I decided to write this blog for those who might be seeking a more adventurous holiday, but also that my partner, Donna and I found that when researching the country there are numerous blogs and books out there. However, they seemed geared towards either the experience of ‘backpackers’ (i.e students) or the ‘luxury’ ends of the market.

Why choose Peru?

Donna and I decided after our holiday to Jamaica last year that we would travel more extensively in the UK and overseas. In 2011 we did a combined jaunt to Somerset, Cornwall and Devon and also had a long weekend in Berlin.

For our 2012 holiday we considered Zanzibar, very exotic and different to other holidays I have but for a variety of reasons ruled it out for a January break and decided to look at South America, where the decision was narrowed down between Costa Rica and Peru. As we wanted a holiday where we were able to have an adventure, experience the culture, history, food etc., and as I am learning Spanish, following lots of research, Peru seemed to be able to offer what we were looking for.

Let me start by saying that though we had been considering Peru since last summer for a variety of reasons we did not book our flights until last November. We also planned our entire itinerary ourselves including flights (international & internal), rail travel, accommodation and excursions.

Yes, it involved a lot of research books, internet sites and blogs but we wanted a holiday specific for our needs & interests and where we could manage our budget.

During our holiday we plan to stay in the following locations;-

Lima

Arequipa

Cusco

Puno

Trujillo

and return to Lima for our flight(s) home.

Travelling to Peru

As we going to be staying at a variety of locations during our holiday, experiencing different climates, then packing a reasonable amount of appropriate clothing was important. Our cases we packed and repacked a number of times, as we monitored weather reports and finalised our itinerary, before we boarded our flight to Madrid from Heathrow airport.

Having looked at a number of permutations for flights, including their duration, stop overs – where and for how long and cost, we choose a flight from Heathrow to Madrid, with Iberia Airlines and then from Madrid to Peru. To make life easier for ourselves we checked in online on Thursday 5th January, around 24 hours before our flight at 7:30 pm on the 6th, and also booked our seats.

The first leg of our trip went smoothly, London to Madrid, however the stopover in Madrid was a little more taxing. Despite their being a lot people waiting for connecting flights in the early hours, there were at least 3 other flights in addition to our own for Peru, Madrid Airport seemed to shut down with very few places open to eat or shop.

The tannoy announcements were not particularly helpful either so you constantly had to watch the screens to see information for our flight amongst all the others to Lima with different carriers, all leaving at around the same 01:25 am. Eventually the information became clearer, my Spanish isn’t that good yet but enough to understand what was going on and we made our way to a disorganised gate 31 with lots of people waiting to board. The flight was called with passengers travelling with young children, those with mobility problems and a seat numbers 30-40 to board first. There was a long delay with no-one actually appearing to board, which then followed an announcement saying the flight was being delayed by 30 minutes, so we sat down and within a few minutes announcement calling passengers by seat numbers so pack to the queue.

During our wait we had struck up a conversation with a lone female traveller who had taken 6 month career break, which is all she could financial afford to do, and was travelling around South America eventually ending our stay in Brazil where her friend lived. This lady, I guessed was in her early 30’s and from what she said about her job advised/supported others with their career development. I would have loved to have known why she chose to take time our from her career now, but there wasnt the time to delve and be nosey.

The system of boarding that the tannoy announcement had specified didn’t actually take place as there was a free for all. Once on board I witnessed a heated discussion taking place between a woman with 4 young children and 3 stewardesses, despite my limited Spanish I could it was about seating arrangements. After about 10 minutes the woman moved the children and her belongings to another area of plane. The intended occupants took their seats and the woman returned for a forgotten item, where an exchange took place between the new occupant, a very tall blonde lady and the former. The problem being the woman & children wanted seats together and hadn’t pre-booked her seats and those who had pre-booked seemed to have chosen seats which provided them with plenty of leg room.

The eleven and a half hour flight from Madrid to Peru was tiring, in cramped conditions with some extremely inconsiderate fellow passengers and grumpy crew. Fortunately, Donna and I were so tired we were able to sleep for a significant part of the flight, or amuse ourselves watching Peter Kay’s show on Donna’s ipod, listening to and reading from kindles. The inflight entertainment seemed okay, but the food provided was not the best I have had.

Passing over the Andes mountains was the most amazing sight I have ever seen; they were spectacular and wetted my appetite for things to come, as we managed to take some pictures using our iphones. I have attached a few of the photos taken and one of our descent into Lima airport.

As the captain announced in both Spanish & English our descent into Lima airport and the usual information about fastening seat belts, taking headphones, switching off electrical items etc., a man sitting in front of us got up and went into the toilet. Bemused I then saw a member of the crew appear checking belts were fastened and noticed his absence which I assume was explained by another passenger as she went banging and shouting at toilet door. She banged and shouted for a number of minutes and as the plane started descending this man emerged from the toilet and showing no sense of urgency took his seat. She glared at him and I didn’t need to speak Spanish to know what she was thinking, it was written all over her face.

Once we’d landed passing through immigration was easy passing without incident and the immigration officer was polite and approachable, even chatting briefly by commenting on my Spanish name. Waiting for our luggage to appear on the carousel seemed to take an age, but they arrived and we queued to get through customs. Donna was slightly ahead of me and got waved through whilst I was stopped and directed to pass my luggage through the xray machine. I wasn’t surprised as this usually happens, but Donna takes it more personally on my behalf, so she came back and joined me passing her case through the machine too.

The sun was shining brilliantly as we came through the arrivals lounge and made our way to exit and our pre-booked taxi which was to take us to our hotel, Hotel Estelar Miraflores. The journey so far is all part of the adventure and experience I was seeking, and that includes the people we come into contact with.

In my next post I will describe my impressions of Lima, the Hotel Estelar Miraflores and our journey to Arequipa where we will be staying for 5/6 days.

It has been recognised that over the last 2-3 decades the UK has seen a decline in manufacturing and the growth of what is broadly termed the ‘service industry’.

These services either consist of the purchasing of physical things ‘goods’ such as a car, clothing, electrical goods, etc., or where the purchase of a service is not a tangible thing, for example an estate agent selling a house, travel agents, restaurant staff etc., I also include myself as a coach-mentor providing a service to support the development of others.

The Service Industries Journal says that over two thirds of GNP and employment is generated in developed countries, and the importance of the service industry is growing in developing countries too, so one would presume that as such the quality of service provided should be foremost in service providers psyche. However, from personal and anecdotal evidence this is not the case.

In order to ensure that I provide a positive experience for my clients I have been observing in different settings what constitutes a good service that makes the whole experience one that an individual is likely to what to have again, as opposed to those which are so disappointing that can have a dire impact on any businesses marketing strategy, word of mouth feedback from dis-satisfied customers to potential customers.

For example I have visited a nationally known restaurant, not fast food either, in two regions of the UK, the South and the West Midlands and found that the quality of the service provided so undermined the quality of the food, which was excellent, that I have vowed never to eat in that establishment again.

In my opinion seeing staff huddled in groups talking, a lack of direction and management in the restaurants and lack of interest in the customer experience are reasons which contribute to poor customer service. Surely at a time when finances are tightly squeezed its vitally important to ensure that when customers enter your store, restaurant, business etc., that they feel like they are important and not an irritation and are more likely to return again, and again, and again.

Perhaps this explains the rise in online purchases, from electrical items, holidays, clothing etc., in addition to it being convenient and can be done in the comfort of your own home as the interaction with the companies’ staff in limited. And whilst the growth of overseas call centres is now in decline, with a number of businesses transferring their call centres back to the UK, this could well be short-lived if the customer experience and service provided fails to reach expectations.

I believe good service consists of the following;-

1. Developing a relationship which is perceived to be personal, where the customer/client is make to feel special.

2. Being knowledgeable about the service/goods you are providing.

3. Responding speedily to enquiries, queries or complaints.

4. Assessing the customers’ response using your ears, eyes and intuition in unison.

5. Walking in your customers’ shoes by asking yourself would you be satisfied with the service you or your company is providing.

6. Transparency in terms of the services you do and don't provide.

It is likely that individuals will be more discerning and demanding when spending their hard earned cash, and irrespective of whether the goods you provide are cheaper or better quality than your competitors, the customer experience could well be the deal breaker, particularly if you want repeat business.

I recently became reacquainted with a book I purchased many years ago called ‘In Her Footsteps; 101 Remarkable Black Women written by Annette Madden.

The book describes the struggles, triumphs and contributions made by black women in the as activists such as Julie Dogbadzi, Flo Kennedy and Autherine Lucy Foster; politics with Ertha Pascal-Trouillot, Ruth Perry and Shirley Chisholm and science for example Marie Daly, Shirley Jackson and Mae Jemison, but to name but a few of these remarkable women.

Some of these individuals I had heard to but many were new to me when I bought the book and I always wondered how they could have slipped relatively unnoticed from the history of mankind and our achievements. But that's another story.

It is clear to me that these women are examples of positive role models not only for people of colour, women but for everyone who has dreams and aspirations which some might view as unattainable. Further the power and impact of appropriate support and role models in an individual’s life can have a profound effective irrespective of the age, knowledge, skills or abilities of a person; after all we’re never to young/old to learn and be developed.

So What is a Role Model?

Wikipedia defines a role model as being ‘ any person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others’ a term first used by Robert K Merton’s socialisation of research medical students.

Marian Price-Mitchell, Phd, a developmental psychologist identified five key characteristics that role models possess during her research.

1. Passion & ability to inspire

2. Clear set of values

3. Community to community

4. Selflessness and acceptance of others

5. Ability to overcome obstacles

Choosing the right role model is as important as the choosing your home, your car or your holiday and there in can lie the difficult, on what basis do you make these choices? Is it emulate others in an ‘I’m better or equal to you’ or is the choice made by deciding what suits your needs, interests and is affordable?

My top tips for choosing an appropriate role model is as follow:-

a. Do they make others feel capable or incapable?

If the individual leaves you feeling in awe of them and not having the capacity to achieve as they have then how can they possible inspire and motivate you.

b. Are they trustworthy and show they respect others?

You can assess these areas by listening how they talk about others and do they divulge information that they clearly gained from their relationship with another?

c. How comfortable do others feel in their company?

If your role model makes individual’s feel relaxed, confident and comfortable then that gives a strong indication of their selflessness and acceptance of others as Price-Mitchell identified in her research.

d. They possess values which are clear and un-waivering, in other words they ‘walk the talk’.

e. They have the ability and tenacity to triumph over adversity.

Marianne Williamson’s poem that has long been attributed to the former South African President and Human Rights Activist, Nelson Mandela , for me embodies positive impact a role model should have…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So look out for someone whose light is shining brightly and who is not afraid to share the light with others.

Over the last twelve months there has been an increase in the number of published cases critical of the poor standard of care provided by the NHS and other care providers, particularly in relation to the young, old and vulnerable.

As someone who has a mother with dementia I have personally experienced incidents where care, compassionate and a degree of empathy was distinctly lacking, and I would like to say this was in the minority, but it wasn’t. My family and I frequently encountering more dismissive attitudes amongst some in the medical professional that has compounded an already distressing and stressful situation.

No-one denies that the nursing, caring and medical professions are difficult, demanding and challenging roles to undertake with competing demands made on individuals time and skills, however when individuals are feeling vulnerable and in some cases extremely frightened it’s not what you do but the way you do it that can make all the difference in the world.

In the 1950’s and 60’s the nursing & medical professions started to change due to developments in healthcare, a 1964 report by Sir Henry Platt commissioned by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) proposed two levels of nursing training – registered and enrolled, whilst the implementation of the GP’s charter in 1966 and the Salmon report which made recommendations to training the hierarchical nursing structure and providing access to management training for senior nurses.

One nurse who qualified in 1963 told the Nursing Times in 2008 ‘The junior nurses stuck to their jobs, which were the more menial jobs – doing the bedpans, pressure area care, taking temperature and the vital signs, serving meals, cleaning patients’ lockers – but these were the jobs that gave us a lot of patient contact’. Whilst another nurse who qualified in 1968 stated ‘I think we had much better training then. It was different because we were far more patient-orientated…I feel that everything now has got more secretarial and it’s all about notes and going to meetings’.

In the race to become professional, as one definition provided by Merriam-Webster as ‘characterised by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession’, the vocational element seems to have been thrown out with bath water, 'vocation' as described by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘a person’s employment or main occupation, especially regarded as worth and requiring dedication, a trade or profession’.

Perhaps for far too long our educational system has only recognised two routes for training and development, professional and vocational training. Until recently many young people have been steered towards academic achievement by attending University as the only means of validating the individuals knowledge skills and abilities, when they may well not be suited to that journey. Vocational training, in the form of apprenticeships, became seen as second class training for those deemed not to show the ability academically with no middle ground being provided.

This has resulted in large numbers of University graduates who are unable to seek employment with the view now being taken to increase vocational training opportunities. But what has been forgotten is that individuals cannot be so easily compartmentalised. What of individuals who are academically gifted but derive a great deal of satisfaction and fulfilment from a ‘vocational’ career or those who may not fit in because their IQ is not at the required standard but are exceptionally gifted in other ways.

For those of us who have roles or/and responsibilities towards nurturing, guiding, supporting and advising young people in preparing for the world of work & life we need to be mindful of how our own ideas of the what the ‘right choices’ are based on our perceptions, biases and experiences which may not be particularly helpful or relevant in the 21st century.

There is also a time and a place for league tables & performance indicators as a means of measuring outcomes but organisations 'human resources' are firslty human and that part of the equation seems to be sadly missing when developng individuals be it in the classroom, lecture theatre or workplace.

The outcome , I believe, being individuals fulfilling roles they are not ‘dedicated’ to and may not be able to display the degree or care, empathy and compassion their role requires. Alternatively, highly succcessful achievers who are unhappy individuals, who equate success to the next step up the ladder and manage their stafff in a highly competitve and bullying environment. Who suffers? Everyone.