2013 Religious Travel Planning Guide by Premier Travel Media

2013 EDITION

A Premier Tourism Marketing publication www.ReligiousTravelDirectory.com

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VOL. 3, NO. 1 • JANUARY 2013

FEATURES

Planning a Youth Mission Trip

BY DANIEL MORRILL

Opportunities abound for students wishing to make a difference in the world

Best Practices for Organizing and Marketing Religious Tours

BY VANESSA DAY

Church leaders rely on professional tour operators to smooth the way

Tour-Planning Timeline

BY CINDI BRODHECKER

Setting up a time frame for meetings and deadlines is key to keeping plans on track

Chartering a Bus for Your Group Be ready to ask the right questions when booking a bus for your next church outing

On Retreat: A Spiritual Journey

BY RACHEL GILMORE

An expert’s planning tips will help your team organize a successful retreat

24 ©iStockphoto.com/digitalskillet

Directory Resources

contents 4

Religious Travel Planning Guide

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EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

STAY INFORMED WITH INSITE

ur monthly e-newsletter and article-based website, InSite on Religious Travel, keeps you in the loop and up-to-date on the latest trends in faith-based travel. Learn from industry leaders, take advantage of great discounts and broaden your religious travel offerings. Sign up for the free newsletter @ http://insite.religioustraveldirectory.com

TOP RELIGIOUS ATTRACTIONS n every part of the United States, travelers will find points of interest associated with our nation’s religious heritage. Most popular are religious museums and historic churches. In Central Florida there’s even a religious theme park. The following are 10 noteworthy places of special interest to the faith traveler: Billy Graham Library, Charlotte, North Carolina (billygrahamlibrary.org)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Creation Museum, Petersburg, Kentucky (creationmsuem.org)

Holy Land Experience, Orlando, Florida (holylandexperience.com)

THE INDUSTRY’S LARGEST FAITH TRAVEL DIRECTORY couting new destinations? Scouring for faith and family-friendly attractions? Looking to score a great deal on your new group hotel stay? Make ReligiousTravelDirectory.com your FIRST STOP when planning a faith-based excursion. Using our proprietary directory search engine, we help you find businesses that Google can’t – without all the clutter and annoying pay-per-click ads. Shorten your research and booking time by logging in to www.ReligiousTravelDirectory.com today.

Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, California (crystalcathedral.org) Trinity Church, New York City (trinitywallstreet.org) Wycliffe Discovery Center, Orlando, Florida (wycliffe.org/discoverycenter)

Christ in the Smokies, Gatlinburg, Tennessee (christinthesmokies.com) Temple Square, Salt Lake City (visittemplesquare.com)

Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island (tourosynagogue.org) Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, St. Louis (cathedralst.com)

For more details on some of these attractions, see the article “10 Top Religious Attractions in the U.S.” at our InSite on Religious Travel website. Go to tinyurl.com/bvalu2a ©iStockphoto.com/Sergey

Borisov

The Renaissance treasures of Florence highlight tours of Italy.

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Religious Travel Planning Guide

Randy Mink

Taking Time Out For Group Travel Vol. 3, No. 1, 2013 Edition

s many of you know, there’s nothing like a trip to recharge your spiritual batteries. Getting away from the routine provides much-needed perspective and a fresh way of looking at things. Just creating some distance from the everyday whirl can be a welcome antidote to the burdens of 21st century life. Traveling with like-minded folks, those who share your faith, only enhances the travel experience, whether it’s a weekend retreat or a week-long cruise.

Whether your church has an active travel program or is merely contemplating the formation of a travel ministry, we hope youʼll find inspiration in these pages Church group trips blend the excitement of exploring new destinations with the chance to bond with fellow congregation members in a more casual setting and meet new people as well. This third annual edition of Religious Travel Planning Guide abounds with new content, addressing divergent elements of the faith travel picture. Our aim is to provide practical tips and insights for anyone involved in planning and marketing a trip for church members. The article “Planning a Youth Mission Trip,” for example, looks at opportunities in locations around the world and partnering with organizations that specialize 6

Religious Travel Planning Guide

in mission projects. Another piece focuses on working with professional tour operators to organize and market your trips. Rachel Gilmore, author of The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats, lends her expertise on how to set up a successful retreat. As for nitty-gritty logistics, you’ll find guidelines on chartering a bus and setting up a time frame for putting together all the pieces of the trip-planning puzzle. All this adds up to our most well-rounded issue ever. Besides the annual print publication, we also have online resources for planning and marketing your group trip. ReligiousTravelDirectory.com is the premier research tool for the faith travel market. Our monthly e-newsletter, InSite on Religious Travel, offers plenty of ideas as well. Whether your church has an active travel program or is merely contemplating the formation of a travel ministry, we hope you’ll find inspiration in these pages. Please consider passing along this copy of the 2013 Religious Travel Planning Guide to colleagues who might find it helpful. Or let them know they can download it for free. We wish you the best in creating meaningful travel programs that will excite, inspire and make a lasting impact on your community of faith.

Editorial Office 621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406 Willowbrook, IL 60527 P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 info@ptmgroups.com

Publisher – Jeffrey Gayduk jeff@ptmgroups.com

Managing Editor – Randy Mink randy@ptmgroups.com

Contributing Writers Cindi Brodhecker Rachel Gilmore Vanessa Day Daniel Morrill

Director, Design & Production – Robert Wyszkowski rob@ptmgroups.com

Advertising Sales Office Phone: 630.794.0696 advertising@ptmgroups.com www.ptmgroups.com

The publisher accepts unsolicited editorial matter, as well as advertising, but assumes no responsibility for statements made by advertisers or contributors. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information published, but the publisher makes no warranty that listings are free of error. The publisher is not responsible for the return of unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Religious Travel Planning Guide is published annually by Premier Tourism Marketing, Inc., 621 Plainfield Rd., Suite 406, Willowbrook, IL 60527. Postage paid at Willowbrook, IL and Lebanon Junction, KY. The magazine is distributed free to religious group travel organizers and travel suppliers catering to the market. Single copies for all others is $9.95.

Send Address Change to: Premier Tourism Marketing, Inc. P.O. Box 609, Palos Heights, IL 60463

Happy traveling,

A Randy Mink Managing Editor

publication

Your Guide to Planning a Mission Trip By Daniel Morrill

aybe you are one of the many Christians who look back on a high school mission trip as a turning point in your life. Perhaps it gave you a global perspective, made you appreciate what you had, recharged your spiritual life or sparked a passion for service. While serving and evangelizing are at the heart of all missions, short-term trips inevitably have a great effect on those who go on them.

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©iStockphoto.com/Mangostock

Opportunities for young Americans include working with needy children in Liberia, West Africa.

“The sad truth is that students don’t always connect with Christ while they are at church growing up,” said Nick Cocalis, director of Next Step Ministries, an organization that arranges oneweek mission trips for junior high and high school groups. “But when you get out in the mission field and you are serving and looking outward for things to do, those are the times you are acting most like Christ, when you are most around what God is up to.” Is your youth group growing stale, bored or disunified? Are members too hung up on material possessions? Or do they simply have a desire to go out and put their faith to work? If so, putting together a short-term mission trip is something to pray about. 8

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Timing Planning a mission trip can be a daunting task, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to pull everything together. If you are planning your first trip, don’t set the date any sooner than a full year away. Not only will this allow you to deal with planning components one at a time, families will appreciate knowing far in advance when their son or daughter will be off in the mission field.

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Establishing a Partnership

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Before you decide on where you are going, you’ll need to find someone to partner with. In today’s mission field, it is essential to connect with an organization, missionary or church in the area you wish to serve. This goes for both domestic and overseas trips. You need to work with someone who knows the community, language, culture and what to do in an emergency. “Always connect with a parent organization that can keep you in the loop and keep you safe,” said Dr. Sandy Friesen, coordinator of service opportunities and intercultural studies at Evangel University, who wrote her doctoral dissertation on the effect of short-term missions. “You need to have a contact on the ground.” Partnerships do more than just ensure your group’s safety. If you really want to make a difference in an area, you need to work with someone who has a long-term missions plan in place. “It’s not a one-week handout that these communities need,” Cocalis said. “They need long-term investment and they need people building up their leaders and who will be there after you are gone. A one-week missions trip is not going to save a community. But if you can get involved with an organization that can take your one week and put it in a plan and a process of being there week after week and year after year, then you can really see the fruit of your labor.” Does your church support any missionaries? Do you have a sister church in an urban area? Do you know of an organization that might fit your needs? These are all logical places to start looking for a partnership. If nothing immediately jumps to mind, start searching online for an organization to work with. There are dozens that run youth mission trips year-round. “The number one thing is partnering with someone who is actually in the community that you serve,” Cocalis said. “Someone who understands the needs and the resources that the community has and someone who is there for the long haul.” Working with an organization can also make things much easier for first-time trip planners. These organizations can take care of all the logistics for you, while you will most likely have to arrange travel, housing and insurance on your own if working with missionaries or a local church. “For some reason we love to do the stuff that no one wants to do,” Cocalis said. “We’ll take the nuts and bolts and the little stuff on so the trip leaders don’t have to worry about it. They can just lead their students.” Religious Travel Planning Guide

©iStockphoto.com/Steve

Debenport

Feeding the hungry in the inner city and building houses in underdeveloped nations are ways that young people can serve the less fortunate.

©iStockphoto.com/Burgeon

Choosing a Location and Deciding What to Do If you choose to work with a missionary or sister church, your location may already be in place. If you are working with an organization, it most likely has a bevy of domestic and overseas trips to choose from. Make sure to keep your group in mind—what they would be interested in doing and where they might like to go— when choosing a location. “So often we think of the missions experience as one week, but I feel that if you focus on that one week, you miss out on 51 weeks of excitement leading up to the trip and commitment afterwards,” Cocalis said. “Find a place that your students are excited about going to, so they can start spreading the word and spreading their faith six months before the trip.” Domestic Trips. More and more groups are choosing to do their mission trips within the U.S., both because of lower travel costs and the fact that our country has plenty of places in need of service. Mission opportunities include helping in homeless ministries, assisting immigrants, doing community outreach, teaching English and practicing street evangelism. In addition, due to the recent destructiveness of nature on U.S. soil, many groups have jumped at the chance to work in disaster relief. “Students are becoming more in tune with the needs around them, and they want to be involved in causes and the things that are being talked about,” Cocalis said. “We’ve seen incredible popularity in our trips to New York after Hurricane Sandy, to Haiti after the earthquake and to Joplin, Missouri after the tornadoes. Those have quickly trended to be our most popular trips.” Latin America and the Caribbean. If your students have taken Spanish classes in school, they may be excited to use the language on a trip to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central or South America. Trips to these locations can be eye-openers for students who thought of these places as merely beach resorts. Extreme poverty plagues many of these “idyllic” locations, and groups can take part in community development, hunger ministries, orphanage outreach, medical missions, church planting and evangelism. Africa. When it comes to mission work, Africa is often the place most people think, and for good reason. Poverty, hunger and disease make everyday life a struggle for many rural Africans. The 10

Religious Travel Planning Guide

opportunity to teach the gospel to unreached groups is also a major draw for youth missions. Trips to Africa often include evangelism, church planting, children’s ministries, medical missions, teaching English, technology training, and homeless and hunger ministries. Europe and Russia. While poverty is less prevalent in most parts of Europe and Russia, there is still a great need for mission groups. Church planting and evangelism are common activities, and you will still be able to find construction projects or medical missions in these areas. Orphanages, children’s ministries, teaching and refugee relief opportunities are available as well. Asia. While people often think of Asia as restricting entry to Christian mission teams, there are actually plenty of opportunities to do work in countries like China, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand and India. Most of these destinations will welcome any group coming to teach English, and while you’re there you can take part in church planting, community development, medical missions or children’s ministries.

Leading up to the Trip Once you’ve decided upon a certain trip, begin the process of pulling everything together as soon as possible. Most organizations will handle booking flights, housing, meals and travel insurance, but if you are responsible for these components you will want to have them figured out well in advance. Fundraising. Inevitably you are going to have to do some fundraising to pay for your mission trip. If you choose to set a flat fee that each group member must pay for the trip, some parents will pick up their student’s tab, but you’ll need to assist others in raising money. Writing letters asking for support is the traditional and most effective way of garnering funds. Still, not every student’s family and friends will be able to contribute as much as the next, so get creative. Many organizations will give you a packet of fundraising ideas, with everything from a typical bake sale to selling bobble heads of your senior pastor. Make announcements during church asking for donations and have students share with the congregation why they are going on the trip. Run a car wash or sell spaces in your church parking lot during a local event. The opportunities religioustraveldirectory.com

are endless, so find one or two fundraising techniques that will meet the needs of your church and local community. Training. No matter where you are going, you will need to have your group go through several cultural, language and safety training sessions before departure. Talk to your parent organization or the missionaries on site to figure out what you should tell your group to expect and be ready for. “Always do safety and security training so that students understand everything from pickpocketing to keeping your passport safe,” Friesen said. “Always train students on cultural implications—what women making eye contact means, what clothes to wear and what phrases not to say.”

On The Trip Enjoy your mission trip. Have fun, serve the community you are in and let God do what he wants through your group. You may find that the people you came to serve will teach you something. “They might not have the most money in the world or the most material goods, but maybe because they lack material goods they have such a heart and such a passion for Christ,” Cocalis said. “Some are so tuned in to who God is and what he means to their life that when we are serving them, we are really being served relationally and spiritually.” Don’t let your service be an excuse not to take advantage of op-

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portunities for spiritual growth. Debrief with your group each night, do worship and give a message or devotion. Find fun ways to bring your group together and build camaraderie. Consider using “prayer partners.” Give everyone a name of someone on the trip to secretly pray for and give gifts and encouraging notes to them.

The Afterglow Most people on a mission trip come away with a “spiritual high.” Serving and being a part of what God is doing in other parts of the world will have your students eager to live out what they learned when they get home. Unfortunately, this zeal often wears off once your group gets back into its everyday routine. But there are things you can do to keep your group on-track and energized. Schedule get-togethers often to keep the trip in everyone’s mind. Discuss what was learned, how you are incorporating it into everyday life and continue to foster relationships established on the trip. Encourage group members to connect with people from your parent organization on social media, or even with people in the community you served. You never know what your youth mission trip could spark in one of your group members. “The short-term trip has almost become the new church camp, where students go on a trip with their youth group and want to stay longer than just 10 days,” Friesen said. “These short-term trips are the building blocks of long-term missionaries.” U

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Religious Travel Planning Guide

Best Practices for Organizing & Marketing Religious Tours T By Vanessa Day

here is a special community that exists within church groups and religious organizations, where unique relationships are formed between people of mutual faiths and beliefs. While these bonds prosper in the friendly confines of a congregation and its local community, they can grow even stronger when taken away from that comfort zone and into a completely different realm. Religious tours can both nurture existing relationships and create new ties between church members. Not only that, but faith-based tours can get people more in touch with their religion, providing an experience that changes lives and strengthens beliefs. These trips hold a lot of promise for churches and their members.

Announcements during Sunday services and notices in the church bulletin can be invaluable in getting congregation members interested in the tour.

“It’s a wonderful way for people to travel,” said Nick Mancino of Regina Tours. “It brings people in the church together; they bond.” Despite the benefits that religious travel presents, some churches still struggle to garner interest among congregation members, resulting in failed attempts to put together a trip. Tour operators know this scenario all too well and have worked with churches for years to overcome the difficulties within the industry. Mike Schields, managing director, groups and emerging markets for Globus family of brands, comments, “The church leaders are very busy, with different priorities to juggle, and they’re not always knowledgeable about the travel business.” Globus last year conducted a survey that found 35% of all outbound travelers are interested in taking a religious vacation, and 17% hope to do so in the next five years. This presents a lot of opportunities for churches and tour operators alike. So how can groups get past the hurdles, reach their members, and organize a successful religious trip? A lot comes down to the initial decision to do a trip. More often than not, a priest or church leader has an idea for a tour, but either cannot fully commit or is discouraged by the challenges, and the idea inevitably falls apart. 12

Religious Travel Planning Guide

“The act of putting a trip together from beginning to end can be very time-consuming and I think that scares people from the start,” said Tony Etienne, vice president, affinity market sales at Collette Vacations. This is where tour operators can truly lend a hand, helping with the early stages of the process and creating a strong relationship. “We really want to sit down individually with these decision makers and really learn about their communities,” Etienne said. “Learn about their membership and about what they’re trying to accomplish with their group travel program.” This move can establish a good rapport between a church and an operator, making for a more enjoyable planning process. Those in the industry know that it is not always easy to reach out to churches and establish that relationship. It is the job of the tour leader to remain committed. “It takes a special group leader who is persistent, has clear follow-up, and illustrates the support and value that they provide for the church,” said Schields. “Stick with it, approach them and let them know you’re interested, let them know what you offer, let them know your experience and stay with it.” religioustraveldirectory.com

©iStockphoto.com/Sergey Borisov

Bigstock/Darleen Stry

The great cathedrals of Europe, like the Duomo in Florence, inspire religious tour groups with their art treasures and glorious architecture.

This approach will help churches determine whether or not a tour operator is for real. Experts in the field emphasize that taking the time to investigate a company and make sure they are legitimate and financially stable is vital. No trip will be successful without a trustworthy name supporting the effort because many times the brand will help sell the tour. While tour operators must be eager to please, dedicated and enthusiastic, organizing a successful faith-based tour is by no means a one-way street. Priests and congregation members need to throw themselves completely into the effort. “The priest really has to commit and say ‘we’re doing this,’” said Mancino. “They themselves have to commit, emotionally and intellectually. If they don’t do that, then it might not succeed.”

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Carol Dimopoulos, president, Learning Journeys at Perillo Tours, agrees with this sentiment. “The successful groups are really excited about going,” she said. “A lot of times you put a trip together and if you don’t generate the excitement from yourself, it doesn’t go.” One of the best practices when planning a trip is to start early. In today’s fast-paced world, it can be difficult to think far in advance, and the timeline for many groups has changed drastically with the introduction of technology. “When I first got in, people booked two years ahead of time,” Mancino said. “But today, that’s changed. You’re looking at best, nine to 12 months. And some call three to four months in advance.” Most industry experts agree that having plenty of time to promote is essential for the success of a trip. A time frame of between nine to 12 months allows churches to set up a schedule and a marketing plan, resulting in a much better return on investment than if they tried to book a trip on short notice. Once a church and its tour operator have determined a solid agenda, the next thing to consider is the destination and what kind of trip to organize. “The first thing is planning the right product for the congregation and for the church,” said Dimopoulos. “Because if you’re not giving them the right product, it’s not going to sell.” This “product” can be the destination, a religious celebration or an important figure in the religious community. There are many things that will drive people to travel and boost interest, especially within the church community. For example, the Pope declared a Year of Faith, from October 2012 to November 2013, as a call for Catholics to form a deeper relationship with the Lord. This offers

“The act of putting a trip together from beginning to end can be very time-consuming and I think that scares people from the start. This is where tour operators can truly lend a hand, helping with the early stages of the process and creating a strong relationship.”

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Tony Etienne, Vice President, Affinity Market Sales Collette Vacations

]

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[

“You do get older people, but a lot of times they bring their grandchildren…and their families. Even though it’s planned by the older generation…you find a lot of families traveling together.”

]

Carol Dimopoulos, President Learning Journeys at Perillo Tours

a perfect opportunity for churches to encourage members to travel to holy lands and ancient shrines to help them connect with their faith, as well as with other people in the community. Whether churches decide to arrange a trip around a specific celebration or special event is up to them, but the best way to encourage members to participate is to have a clear itinerary and goal established before promotion begins. The next question becomes, then, how do you efficiently market a tour to members of the church? “It’s one of the easiest groups to market with,” said Brian White, inside business development executive at Collette Vacations. “It has such a clearly defined structure, they gather regularly and there is a weekly publication that everybody grabs and reads.” The weekly bulletin is certainly a popular way to promote church events and provide information to the congregation. “The best thing [church leaders] can do is use the bulletin,” said Jim Adair, president and founder of The Catholic Tour. He notes that announcements from the pastor or assistant priest also are good marketing methods, as well as email lists and sending notices to other parishes nearby. Dimopoulos brought up the importance of face-to-face interactions, too. “Church groups like to have information evenings, so those get a lot of attention,” she said. “They like to gather…they like to do all these little things that bring the community together.” Hosting live information sessions or meeting with individual societies within the church adds a degree of personalization that many members appreciate, which could make them more inclined to sign up for a faith-based tour. 14

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Churches and tour operators working together have many other ways of generating interest in the tour. “You need to give people a lot of tools to work with,” said Dimopoulos. “That’s why we offer webinars, e-blasts, marketing materials. We push them to get the product out in front of people.” It is important for operators to assist in any way they can because, as many industry insiders point out, churches are not marketing companies. “They’re a religious organization, not a marketer,” said Schields. “It’s important to give churches the tools it takes to market and promote a trip.” This fact makes a travel company’s involvement even more critical for the success of the trip. Churches need to stick with what they do best, being an active part of the community, according to Etienne, and they should not have to worry about all the marketing. Instead, they can work side-by-side with a tour operator to get their message out in an effective manner. And it is the message that is the true selling point for religious travel. Both churches and those in the industry have seen firsthand how faith-based travel can build community through explo-

Questions to Ask Your Faith Tour Operator

Does the tour operator understand the importance of this type of travel – are they responsive to your group’s needs

2 3 4 5 6 7

Are they knowledgeable about your church, denomination and priorities

Can they arrange special services, allowing for daily devotions in itinerary if requested Do they have references from similar types of groups they have worked with Are they willing to be creative in itinerary planning Are they timely in replying to email and phone calls

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Church members bond when they share the joys and challenges of discovering different lands.

ration and shared experiences, and it is this truth that really needs to be communicated. “It’s good for the congregation, the ministry, everybody in the community,” said Schields. “If you go to a religious destination, it brings the church and the people so much closer together.” While tour operators can try and sell this point all they want, a prominent figure from the church is the best person to convey the importance of travel to members. People’s faith lives are very personal, and having someone they know and respect promoting a trip to them adds a sense of comfort. “You need defined leadership,” said White. “They are part of a local community, so [the leader] can meet face to face and make it personal.” Many others in the industry say that getting the pastor to go on the trip is helpful. A pastor can help bring the bible stories to life, a point that Schields believes needs to be emphasized. “Don’t just talk about [bible stories] in church, go see them,” he said. “This resonates very well with church members.”

Exploring Multi-Generational Travel For many years, older individuals have been the typical travelers on these kinds of trips. This can be attributed to many factors: Older members are usually at retirement age and have more time to commit to longer trips. They also have more financial stability and are less likely to be concerned about paying off debt. There is also some belief that older generations are more invested in their faith and therefore more apt to take religious trips. These factors have led many churches and operators to target this demographic over the years. However, more and more tour operators are seeing interest from young people, as well as older members eager to share experiences with their families. “You do get older people, but a lot of times they bring their grandchildren…and their families,” said Dimopoulos. “Even though it’s planned by the older generation…you find a lot of families traveling together.” While older customers still dominate in the religious travel market, there has been an influx of younger travelers, and that could be a booming market for certain destinations, according to Etienne. Multi-generational tours have become much more common because there is so much potential in that market to create a new generation of tour customers, according to Schields. In fact, the annual Luxe Report on what’s hot in luxury travel for 2013, published by travel agency group Virtuoso, finds that multigenerational family travel is the top and recurring trend for this year. The trend is largely driven by baby boomers who wish to spend more time with loved ones, a desire that religioustraveldirectory.com

Religious Travel Planning Guide

plays a role in travel decision-making. As a result, multi-generational family travel has become a recurring trend. Many operators have acknowledged this trend and have altered their product offerings to include more religious tour options to cater to it. “We have family tours and multi-generational travel geared towards that market because there is certainly interest in that,” said White. “And that has greater potential for faith-based groups, especially since fellowship is one of the main aspects of what it’s all about.” This creates a lot of opportunity for churches to develop special tours geared toward families and inspire young congregation members to continue participating in religious travel for years to come. Furthermore, trips can become a creative way to raise funds for the church and its initiatives, according to Schields, and operators should try to work out a fundraising component because that presents a lot of marketing potential. Not only that, but fundraising can be an effective way to bring different generations together, as older adults can help children, teens and young adults discover the joys of faithbased travel while simultaneously gaining insight about what the future travelers are looking for. Even with a dedicated tour operator, a well-formulated trip, and plenty of marketing and promotion, there are still challenges when it comes to getting people to go on religious trips. Many churches have expressed apprehensions over promoting trips to members during the recession and the volatile economic recovery. Those in the industry acknowledge that these issues have had an effect on all types of travel, but there is still a lot of interest in faith-based trips. It is important to stay positive when there is a slowdown because more often than not, it comes back. “It’s how the church stays alive,” said Mancino. “Just keep going.” U

Religious Travel Planning Guide

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Tour-Planning Timeline By Cindi Brodhecker Developing a church travel program calls for a leader and team members with the knack for organization and ability to handle all the logistics.

Religious Travel Planning Guide

18-24 Months Prior to Travel ❑ Discuss the purpose of the tour—will it be strictly for fellowship or will there be a spiritual or fundraising element as well? Keep in mind the combination of purposes in one tour is a great way to promote a more specific tour later on. All travel can continue to be a combination of purposes. ❑ Take an informal poll of group members and list places you want to visit. Create a wish list of destinations or a five-year plan of travel programs. ❑ Get travel information from a travel agent or tour operator and ask about the time frame required for planning a trip to your destinations of interest. You may work with one partner for cruises, one for domestic and one for international. Many agents and operators specialize in certain types of travel. ❑ Determine whether you have church affiliations to partner with or a missionary in the destinations. religioustraveldirectory.com

nce the travel seed has been planted, there will be an extended period of activity involving deadlines and questions from both booked travelers and prospective joiners. Be prepared for questions such as: Does the hotel have Internet access? Can three people share a room? What about my connecting flight? What time is the midnight buffet? Your groups should have a main contact person responsible for fielding inquiries from travelers and keeping them in the loop. He or she will have all the necessary information on travel logistics and should have easy access to the assigned staff member in the tour operator’s office. The pastor/clergyman or group leader does not have to be the main contact but should attend pretrip meetings and share the spiritual goal of the trip. They need to make sure that travelers receive such materials as a reading list or study notes. The tour-planning timeline will be different for every group, but keep these time frames in mind:

Make a final decision on the type of travel you will offer: Pilgrimage Volunteer/mission Spiritual refreshment Fellowship and fun Will the tour include a fundraising donation? ❑ Choose a destination and date. For best pricing, travel during low or shoulder season rather than peak periods. ❑ Finalize the itinerary, which may include visits to church missionaries, special church visits, church history sites or former members who live out of the area. ❑ Once you have selected the tour operator/provider, start the brochure process and lend your own touch to material the travel company offers. Include biographical information on the spiritual or group leader and any wow factors you want to add. ❑ Due to airline schedules and rates, final pricing may not be available until 11 months prior. Cruise lines and motorcoach companies also work 11-12 months in advance. Most airlines will hold group space 11 months prior to travel at a confirmed price, but taxes and fuel surcharges would still be subject to change. Be sure to note this in the brochure so your group will not have any surprises with final billing. ❑ Select travel insurance, which can be included in the tour price or an option. ❑ Start promoting the tour through organization newsletters and websites, postcards, press releases to local newspapers, church bulletins, themed dinners, coffees and teas, and social network sites. ❑ Plan informational meetings with short lectures and sharing of firsthand experiences. If you have visited the area, bring pictures, books and souvenirs. ❑ Take advantage of any familiarization tours or preview trips offered to the destination by the tour operator. This offers you the added value of experience and firsthand knowledge. Many companies offer a refund when your group travels.

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6 Months Prior to Travel ❑ Early followers should be signed up with deposits paid. Do not be discouraged if the payments do come in slowly. People are waiting to make deposits but you can get verbal commitment and set a solid date for travelers to join. Early booking discounts will encourage them to make deposits quickly. ❑ If a passport or visa is required, now is the time to apply. Be sure passports are valid at least three to six months past the travel date return. Many destinations require a certain period of validity for a set time after return. Your travel agent or tour operator can give you this information. Keep in mind that a passport is needed for Mexico and Canada. ❑ Contact people who have shown interest but still have not committed. A phone call from the travel leader can make people feel important and know that they are wanted on the tour. This personal touch can grow your group in the early stages of planning or even last minute if one or two more travelers are needed. Everyone wants to be invited by the leader if possible. Airline reservations, passport applications and collecting payments are all part of the process.

12 Months Prior to Travel

❑ Do an additional newsletter posting and press release. Keep excitement going with these methods of communication. Create a Facebook page for the group or a blog to keep the information flowing to the traveler and later to the family and friends at home during your trip. ❑ Encourage folks who have signed up to invite friends or family. If your budget allows, give them an extra incentive to invite others, as simple as a small gift card for Starbucks or other special perks or discounts. ❑ Stay in touch with contacts in your travel destination so they can prepare for your group’s arrival. Communication is key to building a relationship with your on-site contacts. You will be great friends by the time you travel and build a relationship that will transfer to the rest of the group. Religious Travel Planning Guide

30 Days Prior to Travel

❑ Do a last big promotional push to get interested people to commit. This is again time to make the personal contact by phone or email. ❑ Airline and cruise final payment deadlines are looming, so communication with your travelers who have paid deposits starts now. Airline deadlines are not flexible and this is information that your travel group should understand. The utilization date and numbers are extremely important so you or your travel partner do not incur a financial penalty. ❑ Check all cancellation dates to be sure deposits are still refundable at 90 days should the need arise. Travel insurance is a great tool in giving your travelers protection on their deposit. ❑ Continue promoting your trip in bulletins, newsletters and meetings – keeping interest alive in those who have signed up and filling those last few seats. Last-minute reservations can make a big difference in many areas—financial, extra benefits to you as leader and even holding the price for all travelers. ❑ Arrange transportation to and from the airport if your travel company is not handling it.

There will be many meetings before your group sets sail or hits the road.

Religious Travel Planning Guide

❑ Work with the travel company to prepare final travel document packets, which might include a suggested packing guide and study guides for tour visits. ❑ Once document packets are in order, host a pre-departure meeting to pass out documents and prepare your travelers for the journey ahead. ❑ Travelers should be made aware of any donations that may be needed on visits to churches or missions. ❑ If tips are not included in the tour price, discuss the tips needed and give travelers a take-along printed guideline. ❑ Plan a final fellowship meeting that will create a bond among travelers, confirm trip details and gather any last information you need. ❑ Suggest any necessary physical preparation, such as walking on a regular basis. This is a good idea no matter what type of tour you are offering. Most tour days do involve more walking than some travelers would do on a normal day back home. ❑ Suggest proper dress for religious shrines, monasteries or churches. Dress codes may call for head coverings or no shorts or sleeveless tops. This is a good time to include information on any dinners or occasions that will need special clothes. ❑ Finalize contacts and timetables for partners in the destination where you may be holding special meet and greets, meal functions or worship. ❑ Plan group meals to introduce foods of the destination.

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Group leaders can expect to spend long hours going over details and making sure every piece is in place.

3 Months Prior to Travel

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Help your congregation find the clarity and direction they have been seeking with a retreat at Honor’s Haven Resort & Spa. Accommodating youth, family and couples retreats since 2007, Honor’s Haven provides an engaging and educational environment, ideal for unlocking your member’s spiritual potential; leaving them more inspired, more connected and ready to start their journey.

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Chartering a Bus for Your Group

The person assigned to reserving a motorcoach needs to inquire about costs, amenities and the company’s compliance with government regulations.

hether you’re chartering a bus for a day trip or longer journey, it’s important that you be an informed consumer and know what questions to ask.

The charter bus industry is comprised of over 3,000 local and regional companies, so there’s lots of choices. Safety, quality, customer service and affordability are among the criteria in choosing the right company, and especially in the bus industry, the cheapest option is not always the best one. You can go online and find motorcoach companies that serve your town or the flight arrival destination. Also check with fellow parishioners and community leaders to see what bus companies they have used. It’s advisable to get price quotes from at least three companies and because of the variables involved, initial contact should be by phone. Ask each company to provide a written quote via fax or email. Local trips are typically priced by the hour, longer trips (averaging more than 300 miles a day) by the mile. Once you have settled on a company, it’s advisable to reserve the coach as soon as possible, as spring and summer are high-demand periods. Like all commodity products, bus companies will sell out. But you before plunk down that deposit, perform your due diligence.

15 Questions to Ask a Prospective Bus Company When dealing with a motorcoach company, ask these questions: ❑ How long has your company been in business? 22

Religious Travel Planning Guide

❑ What is the average age of your fleet? ❑ How many motorcoaches do you operate? ❑ What about driver training and safety? ❑ What is the passenger capacity of the buses available? ❑ What onboard amenities are offered (i.e. restroom, video/ audio equipment, tables, shades/curtains)? A public address system with a microphone is a must. ❑ Are food and beverages allowed onboard? ❑ What about taxes and additional charges? In most states there is no sales tax for chartering a bus. Companies may impose a fuel surcharge during periods of fuel price volatility. ❑ Does the price include parking, tolls, driver’s tip or driver’s hotel room? The standard driver gratuity is 10%. You need to book the driver’s room, but for large groups the hotel often will comp the driver’s room. ❑ Are there any additional charges I may be billed for following the trip? ❑ How much of a deposit is required? The average deposit, according to busrates.com, is 22%, but it says the current trend is to require 100% payment upfront. ❑ When is final payment due? Typically, it’s due 10 to 30 days before departure. ❑ What is the cancellation policy? Most companies allow you to cancel without penalty up to 30 days before travel. ❑ What is the procedure in the event of a breakdown? It’s advantageous to deal with a company that has a large enough fleet to replace your coach in case of serious problems. ❑ How does the company handle a faulty air-conditioning unit or public address system? religioustraveldirectory.com

Safety & Financial Concerns A reliable motorcoach operator will be in compliance with government regulations. The American Bus Association (ABA) offers these guidelines: ❑ Motorcoach companies must have federal operating authority if they cross any state or provincial lines, and should be able to offer you that proof, which is issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) or Transport Canada. Many states and provinces also require that a carrier obtain authority for interstate operations. ❑ Ask for a current insurance certificate that provides a minimum of $5 million in liability insurance coverage.

❑ Ask for the carrier’s U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number. Carriers are required to have the number clearly displayed. By using that five- or six-digit number, you can view the carrier’s safety and insurance information on the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website (www.safersys.org). ❑ All U.S-based motorcoaches must be inspected annually. Ask the company about inspection and bus maintenance. Does the company have its own maintenance facility? ❑ All U.S. drivers are required to have a current Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a “passenger” endorsement printed on the license itself. CDLs are only issued after drivers have demonstrated their abilities through on-road skills and a knowledge test. ❑ Long or quick-turnaround trips may require an extra driver to adhere to federal hours of service safety requirements. (Operators cannot drive more than 10 hours following eight consecutive hours off-duty.) Ask if the operator is a member of any industry associations, such as ABA and United Motorcoach Association (UMA). For customer service ratings on most bus companies, contact the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org). U religioustraveldirectory.com

Religious Travel Planning Guide

On Retreat:

A Spiritual

Journey By Rachel Gilmore

ack when I was a director of Christian education, my husband and I took our senior high youth group on a work camp retreat one spring. Like many parents active in ministry, our toddler daughter and preschool son had come with us as well, but by Saturday night I was ready to tie my son Alex to the bunk bed. The work camp schedule had not worked well for his fouryear-old life. Imagine that. So I asked him to take a timeout with me, and we went for a walk in the woods surrounding camp.

©iStockphoto.com/Corey

Sundahl

Overnight retreats allow church members to slip away from the everyday world and reconnect with God and the principles of their faith.

Religious Travel Planning Guide

in us, even after we went home. Because what God taught me in that moment was that you can take a boy out of the woods but you can’t take the woods out of the boy, and the woods was where that boy (and his mom) found God on retreat. Amen!

©iStockphoto.com/digitalskillet

Almost as soon as we hit the trail, we could hear deer rustling in the trees, but in the growing twilight, we couldn’t see them. Our walk quickly became a wonderful adventure in God’s Creation as we searched for our elusive friends. Just as we were about to head back to the main road, four deer suddenly crossed our path 20 feet ahead of us and stopped. We stood there, watching them watch us for what seemed like an eternity. Then just as suddenly, they turned tail and took off into the trees. By now it was really getting dark, and I wanted to get back to the cabins. I felt renewed and refreshed by our walk, so in my adult head, it was back to business time. I had devotions to lead soon, and I wanted to get back to prepare. I headed up the trail to the main road but turned around to discover that Alex was not at my side. When I looked back, I could see him down where the deer had crossed our path, looking up at the sky and talking. When I got closer to him, I heard him repeating, “256 Walnut Street. 256 Walnut Street.” Mystified, I asked him what he was doing. “I’m giving God my address,” he said. So we prayed then, my wise boy and his humbled mom, that God would help Alex listen more and me yell less and that God would continue to be at work

Small-group conversations: An important element in a successful retreat. religioustraveldirectory.com

Overloaded Lives

Cost Versus Benefit

Now in my mind, that’s the goal of retreat…it’s taking a timeout from the busyness of this world to reconnect and learn how to stay connected to God. A retreat makes possible what Paul writes about in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you can discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Those opportunities for discernment don’t always happen in our crazy busy lives. It seems to me that God’s people find themselves over the edge most of the time…overscheduled, overcommitted, overtired, overworked, overworried, overemotional, over budget…over and over and over again. A retreat helps break that pattern of routinely going over the edge. It inserts a timeout, a Sabbath rest, in the middle of our fast-paced, sensory overloaded lives. Because certainly if ministry leaders are feeling the pressure to make more time for God, the average member is feeling the pressure, too…and likely not knowing how to respond. By offering a retreat, you enable people to let go of the world’s expectations and take a step back. For 48 hours, someone else will cook and clean for them. The only person they have to worry about is themselves. The only schedule that’s prearranged is the retreat schedule, and if people don’t make it to a session, they won’t be fired from their job or locked up for child abandonment. A retreat is a little blip in the time-space continuum that helps people get right and stay right with God. What a gift!

Yet people will protest going. They will give every excuse in the book as to why they can’t take a timeout for God. It’s too expensive. It’s too far away. I can’t leave my kids. My spouse can’t handle the kids. I have to work. I have to work out. I don’t like “sharing” my feelings or my personal history. I don’t like sharing a bathroom/bedroom/dinner table with people I don’t really know. But they protest much because they don’t fully understand the benefits, so part of your job as a retreat planning team member will be getting them to see that the benefits outweigh the costs. And I’m not just talking about money, although certainly people may have to take paid or unpaid vacation time in order to go. It’s hard for people to set a weekend aside, especially when they don’t know what to expect or are worried about having to share personal information. One of my favorite expert quotes I collected while writing The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats is from Dale Garwood of Granger Community Church in Indiana. Dale says for their men’s retreats, they make sure all the guys know up front it’s “One mattress per man!” That eases a lot of minds right off the bat, he adds. Leaders need to be both encouraging and explicit up front.

• • • • • • • •

Have faith that you’ll have fun You can have faith that your church groups will have fun here in Pigeon Forge. Whether it’s the shopping, attractions, shows or Dollywood ®, you’ll find wholesome entertainment at every turn. And the majestic beauty of the Smoky Mountains is always an inspiring sight. Pigeon Forge is filled with variety and dedicated to creating a family friendly atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.

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Religious Travel Planning Guide

Troubleshooting Tips

Sources like Rachel Gilmore’s The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats abound with planning tips.

Tell people what to expect; it lessens their fear and helps them make the commitment to go. In addition, retreats benefit both individuals and your ministry group as a whole. A well-planned retreat opens up possibilities for personal spiritual growth and person-to-person relational growth as participants grow closer to God. One of my favorite retreat memories involved a woman from my moms group who I’d always found pushy, abrasive and annoying and who I disliked, pretty intensely. When we ended up in a retreat discussion group together, I thought, “Oh, no! This is going to be a nightmare.” Yet as she talked and I listened, I discovered that we actually had many of the same personality traits. What a revelation that was, and it certainly made me rethink my opinions of her! Equally intriguing is seeing different sides to people when they are out of their comfort zones and put in a retreat setting. “Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you can discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). That’s the ultimate benefit, being transformed for God!

This is the one thing leaders don’t like to think about but definitely need to be prepared for…what to do when things don’t go as planned. In my many years of planning retreats, like clockwork, it seemed that my own kids could sense when I was going to be away, and at least one of them would get seriously ill the day before retreat. But that’s why you need a retreat leadership team…and a planning timeline…and a master To Do list. Even if one of your key team members can’t go at the last minute, your group should still be able to carry on with little disruption and with full confidence. However, other problems may arise on site, and you should be ready for these, too. Accommodation issues (not what you expected, not enough beds, no meeting space, not clean, etc.). Immediately contact the management to calmly and politely review your contract (Did you state your requests in advance and did you do a site visit to preview your space?) and your options. Be cheerful and flexible in problem solving, as this will set the tone for your retreat. Forgotten supplies Contact the management to arrange to borrow from the facility or get directions to a local WalMart. Dead discussions Feel free to improvise. Give small-group discussion leaders the freedom to end early or move their group outside or to a different space. If it’s a whole group issue, break for prayer, a few songs or a coffee or stretching break. While retreats need overall structure, talk with smallgroup discussion leaders in advance about leaving space for those deeper connection conversations to happen organically. Quiet time in between individual responses might feel a little awkward at first, but encourage leaders

•

• •

Religious Travel Planning Guide

©iStockphoto.com/Willem

Now that you’re all excited and ready to plan the best retreat ever, I do want to clarify two words for you …retreat and conference. Some people use them interchangeably. I don’t, and that just comes from my personal experience. In a recent retreat planning webinar I led, several participants indicated that they were planning retreats for 300-400 participants. To me, that’s a really big group for a retreat. It doesn’t mean you can’t call it a retreat; however, I think with that size group, those planners will just need to be really intentional about creating opportunities for personal quiet time and person-to-person connections. Generally speaking, I also see conferences as more educational while retreats are more relational. In addition, conferences tend to be more formal and geared for large groups, often with lecture-type sessions. Retreats, however, tend to be more informal, and are geared for small-group conversations that allow people to begin talking with one another about what’s going on in their lives. Not that a conference can’t be relational or a retreat educational, but there is usually a difference in purpose and process. Think outside the box and let God step in and transform minds!

Dijkstra

Retreats vs. Conferences

Retreats give participants a chance to commune with nature and each other. religioustraveldirectory.com

•

and participants to be patient and support one another as they build community with one another. Planning problems For youth, it’s crucial to over-plan. Have a variety of optional activities and questions available for leaders whose groups finish early or whose teens are not engaging in the material. You may never need it, but if you do, you’ll be forever grateful you planned ahead. In addition to small-group discussion leaders, it’s also helpful to plan for a floater volunteer who can be available for individual prayer mid-session or to handle any crisis that may arise during the retreat without pulling leaders away from groups.

•

Ready, Set, Retreat! If you’re ready to retreat, assemble your retreat leadership team and start the planning process. Don’t forget to invite God to be a part of that team. “The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps” (Proverbs 16:9). However, if you feel like you need more help, then check out The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats ( Judson Press, 2008), available at www.judsonpress.com. Or feel free to email me at rachel@thegilmoregirl.com. I’m always happy to answer planning questions via email, although I’m also available to work as a consultant with your planning team or serve as a retreat speaker. May your retreat ministry help you transform hearts and minds for God. Amen. Let it be. U

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Religious Travel Planning Guide

Religious Travel Planning Guide Directory

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A leader in travel since 1918, Collette offers over 150 tours to all seven continents. Our faith-based journeys include: Pilgrimage to Fatima & Lourdes with Barcelona, Shrines of Ireland, Shrines of Italy and Greece: In the Footsteps of Paul the Apostle. Call for details.

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Religious Travel Planning Guide Directory

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Oshkosh Public Museum

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Religious Travel Planning Guide

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❑ Collette Vacations

RELIGIOUS GROUP TRIPS!

❑ Cosmos/Globus Family of Brands ❑ Extra Holidays by Wyndham ❑ Goway

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❑ Holiday Inn Philadelphia Stadium, PA ❑ Honor's Haven Resort & Spa, Ellenville, NY ❑ Israel Tourism ❑ Museum of Russian Icons, Clinton, MA ❑ Navarre Beach, FL ❑ Norfolk CVB, VA ❑ Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, WI ❑ Perillo Tours ❑ Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, TN ❑ Québec’s National Shrines ❑ Springmaid Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC ❑ Switzerland Tourism ❑ The Living Word, Cambridge, OH ❑ The Victorian Hotel & Resort, Galveston Island, TX ❑ Wyndham Resorts

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The baroque hall of the abbey library, UNESCO world cultural heritage, in St.Gallen.

Switzerland’s Heritage. Switzerland’s diversity, its beautiful scenery, four national languages, its people and different cultures are easy to explore on one of the best public transport networks. St.Gallen St.Gallen is home to a very special landmark: its magnificent Baroque cathedral. Together with the world-famous Abbey Library if forms a unique historic ensemble that was declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1983. The Abbey sports the most beautiful secular Rococo interior in Switzerland and is home to 170,000 books and 2,000 priceless medieval manuscripts. Some date back to 700 AD. This year, the city of St.Gallen is celebrating its 1,400 year anniversary with various events and exhibits. Lucerne and Lake Lucerne Region Lucerne enjoys the distinction of being the only Swiss town that began as a monastery.Switzerland’s only born saint Brother Klaus‘ family house and chapel of the 15th century can be visited near Lucerne. The black Madonna in the Abbey of Einsiedeln

marks as the most visited pilgrimage site in Switzerland. Zürich Zürich made its most significant mark on Christian History in the early 16th century. Here, Huldrych Zwingli was the father of the Swiss Reformation. The St. Peters Church was a landmark in Swiss Reformation History and the Anabaptist caves outside of Zürich are a reminder of the Anabaptist believers in the area. Swiss Travel System: all-in-one ticket The Swiss Travel System turns any journey into an unforgettable experience, whether you‘re travelling by train, boat or post bus. The Swiss Pass. It offers free travel on this transportation system which is unique in the world. The highlight of any Swiss trip is a ride along one of the many scenic routes.

For information, please visit MySwitzerland.com/heritage For bookings, please contact Globus: 866-821-2752 or go to globusfamilygroups.com