Mission trips are complicated enough without unnecessary drama. Three simple yet common mistakes can lead to a lot of hassle: 1) Not having legal names and dates of birth for all passengers; 2) Not realizing a passport expires too soon; and 3) Not having luggage that conforms to regulations. A phone call, a copy and a purchase can easily remedy these three common mistakes.
The phone call. Collect legal names and dates of birth early in your application process. According to revised TSA rules, you will need to submit the legal name of a ticket holder and the full date of birth at the time of purchase. You may know the names of your student’s last three girlfriends, but producing a middle name and date of birth likely will require an email or phone call. Travel agents can reserve seats, but they cannot guarantee purchase prices until the tickets are paid for. Don’t lose precious time in sealing a deal with a mad scramble for these necessary details. If you do not include these items on your initial participant application, collect it at your very first team meeting. A good travel agent will keep your desired itineraries on file and let you know when a good fare is available. When this happens, you need to be ready to jump in and make it happen.
The copy. Check the expiration dates on passports. Having a passport is not sufficient in some instances. A few countries require the passport to be valid for six months past the date of return. Beceause most youth will have received a passport good for only five years instead of the standard 10-year term for those 18 and older, it is more likely students will have an expired passport on hand. You’ll need a copy of the passport to register in the STEP program with the U.S. State Department, so go ahead and make a copy of passports early in the training process so you can check the expiration for yourself.
The purchase. Luggage requirements are in constant flux these days. Make sure you know what is allowed and how much it will cost. Most importantly, make sure your luggage meets specifications in regard to weight and proportion. Luggage scales can be purchase inexpensively. Have each team member give his or her bag a quick measure before loading for the airport. This simple step may save you an expensive fee, as well as the embarrassment and hassle of re-packing at the airport.
Make sure your youth are talking about the fantastic VBS your team pulled off rather than how funny it was that So-and-So was stuck at the border for hours due to a passport expiration date.
