The process:

1) Start early!  Generally, prices increase and availability decreases as your travel date approaches.

2)  Acquire quotes from three different agencies for travel from your place of assignment to your selected home base for home assignment.  Internet quotes are also acceptable; however some agencies have access to special missionary fares.

3)  Send the quotes to the Missionary Personnel Coordinator at the regional office for region approval.  The region is responsible to pay the cost of the most direct travel from your place of assignment to your selected home base during home assignment.

Travel is to be scheduled within your approved home assignment dates.  You may use vacation days to leave early or return late to the field if approved by your FSC and the RD.  If you plan to add vacation to your home assignment, please ask for a quote for your approved home assignment dates as well as the quote for your actual planned travel.  Occasionally, adding vacation days to the home assignment dates makes the airfare expense higher than it would have been for a 90 day ticket.  If the fare is higher with the added vacation days, the missionary is responsible for the additional cost.  This may be reimbursed personally or with deputation funds.

4)  The Missionary Personnel Coordinator will inform you of which quote has been approved.  As much as possible, effort is made to give the missionary family a reasonable journey home with minimum stops on the way.