Mission Travel & Christian Travel: The Reason We Exist

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 19-20, The Great Commission

With a heart for missions and a love for travel, my wife and I founded Mission Travel back in 2006. We’ve each participated in many mission trips since our youth and have a passion for travel in general. God was moving in our lives to start an entrepreneurial venture together. We had a literal “kitchen table” experience – listing pros/cons of various ideas, ranking our skills, talents and interests. And then we prayed. We sought direction from the Lord on our venture. With the Great Commission being at the core of our call as followers of Jesus, we figured something within missions would be appropriate. Combine our love for Christian travel and the idea of MissionTravel.org was born!

 

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After some basic business research of the missions and humanitarian travel market, we realized there was very little attention paid to the complexities of planning for mission trips and securing great travel arrangements to get there. Our heart is for the group leader. There is so little to equip the tens of thousands of trip leaders every year. Mission trips are complex.

From passports, visas, complex airfare itineraries, ground transportation, accommodations, team meetings, changes and more – there’s a lot to keep track of as a group leader! Over 50% of mission trip leaders are new each year – where do they turn?! We figured thoughtful planning, helpful customer service and a desire to save mission teams money on their travels would be a good combination. Wow were we surprised at the need and how this resonated! Sure, there were some longtime players in the mission travel market. However, they hadn’t quite grasped technology, harnessing social media and other “millennial-friendly” ways of doing the travel business.  As early adopters and enhancing MissionTravel.org to be traveler-friendly we quickly built a thriving repeat and referral business over time. God kept bringing customers our way and we kept hiring excellent staff to help assist.

Fast forward to 2016, and we now partner with hundreds of churches, universities and ministry organizations sending thousands all over the world proclaiming the love of Jesus. And many of these teams do so in such unique ways. Of course there are the work and witness trips, building houses and street evangelism that is common among mission trips. But then there are professionals like doctors, nurses, business owners and others who give of their skill-sets to teach and minister to communities who need their training to grow and prosper. We’ve served world-class surgeons, lawyers and philanthropists who choose to take time off to give freely of their wisdom and help transform poor villages.

The gospel of Jesus resonates with all and as believers we have a clear directive. Our foundation verse and mission here at Mission Travel is Matthew 28:19, “Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations…”

Enough about us, we want to hear from you. How can we best serve you and where will you GO? We’re a simple call or email away to come alongside your mission trip and guide you along to a successful journey. Or plan that unforgettable Christian travel experience – Holy Land, Christian Reformation tour, retreat and more.

Chris Niemeyer is the owner and founder of Mission Travel. This post is part of a series about our staff, and how God is calling each of us to use our individual gifts.

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