Often, the single most expensive part of your mission trip is airfare, particularly when you’re talking about international travel during the peak seasons. Here are 9 tips that could help save you and your team some headaches, and hopefully some money.

  1. If you use a travel agency or discount website, make sure to ask about their service fees on top of the ticket price. Ask before they do all the work of finding you their best deal.
  2. Look up the website of your destination airport and find out what airlines fly there. Then go to their websites and check for flights and pricing. Also call them and ask about group fares.
  3. Clear or reset your browser often when searching for tickets. For some strange reason, the more you search for certain flights, routes or destination cities, the more the price seems to climb.
  4. Be aware that some smaller international airlines require that you present the credit card you used to book your ticket when you check-in.
  5. Use a service like Orbitz or Vayama to discover airlines, routes or fares you may have overlooked.
  6. Don’t wait until the last minute. It’s better to “look and book” 6 weeks to 2 months prior to scheduled departure dates.
  7. Make sure you book your ticket with the exact name as on your passport. If your team leader is booking tickets, – make sure they have that information. If the name on your passport and ticket don’t match, you could be buying a new ticket or watching your team members leave without you.
  8. Be as flexible as you can with your schedule. Mid-week and EARLY morning flights are often cheaper.
  9. Consider using a travel consolidator like RaptimMissionTravel or Fellowship Travel International that specializes in serving missionaries.