Following in the footsteps of his father, Bickersteth undertook a number of extended overseas mission tours in support of the work of the Church Mission Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. In 1880 he travelled to India and the Middle East.
Bickersteth's actions were influenced by his father's experiences, as he too took part in lengthy foreign missions to support the Church Mission Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. His trip to India and the Middle East in 1880 is a notable example.