Benefits of Self Planned Travel
The advent of the internet has really speed up and made self-planned travel more pervasive and easier. These days, travel destination, airlines, hotels, car-rental companies and others advertise their product more aggressively and allow the individual travellers to self-plan their own travels. It is an exciting new way to travel that appeals to more and more people.The most obvious benefit here is the flexibility in the self-planned travel holidays. With this form of travel, you can customize the self-planned travel right down to the last minute details. Things and sights that travel agents avoid can now be included in the programme, allowing travellers to be more targeted in their travel objectives. Travellers can take up more unconventional destinations and activities and include these into their plans. The weirdest combinations are now possible. You can plan a wine tasting tour together with a skiing tour now. Many people interested in this form of self-planned travels, see this flexibility as a great asset.Secondly, with the internet, choices become more varied for the self-planned traveller. Through the internet, travellers actually can have more options for flights, hotel, transport, activities and so forth. Very often, these companies are willing to offer personalize service to secure the business of these form of travellers.The varied choices in travel products and services also mean that there is a high chance of getting the lowest price for the products or service. For example, airlines charge different rates to fly to the same destinations. For the budget conscious self-plan traveller, this lower price range is an important factor. And very often, the travel companies know this price competition is around and are willing to lower their prices or offer special discounts to travellers, resulting in travellers getting higher class products at lower cost.Very often, self-planned travel involve a fair bit of self-drive vacationing. This offers the travellers a great way to alter or change their travel plans at will. If a town appears interesting and full of excitement, travellers might just extend their stay. If someone mention that just a couple of hundred miles down the road is an exciting place of interest, the travellers might just change their original plan and head for this new place of interest. This form of positive change makes the entire self-planned travel programme more meaningful.Next,the group size of the self-planned travel can now be up to the travelling group. There is no more such thing as a minimum size group to travel. Small groups are also very possible for people to travel in.Another key benefit is the improved cultural exchange between the self-planned travellers and the locals. In group tours, extended mingling with the locals are often difficult as time is limited. People are always rushing from destination to destination. But in a self-planned travel programme, travellers can afford to spend more time interacting with the local population, thus gaining more insight into the community. Self-planned travels are often repeated because strong ties are established in previous trips.Travelling in this form of self-planned travel is indeed gaining popularity as the benefits are substantial, especially with the flexibility, ease of planning and also the cultural exchange. But before anyone head into any self-planned travel, it is important to consider some detail planning first.
Ageism In America – Discrimination Against Older People In Health Care
Older people are the back bone of our society, yet they are frequently treated poorly and suffer discrimination when seeking health care. Many older Americans receive second and third class health care because health care professionals are either not trained to care for the needs of older people, or the provider doesn’t feel that the older person’s health is important enough to warrant better care. Ageism against older Americans is a widespread practice that affects over 50% of American households with older people.When a person reaches the age of sixty, health services are sometimes based on a person’s age. For example, some health care professionals decide not to run certain tests or prescribe certain medications and treatments because they don’t feel that the tests will be beneficial, or that the medication or treatment will work for the patient. Another reason that health care professionals hesitate to provide in-depth care to older people is because they don’t want to put the person though the procedure with the assumption that it would be too tiresome or too hard on the patient. If asked, older people want to go through the tests and procedures in order to take care of their health, but many health care providers don’t ask the patients what their wishes are.In spite of public acknowledgment that ageism by the U.S. health care system does exist, no steps have been taken by the system to remove its bias against older Americans. Ageism continues to be practiced in all levels of health care. In a recent interview with Joe Reynolds,* a 71-year old Oregon resident, Reynolds stated that because he is an older person, health care providers are reluctant to treat him, and some have refused him treatment because of his age. Reynolds has diabetes, and has undergone a heart bypass. He is angry and frustrated with the medical practitioners that he has seen because he has the insurance to pay for his care, and he feels that he can tolerate the tests, procedures and medications. He declared that none of the health care providers is willing to provide the real care that he needs to live as healthy of a life as possible. Reynolds stated, “I’m old so they don’t want to do anything to help me. They don’t ask me how I feel about anything; they don’t ask me for any input about my needs. They just don’t care.”Older people like Reynolds give up and die sooner than they might have if they had been able to receive the necessary medical care. They feel like the cast-offs of society, and rightfully so. Some older people commit suicide instead of being forced to live with pain and other treatable medical conditions that they are unable to obtain treatment for.Preventive care that is routinely provided to younger people is often denied to older people. Screening for life threatening diseases and conditions is provided readily to younger people, but is grudgingly provided to older people, if it is provided at all. Older people are routinely left out when it comes to treatments such as chemotherapy, even though an older person can tolerate it just as well as a younger person. Attitude is also a factor in providing care to an older person. If the attitude of the health care professional is predisposed against providing that health care, the older person will suffer the consequences.The U.S. Health Care System needs to work harder to remove its prejudice against providing adequate and equal health care to older people, and treat them like the deserving American citizens that they are. Older people are the reason that many of our luxuries and comforts are here today. Health care partiality is not the way to treat the people that made this country.*last name changed at the request of interviewee© Copyright 2007 Patti McMann. All rights reserved.
Philosophy of Education – The Importance of Education in Society
Education has been part of the human society from the very beginning. Human societies throughout the ages have had vested interests in education. The importance of education can not be overemphasized. In fact it would not be an exaggeration to say that without education, most societies would die. Philosophy of Education is a term that can be used to refer to the academic field that involves applied philosophy. It can also be used to describe philosophies that promote certain visions of education, examining the goals, meaning and other aspects.While most societies will agree or acknowledge the importance of education, a large number of them fail to channel sufficient resources that can be used to promote and support educational institutions and activities. It is clear to everyone that children, who are born innumerate and illiterate, quickly learn the culture and norms of the community they are born into, with the help of those around them and professional teachers. Within a short time, the children are able to read, write and act in an appropriate way. The skills improve as the child grows, and with time, they will have learnt enough to enable them to operate in the society without constant guidance.Education today can serve as a mechanism for social- sorting. People have different learning skills with some exhibiting more facility than others. Education plays a major role on the economic fate of every individual. Education helps to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills that allow them to be able to define and pursue their individual goals. It also allows people to participate in the community, playing their part to improve their conditions and the condition of the society at large.While many may view education in a very individualistic way, it is important to look at the societal perspective. The more educated individuals there are in the society, the more developed that society becomes. Unfortunately most societies today are embracing the narrow view that encourages people to get an education as a way to enhance their own individual needs. This has led to a few individuals holding the view that they are autonomous. In the end, this same individual’s end up living very unfulfilled lives. Education should be able to create individuals who are assets to the society at large.Formal education provided by the state, is an acknowledgement of the importance of Philosophy of Education for survival of the society.