Tag Archives: Travel

Counting the Costs of Traveling

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With today being the biggest travel day of the year, I want to solicit some opinions. Years ago, a friend suggested to me that I use the IRS’s mileage cost guidelines in determining the costs of travel by car. Currently that’s 50 cents a mile.

Using this rate often puts me at odds with people around me when discussing trips because they merely talk about gasoline costs. There’s a wide discrepancy between the two.

This mainly comes up when discussing long trips. They’ll say, for example, I’m going to drive to Tulsa because I want to save money. From Abilene, that’s roughly 400 miles, so just the trip should cost $400 roundtrip. Flying from Abilene to Tulsa currently costs about $200.

There are other considerations, of course, like transportation once you arrive, how many people are making the trip, etc. However I once heard someone say that if the trip is over 300 miles, flying is cheaper. That seems about right.

Another possibility is to rent a car. This is typically much cheaper than using your own car, unless you like to give money to the rental car agencies by buying the insurance they offer. In almost every case, the insurance you have on your car will also cover your rental (but ask your agent first!).

Anyway, what I’d like to know is if using the IRS mileage rates is legit. Or how should one calculate these costs?

If I could go to the Holy Land…

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I haven’t traveled to the Bible lands, and I’m sure a lot of you haven’t either. Aside from Jerusalem, Rome, etc., there are a few places I’d like to see:

  • Ephesus, Sardis and Laodicea — Of course, I’d love to see the sites of all 7 churches from Revelation, but I’d especially like to see those three. Ephesus just because I know of the incredible ruins that are there, Sardis because I’d like to see the mountain fortress that fell because of a lack of vigilance, and Laodicea because I’d like to see for myself the nearby hot and cold springs.
  • The road from Jericho to Jerusalem — Not just because of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but also because of the Psalms of Ascent. I’d like to see that road that goes up to Jerusalem.
  • The wilderness of Sin — I’d like to see where the Israelites wandered for 40 years, to have a better feel for what they went through and how God provided for them.

The list could go on and on, of course. There isn’t a biblical site that I wouldn’t want to see. I’d love to visit Galilee and the Jordan River. I’d love to see the mountains where David hid from Saul, the likely sites of Sinai/Horeb and the crossing of the Red Sea. But I guess the ones I listed are some of the more unusual ones.

Where would you visit if you had the chance? Or have you been there?

To Tegucigalpa and back

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I got to make a quick trip to Tegucigalpa last week, traveling for Herald of Truth, along with Steve Ridgell, our director of ministry. In 2008, we sponsored a TV program there, so we went back to talk to some of the local Christians about their impression of what was done there.

Turned out that getting out of town was the hardest part. Abilene got a nice round of snow on Tuesday; we flew out on the 5:50 a.m. flight, which actually left at 1 p.m. From there the travel went smoothly. Abilene-Dallas, Dallas-Miami, Miami-Tegucigalpa.

A week after my last trip to Honduras, in May 2008, there was a nasty crash at the Tegucigalpa airport. That crash convinced them to redo the main runway. Much safer, but the landing isn’t nearly as exciting as it used to be. When it comes to airplanes, however, I guess boring is good.

We got to spend a couple of days with Rigoberto Vargas, Herald of Truth representative in Central America. It’s always good to be with him.

It was a quick trip, but we got to see a lot of other nice people along the way:

  • Larry Musick and Buck James from ACU who were flying out of the Abilene airport on their way to Atlanta.
  • Bill Smith, Abilene resident who is a tenured professor at Pepperdine. He was on his way to Las Vegas to give a speech, but had his plans changed by the snow.
  • Tim Hines, president of Torch Ministries in Honduras, who was at the airport in Tegucigalpa when we arrived.
  • Howard Norton, head of the Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa; we went by the school to visit with him.
  • A group of preachers from Tegucigalpa who spent time with us evaluating the TV program and talking about future possibilities.
  • I got to speak with Marc Tindall, missionary in Tegucigalpa, by phone. I hope to get to meet him in person on a future trip.
  • Cameron Hartsell, ACU grad who works with Mission Lazarus. He was at the Tegucigalpa airport as we left, sending one group off and welcoming another.
  • Andy Baker, who we know from World Christian Broadcasting, but who was in Honduras on a mission trip with the Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ. Bryan Dill and other members of the Holly Hill Church of Christ in Frankfort, Kentucky, were also with them.
  • John Tyson, Kevin Roberts and several others from ACU who were in the airport in Dallas as we returned home.

Lots of good people. God blessed us all along this trip.

Travel notes

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suitcasesThanks for the prayers; the trip to Argentina went well. Not much to tell yet, as we were setting up some projects for the future.

*****

Not all of my trips are overseas. Next week, I’ll be out at the Pepperdine lectures, just trying to see some Herald of Truth supporters out there and talk to others about what we’re doing. In July, I’ll be at the Summer Celebration at Lipscomb University; we’ll host a breakfast there, and I get to give a short devotional talk. In September, I’ll be at the Harding Lectureship, where I’m giving some lessons in Spanish.  (And Herald of Truth has a breakfast at the Abilene Christian lectureship). I list all that just to say: I hope to get to see some of you.

*****

For those of you that travel, here’s a quick list of suggestions:

  1. Take as little luggage as possible. Recommended website: www.onebag.com
  2. Carry some basic medicinal items: diarrhea medicine, etc. Because I can sometimes get allergies that lead to nasal congestion, I carry antihistamine, nose strips, etc.
  3. If you’re traveling by air, take advantage of online seat selection service, if your airline offers it. Where you sit can make a big difference. Recommended website: www.seatguru.com.
  4. If you carry a laptop, think about a checkpoint friendly bag. I was able to pick one up for about $20 (it’s no longer available at the place where I bought it, or I’d give you a link). These bags let you go through security without taking the laptop out of the bag.
  5. Stay hydrated. Best thing you can do to stay well.

    6. *****

That’s it for now. Two overnight flights in the last few days leave me incapable of anything profound today. Hope you have a great day!

{Photo by Rodolfo Clix; sxc.hu}

On the road

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taxiI’d like to ask you for prayers for us this weekend, only because Carolina and I will both be traveling, but not together. She’ll be going down to Stockdale, Texas, to speak at a Ladies Day, while I’m going to Argentina on a quick trip to do some set up work for a ministry project we want to do there for Herald of Truth.

Hopefully the Internet won’t fall apart without my interaction the next few days. I hope to be able to get on from time to time, but you never know when traveling.

Have a great weekend!