We understand that the cost to travel to Asia from many parts of the world can be high.

We are committed to hosting each World Wide Conference on a different continent in order to expose our staff to the world in which we live and minister, and in order to provide better equity for all of our staff.

We feel so strongly about this that we are going to great lengths to make aid available to help with travel. This will include both monetary aid where possible as well as travel tips, suggestions, and deals to help you get to Malaysia.

Please keep in mind that simply visiting your favorite travel website and getting a quote will likely result in high numbers and sticker shock. The agents and tips below will likely result in savings of hundreds of dollars per ticket.

Click on an item below for more information:

Travel Dates
Airport Info
Sample Fares
Preferred Agents
Travel Aid
Organizational Mileage Program
Visa Needs
Travel Tips & Comments

Travel Dates

Keep in mind that we are offering Excursions before and after the conference. Check out the Excursions Page to see what trips are available and consider the timing for these when booking your flights.

Plan to arrive at the conference site on the afternoon of July 18.  We will not be able to accommodate arrivals prior to this date.  Conference ends late the evening of July 23rd, so plan to depart on the morning of July 24th. Of course you have the option to participate in an Excursion or even stay additional days at the lovely Pelangi Beach Property should you so choose.  See the General Info page for more information about this.

Airport Info

The Langkawi, Malaysia airport code is LGK. There are a number of airlines that serve this airport. It appears that most flights go through Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul or Kuala Lumpur.

Sample Fares

As of January 22nd we found the following fares using our preferred agents below:

Using Rovia, we found a round trip ticket between Los Angeles and Singapore for $1102.00 and then booked a round trip ticket via Tiger Airways between Singapore and Langkawi for $85.00.  Total trip cost, including taxes and fees, came to $1187.00.

Using Global Impact Travel, we found flights between Seattle and Singapore for $1218.00. After adding the flight from Singapore to Langkawi for about $85.00, total trip cost came to $1,303.00.

Note: There are risks and hassles when booking with two different carriers:

1. If you miss a connection or an airline cancels/changes a flight you may be stuck with the expense that results from making changes or alternate travel plans.  Always make sure you leave VERY LARGE margins for layovers between flights when connecting with these discount carriers (Tiger Air and Air Asia).
2. Be warned you will pay for baggage and have to deal with baggage hassles when transferring from a traditional carrier to a discount carrier.
3. These discount carriers often use a completely different terminal at airports.  For example, at Changi Airport (SIN) in Singapore you will have to clear customs, get your bags, board a bus to the discount terminal and then check-in with your discount carrier.  If you have a ticket all the way through with a major carrier (like Singapore Airlines) you will not have to clear customs, or deal with your bags until you arrive in Langkawi.  But you will pay a lot more, probably in the range of $1700-$2000 from the West Coast of the U.S.

Did you find a great deal?  Please share your information below in the comments section!

Preferred Agents

Our Agents have notified us that they expect some discount/missionary fares to be released in the first quarter of the new year.  The agents are also working on group rates and expect to have us some options from several key hub cities soon. We will update this website when these fares become available. We encourage you to work with one of the agencies/agents listed below when booking your travel to and from Malaysia.

Agency/Agent	Email/Website	Phone	Address
Global Impact Travel: Jason	jason@globalimpacttravel.com	623.239.1628	6040 E. Main St Mesa, AZ 85205 USA
BCD Travel (previously World Travel): Greg Angstrom	greg.angstrom@bcdtravel.com	800.969.1595	4901 Vineland Rd Suite 460 Orlando FL 32811 USA
Walter Wildes	wallywildes.rovia.com

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Travel Aid

CRM believes that World Wide Conference is so important that attendance is expected by all staff.  We also recognize that the cost to fly to Asia is significant and could feel prohibitive, especially in this economic climate.

So we are committed to set up a travel pool – meaning funds that can be given by staff to one another, and from interested donors -  in order to offer scholarships for airfares for those who have a significant need. We hope to offer up to 50% of the travel costs for qualifying staff.  This means reimbursing staff who qualify up to one full airfare for a couple attending or half-off one ticket for those attending as a single.  These reimbursement will come in the form of an internal transfer.

In order to be considered for Travel Aid, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• You must be a full-time staff member.
• Have a significant need.
• You may not be running a surplus in your general account.
• You have been regularly putting aside money into your conference account.
• You have made attempts to raise funds for worldwide conference with your donors.
• You must fill-out the Travel Aid application in full.
• Travel Aid applications must be submitted by May 14th, 2010.

If Travel Aid is awarded the following stipulations will apply:

• Aid will be given for airline tickets only.  It is not to be used for conference fees or other travel related expenses.
• The maximum awarded per ticket will be $1500.00 U.S. Dollars.
• Airline ticket must be for a round-trip between Asia (KUL or SIN) and your ministry location.
• Travel Aid cannot be applied to tickets for children attending conference.
• The ticket that the Aid is being applied to must be purchased in accordance with the suggestions made on the WWC Travel site.  We suggest that you book with our preferred agents or deals that can be found on the WWC Travel website and we reserve the right to only reimburse up to the amount that is quoted by our agents.
• The ticket must be purchased at least 60 days prior to conference, except in the case of new staff that go through assessment inside of this 60 day period.
• The aid will be received in the form of an internal transfer only.  Sorry, we will not be issuing checks.

Request your Travel Aid Application by email from travelaid@crmleaders.org.

A note from Sam Metcalf:

While this scholarship program will be a big help in offsetting travel expenses for those who have need, it is not a panacea.  Therefore, I would encourage all of us to seriously and prayerfully consider several things:

1. What would God have us do individually to contribute toward the needs of those I personally am aware of – either friends throughout CRM or fellow-teammates – who are going to need help to financially to make it work for Malaysia.  They may need help on transportation as well as the basic conference fee.
2. How sacrificial can I be in giving toward these needs and/or the travel pool?  What would God have me do?
3. Are there friends, supporters, or donors who may have a particularly interest in helping meet these needs?  Am I willing to pray and approach them?

Gifts can be given toward the travel pool in a variety of ways:  internal transfers (done through the “form” on Just For Staff), check or credit card (also on the web site).  Gifts to the travel pool should be designated:  World Wide Conference Scholarship Fund, account #9910.

Over the years, I have been amazed – and humbled – at how we’ve all chipped in to make this work for our brothers and sisters.  At each of the three previous conferences, we’ve never (to my knowledge) had anyone not attend because money was an issue.  While the challenge is somewhat greater this time because of the economic climate, I am hopeful we will all rise to the occasion and together make it possible for one another.

Thanks for your consideration.

Gratefully,
Sam

Travel Aid is closing on May 14th… all applications must be submitted by this date.

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Organizational Mileage Program

CRM is able to get organizational frequent flyer miles every time you book a flight with one of the following airlines:

• American Airlines
• Delta (now merged with Northwest/KLM)
• United

These miles are accumulated in a CRM corporate account in addition to any personal miles you earn, and they do not detract in any way from your personal airline credits. CRM typically uses these miles for staff with emergency needs; usage is determined by Administration on a case-by-case basis. Please make sure your account and flight booking is set up to accumulate both personal and organizational miles as we seek to support each other. Thank you!

Click here to download instructions on how to activate organizational mileage accumulation through American Airlines, Delta (merged with Northwest/KLM), United, and their partners.

Visa Needs

The vast majority of you will not need a visa to get into Malaysia. In fact, visa requirements are quite relaxed there. U.S. citizens are allowed to stay for up to 3 months without a visa.  If you are unsure of the visa policies for your country of origin or residence and would like to double check or research further, check out the link below to the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

http://www.kln.gov.my/?m_id=53

Please email us if you have further questions or need assistance with acquiring a visa!

Travel Tips & Comments

We have found that the best deals usually include traveling on a major carrier to Singapore (SIN) and then booking tickets from Singapore to Langkawi (LGK) on a small local carrier such as Tiger Air* or Air Asia*.  You can save hundreds of dollars doing this.

*Note: These small carriers do NOT have great “on-time” records, so we recommend leaving a very large cushion between flights.

Most carriers from the United States will arrive in Singapore in the middle of the night.  We recommend booking into the Transit Hotel in the Singapore airport.  The hotel is VERY reasonably priced, it will allow you to get some rest, and you will not have to clear customs in order to stay there. The hotel books up very far in advance, so we recommend making your arrangements early.

Do you have a great tip or something that you know will help others get to Malaysia? Please share it below in the Comments section, or read below for others’ tips and suggestions for traveling to and around Malaysia.

Questions? Contact Kevin Brown at wwctravel@crmleaders.org.

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