I met a lady last night who works with her husband for a charity called Shelter Box.  This is an aid and support charity for disasters around the world and they were getting a flight ready to take cargo and aid workers to Indonesia.  It is  so tragic and really the sadness is more engulfing when you consider how many disasters Indonesia has had in the past few years.  I am, as you probably all are, full of admiration for the dedicated people that spend their lives as aid and support workers ready to aid people worldwide who have been hit by disaster.  They are truly a special kind of people.

I am very lucky in that I have a happy disposition but even more lucky because I have extra happy moments  these can be for simple things like finding my purse, phone and keys which I so frequently lose.  However this week I have had several extra happy moments and not because I lost and found something.  We have this week launched our new Inspirational Journeys brochure- and I am so excited- have you seen it yet?  It is a  really ‘WOW’ brochure  and I am not being conceited  as I had very little to do with it but what the Product team and designers have produced will I am convinced inspire you to want to travel with us.

Another extra happy moment was yesterday when I attended a conference called Familiarity.  This conference is aimed at family companies and family members working in these companies. The audience represented all sectors of business – service, industry and manufacturing, engineering construction and so it goes on.  If you are a family member working in your family organisation the conference is a ‘must attend’ in my book.  The conference organisers  put together a lively and excellent group of speakers who gave advice on many subjects that are unique to family business – legal, accounting,  financing, strategy, succession planning – you name it. Some attendees were invited to talk about their own business story which was fascinating, how people get through some of the challenges and adversity that can be unique to family companies with the politics and dynamics of both family and the organisation.   So it was the support about sharing issues and every one pulling together for us all to succeed as family businesses that gave me such a lift – plus of course I could not be completely quiet about our new brochure and so many of the delegates were interested to know more about Bales and asked for the brochure.  It should not be underestimated that family businesses make up a high percentage of the private work force, and it appears to me that in common we all aspire to be the best in providing the services we offer.   Certainly everyone takes great pride in the personal service and standards that they want to deliver.  It was so refreshing to meet so many honest and open people.

I am reminded of the importance of communication and contact with people which takes me back to Vietnam and one guides story.  His Mother of 80 years old who had never left their town and only even knew the Vietnamese way of life – had never been on a flight only spoke Vietnamese and did not read and write was to fly to America to see her daughter.  The family were concerned as she had to change planes so they drew her pictures of what to do at each airport to ensue she connected with the flights.  One picture was of a man at a desk representing the transfer desk.  Three days later his Mother had not turned up in America and everyone was extremely worried. No trace of her.  She did eventually turn  up and when asked what had happened she explained she waited for a man to be at the desk and there were only women at the desk so she waited and waited for a man to appear.

They will never know where she went in the world – for all they know she flew around the world!!!

Anyway – enjoy seeing what we are offering for 2010 and look forward to welcoming you to travel with Bales.

About Mandy Nickerson

Other articles by Mandy Nickerson

Mandy endeavours to share her travel experiences (where she will 'tell it like it is') and also detail the latest exciting projects that she is involved in. Mandy welcomes your feedback - please feel free to submit your thoughts, queries, comments and theories below.