Thank you for visiting our web site. Friendship Tours International (FTI) is a travel agency that specializes in travel planning for Christian organizations and individuals. We strive to give you the best possible fares for your trip, as we realize the budget constraints of many non-profit organizations. Please take a moment to browse our site and feel free to send us your comments.
News Updates
Traveling in 2009/2010?
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If you live in Europe, generally you may make reservations up to 11 months in advance but often you do not need to have the tickets issued or paid for until 2-3 weeks before departure. Therefore you should be booking for 2009/2010 travels as follows:
For summer 2010 travel (early June through mid-September) you should book by end of December 2009 if possible.
For Christmas travel (Dec 14 to Jan 10) you should book by July.
If you live in the USA or elsewhere outside of Europe, generally you must have tickets issued within 7 to 14 days of making the reservation. Therefore, you must be quite certain of your travel plans before you make a reservation. If possible, you should be booking for 2009/2010 travel as follows:
For travel from June 1 to Sep 15 – by end of January to obtain the best fares and best selection of airlines.
For travel from November 25 to December 1 (Thanksgiving), by end of June if possible.
For travel from December 10 to January 10 by end of August at the latest.
For travel to Florida anytime – as soon as possible.
"A Missionary's Best Friend"
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(article that appeared in the Brainerd Dispatch on Friday March 11, 2005)
Brainerd-based travel agency finds best deals for missionaries
By HEIDI LAKE
Staff Writer
John Nielsen's friends call him "the coupon king" because he uses coupons wherever he goes.
Although he gets teased for his frugal ways, Nielsen has the last laugh. His faith and thrifty way of life have turned him into a successful business owner.
Nielsen's Brainerd-based travel agency, Friendship Tours International, primarily makes travel arrangements for missionaries around the world, finding them the best rates available.
"I love saving money whether it's for me or someone else," Nielsen said.
It's that attitude and a love of traveling that got him into the travel business in the first place.
In 1974, Nielsen became a Christian and found himself intrigued by the missions field. He went on mission trips while attending Western Michigan University. In 1982, Nielsen moved to Vienna, Austria, working as a missionary and assisting with Friendship Tours.
FTI began as a cover story when missionaries needed an excuse to travel to then-communist Eastern Europe. Simply stating "missions work" as the reason to enter Eastern European countries wasn't enough. In 1979, a missionary in Vienna and a businessman in Michigan decided to create a travel company to organize "tours" to Eastern Europe, thus allowing missionaries to gain entrance.
What started as merely a coverup, FTI has been booking trips for missionaries around the world for the past 25 years.
Eventually, Nielsen turned his mission work into a career. he now owns and operates FTI out of an office in Brainerd.
Currently FTI serves 300 missionary families around the world, and is not taking any new clients. Nielsen said he and his assistant, Kelli Sanguma, have all the work they can handle right now.
"I don't want to get too big, where all I do is manage employees," he said.
After all, finding the cheapest fares is what Nielsen does best.
Nielsen describes every booking as a new challenge, often finding flights to remote countries in Africa or central Asia for his clients.
"It's fun to figure out how to get to those places," Nielsen said.
There aren't many travel agencies that work primarily with missionaries, Nielsen said, because it's a lot of work. A large percentage of his workload involves changing flights for his customers, for one reason or another. Many missionaries travel every other week to faraway destinations, keeping Nielsen busy.
"Some individuals travel intensely while I hear from some once every two years," he said.
It's the low fares and attention to detail that keep customers coming back to FTI. Nielsen described some travel agents as mere "order takers," while he prides himself in saving money for his clients.
"I just like helping the people," he said. "Without me here doing this (missionaries) couldn't be out in the field."
Contact Information
E-mail:
travel@friendshiptours.org
Telephone Number:
(218) 824-8000
Fax Number:
(218) 824-8001
Address:
Friendship Tours International
John Nielsen
2029 S. 6th Street Ste 106
Brainerd, MN 56401
USA