How to Find Free Vacations for Missionaries

Many living in third world countries with budgets contingent on donations, missionaries rarely have the funds to take time off. However, thousands move back to the United States every year because they are over-stressed and desperately in need of rest. Below are four simple steps to finding a free vacation for these selfless but weary church workers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

How to Find Free Vacations for Missionaries

1. Contact the International Mission Board. Best known for helping missionaries get training and placement, the organization also solicits volunteers willing to open their homes and property to missionaries on furlough.
2. Talk to your travel agent. You might be surprised how many agents have a soft spot for church workers. Roswell, Georgia’s Beth Greenhill, for example, finds low, unpublished rates to Europe, Africa, Asia and other parts of the world for both long and short-term missionaries. Although her Web site looks a bit amateur, her customer reviews are positive.
3. Look for ministries with other outreach programs. If they serve missionaries in any way, they likely have contacts for respite as well. Missionary Service Fellowship, Inc., for example, ships supplies for short-term mission trips to churches around the U.S. They also built Selah Cottage in Selmer, Tennessee to offer missionaries a free place to stay.
4. Call the Christian Hospitality Network. Started by Paul Cowell of Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston, Tennessee, the network is made up of more than 1,100 properties offering at least a 25 percent discount to full time church staff and missionaries. The ministry also takes its hospitality overseas, hosting hundreds of missionaries in luxury hotels in Brazil, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Phuket and other countries once a year. The guests of honor are pampered by masseuses and chiropractors and get free consultations with lawyers, accountants, doctors and other professionals as needed. In 2008, the group will head to Malta, 50 miles from Sicily. Contact them at 865-376-7546.

Tips & Warnings

• It’s OK to check the Web, but be wary of any offers until you have confirmed promises or details with references.