Month: December 2024

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Exploring the Historical Sites of Sicily on School Trips

The best school trips are those that inspire and inform while being enjoyable and fulfilling experiences for students and teachers alike. There are some very professional companies that provide excellent school trips to a variety of destinations throughout the world. Regardless of the subject focus there is bound to be one to suit your needs. There are numerous benefits of taking children out of school and into a more contextual learning environment. There is no doubt that confidence increases, social development flourishes and students often find themselves motivated, inspired and excited about things they never thought they could be.

School trips take a lot of planning and need to be carefully organised so that the students get the most out of their trip. Most companies offering such trips have a reliable team of experts who will personally help you choose your itinerary and, if necessary, tailor it to your particular needs. Whether it is food science, history, languages, geography, physical education or even music there is a city or town, area or region that will make the perfect place for an enhanced learning experience.

Classical Sicily

One of the most archeologically rich places in the world is the small but fascinating island of Sicily. With an unsettled history, this Italian island has been home to several conquerors throughout the ages, all of which have left their legacy, both archaeologically and socially speaking. School trips to Sicily will be packed full of opportunities to visit some of the world’s most interesting archaeological sites. Many of the sites are located along the coastal areas, as this would have been where the Etruscans, Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians built their settlements, complete with temples and theatres, and decorated with mosaics and intricately designed columns.

Sicily’s most stunning sites include The Valley of The Temples in Agrigento, the Greek theatre in Syracuse and the Doric Temple in Segesta. There are also some beautiful Roman mosaics to be viewed at the Roman Villa located in Piazza Armerina.

This little island is not just about ancient ruins, however. The modern history is just as interesting, with students having the chance to consider the political situation here regarding the infamous Mafia influence. On the way to Palermo, the capital city, you will pass the place where Falcone met his bitter end as a result of his heartfelt attempt to rid the country of the Mafia.

Palermo, despite its hectic reputation, is wonderful place to absorb some local atmosphere. It is important that school trips’ itineries include some time simply taking in the heart and soul of the place you are visiting. Students can sample some local cuisine, visit some of the more modern galleries, and even go and see one of Palermo’s oldest and most famous performing arts, a puppet show.

A walk up Mount Etna is an interesting diversion too. Still smouldering, this incredible volcano is definitely worth a visit. The views are stunning and the students get a real feel for the power of nature that we, as humans, are so inferior to.

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Camping Lanterns – Traditional Touch to Camping

If you are deciding a time out from your busy schedule, going camping is the cheapest option which would not only recharge you, but also give you a closer view of nature, away from the materialist world. A campfire gives a traditional touch to camping apart from adding to the fun and enjoyment and so does the lanterns.

While camping out lighting is a very fundamental point to be considered, campfire alone cannot be enough for the purpose. Camping are easily available alternative fro illumination. You can choose one from small to big ones as per your needs and requirements.

Variety

There are a variety of lanterns in the shops depending upon the fuel or electricity they intake for lighting. Some of them are:

• Glass Camping – Utilizes fuel to make light. It provides more light due to transparency. But one of their disadvantages is that the glass globe around the flame is easily breakable.

• Metal Mesh Lanterns – These are also fuel based lanterns. The metal mesh lamps emit less light in comparison to glass camping. Its metal framework prevents easy damage or breaking.

• Electric Camping – These require electricity to light up. Light bulbs are fixed in the electricity based camping lanterns.

• Candle Camping – The candle camping lamps are very light weight in nature and release fairly desirable amount of glow. Protective covering prevents open flames and the blowing away of the candles by wind.

Some Instructions and Warnings

The camping lanterns especially the fuel based lanterns are suggested to use only outdoors. Indoor use may lead to fire accidents or injuries.

They should be placed appropriately to avoid unwanted fires and burning damages.

The camping can be used for roasting purposes as well like the most usual camping treat of marshmallows.

Electricity lanterns have some advantages over other fuel based and candle camping lanterns. Easily replaceable batteries and rechargeable energy ensure use and reuse.

The usage of the camping lanterns finalize the correct option present fro you.

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London Hotels – Staff Training Secrets

Here’s a review of findings from a set of personal interviews conducted with leading London hoteliers:

Rocco Forte Collection (including Brown’s in London). Sir Rocco Forte’s hotels have high staff retention rates but there is “no magic answer” to achieving this. The emphasis is on training and providing clear and direct communication to people about what is expected of them. Rocco Forte Hotels also invest a lot of time and effort in creating an attractive working environment.

Intercontinental Hotels Group. This company has a creative approach to training its staff. For example they use “Learning Maps” to help staff empathise with customers by walking through the hotel from the customer’s perspective. Because staff need to follow the tone and style of each brand, training is brand-driven – it is quite different for Holiday Inn as compared to Intercontinental for example. The company also runs an “Employee Room Benefit Programme” to let staff use any of their hotels worldwide at cheap rates.

Claridge’s (Maybourne Hotel Group). At this company’s ultra-deluxe hotels, they pride themselves on their ability to recognise you when you return to stay there and to offer you extremely personalised service. There is plenty of hard work behind this and the training is usually driven by mystery shopping feedback. They use their most experienced team members as “role models” to act as mentors for new hires.

The Lanesborough. This is an exclusive, ultra-luxurious hotel near Hyde Park with a managing director who is one of the most respected hoteliers in London. He passionately believes in leading by example and has a pragmatic approach to staff training: learning on the job is reinforced by regular meetings in which new ideas are encouraged.

Red Carnation Hotel Collection. All of this group’s hotels are currently at or near the very pinnacle of the London hotel rankings on TripAdvisor. Comments from previous guests highlight the friendly staff and the service philosophy based on “tiny noticeable touches”. The Group’s CEO believes in recruiting people who have lovely personalities who are then given continuous professional training.The management team is stable and this also helps to provide a very solid example to staff.

Malmaison (a 4 star chain of boutique hotels). At Malmaison they like to emphasise a sense of fun in everything they do. As the CEO himself puts it: “If it’s not fun we’ll make it fun!” This results in a company culture where staff are given ways to find enjoyment and fun in their day to day jobs. The company also puts an emphasis on product-based training by partnering with its suppliers: this is quite an unusual approach but reflected in the service that guests receive in Malmaison’s London hotel.

One Aldwych (iconic 5 star hotel). The legendary founder of One Aldwych, Mr Campbell-Gray, told London Hotels Insight that his core belief in managing hotels is: “love your staff”. He wants all One Aldwych staff to provide great service in a natural way “from the heart” and they ban the use of “service scripts” which are sometimes used at other hotels. The hotel has a down-to-earth service style which leads to it being “a snob-free zone” as the management put it.

Hilton. Hilton is famous for being consistent wherever you are in the world and a large part of this is down to its online “Hilton University”. This is the company’s global training resource centre and it emphasises the shared Hilton values, wherever in the world you happen to be working. Do check out the review of the best Hiltons in London at London Hotels Insight.

You’re bound to enjoy staying in one of the above top London hotels even more, now that you know a bit more about the staff who work in them.