Saving Money on Adoption Travel

Did you know that you can have access to special airfare for your International Adoption Travel? If you are not yet familiar with all of the ways that you can save on your humanitarian and adoption travel, you really need to read on! Specialized agents have access to discounted fares for adopting families who adopt internationally. Many families don't realize that they don't have to pay the high fares that are published online for their Adoption Travel. There are special contracted fares that you can use to help you save significantly, especially on the one way trip to bring your child home. Some airlines charge astronomical fares for the one way return flights coming back home for adopted children. However, if you use the special humanitarian fares, there are discounts to help you pay a fraction of the cost of what you will see listed online, if you know an agent who can help you!

Every day families try to book their own flights online for their Adoption Travel, and they come across many problems along the way. One major roadblock is booking the one way return flight home for the adopted child. Families sometimes try to book a round trip since round trip fares are sometimes lower than one way tickets that they are seeing online. These families are not aware that when the child doesn't depart with the rest of their family, their flights are cancelled by the airline. Yikes!! I can't think of a bigger nightmare than to arrive at the airport with your child and your return tickets in hand, only to be told that your child can not travel and will need a whole new one way ticket! Families have literally paid twice for their child tickets home when they have tried taking their travel into their own hands.

It is always best to use an Adoption Travel Agent to help you with this booking, so that you don't have to hassle with the ins and outs of adoption travel. Many people are scared to use a travel agent because they don't want to pay that person money out of pocket. However, when using a good travel agent, not only will you be saving money on your trip, you will also never be stuck with a bill. All of your costs are included in your ticket prices. A good travel agent will never stick you with a bill to pay for their services. Another big benefit of using a travel agent for your international adoption, is that you will not only save money, but you will also have someone who will hassle with the airlines so that you don't have to.

When you take your next trip for any orphan or humanitarian work, please consider using a travel agent who is trained to help you access the lowest fares available for your work. After all, the people you are serving and the children you are adopting could use the extra funds you will be saving.

Until Next time...

Safe Travels,

Tabitha Lovell, International Travel Manager / Owner

http://www.AdoptionAirfare.com

Precious Gems for His Crown

If faith comes by HEARING the Word of God, please do not ever underestimate the POWER of VERBALLY sharing the gospel with those that you encounter.  Yes, gospel tracts are AWESOME, but where are those who are verbally sharing and preaching the gospel out on the streets to the crowds of people dying in their sins?  Where are those who come alongside of a sinner and speak gently the words of LIFE with them?  


We as Christians have this glorious opportunity to store up treasures for our KING when we get to heaven!!  What investment are you making into the Kingdom of God?  What jewels will you have to give Jesus when you get there?  Are you treasuring up for yourself treasures here on earth in the form of antiques, boats... Oh, please remember that these things are not evil in themselves, but they are corruptible.  Moth and rust will corrupt these things and thieves can break in and steal them. OH, if you lay up heavenly treasure, no thief can ever steal it, no rust can never corrupt and no moth can ever destroy it!  I am not talking about throwing your money in an offering basket at church on Sunday.  I am talking about SOULS!! 


Zachariah 9:16


The Lord their God will save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For they shall be like the jewels of a crown...


Malachi 3:16-18

¹⁶ Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who meditate on His name.

¹⁷ “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels.^[a]
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
¹⁸ Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.

Can you imagine it?!!!  Making it to heaven one day and looking across the sea of faces of souls who have been redeemed from Satan's grip and are now so thankful to be in Heaven and SO grateful that someone stopped to share the love of Jesus with them.  Someone cared about them and was not ashamed of Jesus, and opened up their MOUTH to share words of LIFE with them!!  Can you imagine this?!!  And then, to look and see some who YOU invited there!  Oh, what a GLORIOUS day that will be!!  What treasure could be more precious than this?  He who wins souls is wise (Prov. 11:30).  What are you spending your life on?!  What treasure will you have for JESUS when you reach eternity?  Oh, HE is so worthy.  HIS blood spilled for us was not in vain, and did not come without a price.  Oh, let us spend and be spent for the gospel.  Let this life be used up and wasted for HIM just like the oil that Mary poured out on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3).  Let this be a picture of spending out all that is precious to us, and POURING it out on JESUS.  Oh, to have treasure laid up for him, to bless Him with when we get there....


When He Cometh
Hymn- Author Unknown


When He cometh, when He cometh
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.

He will gather, He will gather
The gems for His kingdom;
All the pure ones, all the bright ones,
His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.

Let's make sure we have jewels to offer our Precious LORD when we get there!

Oh, don't be ashamed of Jesus.  SPEAK UP boldly with LOVE for the lost.  You never know who will respond with FAITH as they HEAR the gospel spoken, and sometimes you may never see what happens with a seed that you planted until you reach eternity.  If you tremble and shake when you are talking with someone, don't worry.  This is like working out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), and the LORD will be praying for you as you do this (Hebrews 7:25)!  

Onward Christian Soldiers!!

God bless you today as you SPEAK up for Him in Faith!

~Tabitha 

Keeping a Large Group Organized on a Missions Trip

When helping my customers with their large groups traveling together internationally, I like to recommend a few helpful tips for the journey.  The one thing that I always say is plan for the worst and HOPE for the best when it comes to large groups.  Travel insurance is a very important factor to think about which I recommend to our groups first and foremost.  If you purchase a good policy, your group will be covered for medical emergencies, emergency evacuation, and things like lost baggage!!!  Losing luggage on your international trip is every traveler's nightmare. No one ever wants to be in this position, but let's face it, these things can and do happen and it is always best to be prepared in the event that you find yourself in this crisis situation.  Travel insurance will be very helpful to compensate for some of the loss if this should ever occur.

Another important thing I like to recommend is to make sure the group is all wearing the same shirt on the day they will be traveling.  This sounds like a silly thing, but for large groups, this is an easy identifier to make sure that members of the group can easily recognize each other and stay together in the airports.  This will be very helpful, especially if each group member remembers to wear them and the colors are very bright and distinctive.  You may not think about safety issues as much on US soil, but as soon as you step foot in another country and find yourself in an airport all the way across the world, you will find that every safety measure that you take now will be appreciated when you are out of your comfort zone.

You may also want to make sure each person has their passport in a special passport carrier around their neck so that no one in the group loses their passport.  It is always good to make copies of your passport and carry one in your checked baggage and another in your carry-on just in case you happen to lose your passport somehow on your trip.  Having a copy will be life-saving if you have a forgetful group member who leaves their passport somewhere in Africa and is trying to get on their flight without it.

Also, please remember that if you are a group leader and are a frequent flier, your group members may not be.  Please make sure that you remember to educate your group on what to pack.  If you have any questions about what to carry on with you, please direct members of your group to http://www.tsa.gov for all of the necessary requirements for carry-on items and how to pack liquid items in your carry-on bags.  This can be very time-saving if all members of the group have a good understanding of what to expect when going through security, so that we can all KEEP THAT LINE MOVING if you know what I mean!!  And I know that for all of you international travelers out there, you KNOW what I mean.  ;)

I hope that these tips are helpful for all of you group leaders and group members of missions trips this summer!  Please visit my website for more helpful tips and for a free airfare quote for the missionary and humanitarian airfare we provide!  www.cheapmissionstrips.com

God bless and Safe Travels!
~Tabitha :)

What is Missionary Airfare?

You may be wondering, "What exactly is Missionary Airfare?"  Many people take missionary trips or travel for adoption related purposes, and think that their only option is to go online and book a flight that is non-refundable using an online booking engine.  Well, this is not always going to be the best option for you, especially if you are interested in saving money and having flights that are refundable (minus airline penalties and fees).  Missionary and Humanitarian airfare is something that we offer through the contracts we hold with over 30 of the major airlines!  This is an incredible resource for the Body of Christ to help them in saving money with their flights.  Our missionary contracts with British Air, Delta/KLM, United, Lufthansa, Emirates and many others, allow us to provide you with lower cost airfare in most cases, than flights that you are seeing online for your international travel.  We provide missionary airfare to churches, people taking trips with humanitarian organizations, and other types of missions related and adoption travel as well!    

You may be thinking that these flights will cause you to be seated by the restrooms in the back of the plane, but this is not the case!  In fact, you won't even recognize anything different on your flight than any other passengers in the Economy class of the aircraft.  It is really a blessing to be able to use these flights that we provide to help you use your money more wisely for maximum impact for the Kingdom!  Many times we are able to HOLD flights for up to 11 months in advance for groups or individuals with little or no money down in some cases.  Our missionary contract with British Air also allows missionaries to take 3 checked bags free per person for British Air flights.  This allows missionaries to be able to bring lots of supplies with them to donate while they are on their trip if extra baggage is needed.  

We are excited to be able to offer this resource to the Body of Christ for their individual missions travel or group travel!  We are capable of helping to reserve group flights with the airlines with just a small deposit to allow missions groups to raise their support while holding their flights up to 11 months ahead of time!  

Please feel free to visit our website where you can find videos and helpful resources for your next missions trip and you can place a quote request for a free airfare quote anytime!  www.cheapmissionstrips.com 

God bless you on your next journey!!

~Tabitha L.

International Travel Manager

(800) 732-4806 x705

Traveling and Staying Healthy on a Vegan Diet

There are many healthy ways to order your foods if you find yourself in an airport and not knowing what you can eat safely on a vegan diet. Mexican restaurants are a great choice because they seem to have black beans and rice along with salads sometimes with lemon and lime slices and guacamole, which is a good alternative if you are trying to stay vegan while traveling. Another way of keeping healthy on your journey is to plan ahead and make sure you have lots of fruits and vegetables handy. We like to pack little ziploc bags filled with grapes or grape tomatoes to snack on when we are on road trips. However, when you are flying, it is not always easy with all of the regulations to have these same snacks. I recommend staying hydrated and avoiding the processed and packaged foods as much as possible.

Always ask for water every time they offer drinks on your flight. This will help you to stay hydrated and avoid some of the cravings for candies and other temptations. On my last flight, I sat next to a lady who was eating a banana and some peanut butter. I almost wanted to ask her if she was vegan! I thought this was a great idea for a snack and most airports have foods like this, if you get creative. It can actually be fun piecing together a meal of vegan foods, from restaurants inside of the airports if you have the time.

Find a travel agent that will assist you in ordering a healthy vegan meal for your flight. I do this regularly for my travel customers, so I know that most airlines offer this choice for international flights. It is fairly easy to stay vegan with all of the options out there. When choosing a vegan meal, just remember to place your order at least 24 hours prior to departure. They will need time to prepare your food for you, so make sure you don't wait too long. If in doubt, make sure you have some vegan snack bars in times like these. These can be a life saver!! If you are one of those who needs your green barley juices, you can bring your powder form of barley grass with you on your flights and a mixing spoon and enjoy your barley drink with water during your flight. This will help you to stay alkaline and create an environment in your body that resists sicknesses that are lurking around every corner when you travel.

Have a safe and healthy journey!

~Tabitha L.

We are Christians passionate about serving the Body of Christ with missionary and humanitarian airfare for their missions travel. We specialize in providing missions teams and individual missionaries with helpful resources for their missions trips including a store which can be found on our website. http://www.cheapmissionstrips.com

Faith Like a Child

I was helping Faith (our 2 year old) brush her hair this morning, and was explaining to her that some children don't have a mamma or a papa....  She looked up at me and said, "Don't have cuddles?"  I said, "No, they don't have cuddles either..."  It is amazing how, even the little children can understand these things, and are moved to respond with compassion for these little ones who have no one to love them.  We have much we can learn from them.

Cancellations and Refunds with Humanitarian flights

Many people ask me all the time how the cancellation and refund process works with the humanitarian flights. I have dedicated this to all of my adopting families and others who have questions about cancellations and refunds with humanitarian flights, so I can hopefully help to answer them here. Some benefits of using humanitarian airfare include the fact that these flights are refundable, minus airline penalties and fees, if you should need to cancel the flight prior to your departure date. Most flights out there on the internet are non-refundable, but the humanitarian flights are not in that category.

Missionary and humanitarian flights, unlike most flights, are refundable, minus airline penalties and fees if you should need to cancel and request a refund. These are not total refunds of 100% of your flight cost, but they do help tremendously, since most other flights are non-refundable. There are many other benefits to using humanitarian airfare as well. Humanitarian flights are changeable and usually the first change after departure does not have an airline penalty, so the change fees are much lower than changing a regular flight that you will find. Also, since humanitarian flights are only able to be accessed by a missionary and adoption travel agent, you can also expect much better service than using an online travel engine to purchase your flights.

The cancellation process for humanitarian and missionary flights can take around six weeks before you will see the refund applied back to your credit card. However, many people notice that their refunds show up closer to two or three weeks after the cancellation has been processed with the airline. There are always going to be multiple charges and credits with any refund of this nature, and many times you will need to add up the costs and credits which should all equal up to the amount quoted to you for your refund.

Sometimes an adopting family will need to cancel just the return portion of their flight for various reasons, and re-book with another airline at a later time. This is a case when the family would be very thankful that they have humanitarian flights vs. published flights. The humanitarian flights are refundable, even for just the return portion. This is always just a partial refund, less airline penalties and fees, but still helps tremendously to preserve some of the loss that would otherwise be incurred.

Generally, families who use humanitarian flights, especially for adoption travel, are very happy with them if they need to make changes to their return date. There are sometimes unpredictable circumstances that cause families to be forced to cancel their flights for adoption travel, and when these things happen, they are always very thankful that they have used humanitarian flights rather than anything they could have booked on their own.

I hope this helps in answering some of your questions!

Safe Travels!

Tabitha Lovell, International Travel Manager