying there. Dates are especially important if you will be moving around a lot on your trip.

Cell phone number of a local contact who will be with you during your trip.

U.S. Embassy telephone and address for the country you are visiting. Make sure to also note the after-hours emergency number.

Travel insurance emergency numbers. You should also include your policy number. If you book your insurance through Ministry Travel, which uses Travelex Travel Assistance, the phone numbers are (866) 930-9806 toll-free within the U.S. Outside the U.S., call collect (603) 328-1965.

Other key local contacts. Include the numbers for any organizations you are working with or key leaders at your destination.

Again, this emergency contact sheet is both for you and those who stay behind. So make sure a family member or friend has a copy and be sure to keep a copy on you (not in your checked luggage) at all times.

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