Travel Plans Are Becoming More Adventurous
The recent hit movie “The Bucket List,” starring screen legends Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, is about two men, who, after finding out they are terminally ill, set out to have a series of travel and adventures together before they die. Fortunately, in the “real” world, many people are foregoing traditional vacations and are no longer waiting until it’s almost too late to experience first hand the drama and exhilaration of action adventure travel.In the last several years, the action adventure travel agency industry has grown several times over as people seek to surpass their physical and, sometimes, emotional comfort zones to learn what life is like on a road less traveled. It’s not just macho thrill-seekers going to expensive, out of the way fantasy “training” camps to play out James Bond, “Mission: Impossible” or covert-ops style scenarios under supervision. These travel agencies clients are also families spending precious vacation time on “mission trips,” going to places like Mexico, Thailand and Africa to volunteer in communities that have been hard hit in a natural disaster. It’s also people, individually or as groups, embarking on conservational, spiritual and even genealogical journeys to understand the earth and their place on it.According to these travel agency experts, the latest trends in adventure travel are volunteer and charity vacations, expeditionary travel and cruising, “soft” adventure trips centering on a theme like yoga, culinary or wine-tasting in different parts of the world, action-packed trips for physical endurance and mental challenges, and “roots” vacations to follow DNA and natural ancestry. Insiders also say that currently one of the most requested packages is the “girlfriend getaway,” with more than 50 percent of adventure travelers being women between the ages of 41 and 60. They are leaving men at home to explore the world with other like-minded women, making these travel agencies more and more successful and useful.With global environmental awareness increasing, agency reports show that more people are traveling to more obscure places like Alaska, Antarctica and the Galapagos while others go gorilla tracking in Uganda and Rwanda or climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Parents are sending their recent high school graduates on backpacking-type walkathon tours in foreign countries to help raise money for charity through that famous action adventure travel agency.Although baby boomers are still the biggest action adventure travel agency clients and patrons, travel agency experts say that the fastest growing demographic in the past 18 months is the age 20 (and younger) group, many of whom have already enjoyed a deeper bonding with their families through a prior experience.The internet is a great place to begin a search for the perfect travel agency or package. These agencies can take the time and uncertainty out of planning your trip so that you can just enjoy the experience. But be careful to do your homework since in many places disreputable operators are still a risk, both to the success of your trip and your safety. Play safe now and enjoy your adventure to the fullest later.
Commercial Print Modeling Vs Editorial Print Modeling
When you think or hear of the word “commercial” in regards to the modeling industry, there are a few variations of the meaning, but in the most practical form regarding “print” photography think of the word “promote”. The model’s job is to be photographed “promoting” a product or service in a print ad (for example… in magazines, brochures, newspapers, catalogues, etc.). There are numerous opportunities for COMMERCIAL PRINT MODELS that exist all over the United States and internationally. The ad may range from the smallest business promoting its’ livelihood all the way to large corporations who can afford their own advertising agencies to handle marketing campaigns.Commercial Print Modeling is very different from Editorial Print Modeling. Remember that an “editorial” is a magazine fashion “story” of the trend that is happening at that particular moment, not a specific advertisement for any one company, even though you will see multiple credits cited in small print of the stores and designers of the featured garments and accessories. Some ads that you may see in magazines may be elaborately spread out and photographed in an “editorial-style”, but it is ultimately a “commercial” ad if it is promoting one company name. It makes a nifty, high fashion looking ad, though, because that is the style ad that they are marketing to their specific consumers.Usually, though, the editorial model and their style of modeling don’t represent the particular looks that can be marketed to a large group of average, “every-day” consumers (a.k.a. the people who buy). Consumers buy from ads that they can relate to or strive to achieve. This is where a commercial model may have a wonderful chance of success because their image is a part of the marketing process that sells to the consumer. They represent a highly approachable and marketable look. So, for whatever product they are promoting their look can vary dependent upon what product or service is being advertised to the consumer. That means the door is open to many different types and sizes of models. Take note, that there are actually some editorial fashion models that are able to cross over from editorial modeling into the diverse commercial advertising side. That’s so ideal for a career model who wants longevity. The commercial model doesn’t usually have just one look even though there may be one special look that gets them hired over and over.This is where the terminology variations form and can cause confusion to whether a model is considered an editorial-type or commercial-type of model. Remember the prestige title? It’s placed on editorial models, but there is something wonderful to be said for being a successful working commercial model, too. “Commercial” is a term that the general public thinks of as ads that they see on television or hear on the radio. The terminology used by an advertising agency versus a modeling agency when referring to “commercial” has different degrees of meanings, too, depending on how they interpret the booking.Being in a television commercial is one type of opportunity that can use commercial models, but it’s “NOT” why they are called commercial models. For the purposes of a commercial type of model, the doors are open for almost anyone who has the skills of being either photogenic for photographs or having the right personality and approachable looks for promoting a product. The range of model can vary from being very outwardly attractive all the way to people who possess a great “character” face and /or personality (a.k.a. character model). Fashion does have its place for commercial models (a.k.a. commercial fashion models) by selling the garments or accessories that are being advertised in catalogues, showrooms, and certain ads in magazines (not the editorial stories).The context of explaining where the “commercial model” terms are used may vary depending on whom is referring to the booking… an Advertising Agency, a Commercial Modeling Agency, or a “specialized” Editorial Fashion Agency. Advertising Agencies (a.k.a. Ad Agencies) are hired on behalf of a company who wants their product or service promoted. Ad agencies will overall take charge of how the product or service will be promoted and will usually take care of hiring all of the personnel needed to complete the job such as photographers and models, too. If the campaign is something to promote a “fashion” product, then the “ad” agency refers to this as a “fashion” job. This is where the slight confusion of terms is just a technicality. An “Editorial ” modeling agency does not refer to such “fashion” work as “editorial” and will likely view the ad as commercial. So, here you have the advertising agency’s viewpoint booking a “fashion model”, but perhaps the modeling agency refers to what the ad agency is booking in terms of a commercial model. Ultimately, someone is used, so congrats to whatever type of model gets the job. Commercial Fashion Print bookings for models represent a lot of work around the world, too, as well as the high fashion modeling. The demand for catalog models varies from city to city just as the prestige of work does.Even though “Prestige” is usually a term that is used for the editorial model bookings, there is a rare level of “exception” for the commercial models who are working for the “big” clients in fashion, too. Upscale catalogues, beauty clients, fashion clients, and department stores using the “combination” fashion and commercial models for their print work offer opportunities, too, that is different from the fashion editorial stories. It’s all about high-end advertising! There are some rare, “dual-type” models that can be in possibly the same types of magazines for their “commercial” fashion ad that their “editorial” fashion story would be in. These companies want to showcase their product and company name with a great deal of effective, up-scale representation, so the bottom line is “investing” in their ability to make money. Booking models is an investment of their money that they pay the ad agency (or modeling agency) directly, so the ability to have the right model representing the company’s “look” to their market that they are trying to reach is essential. The “prestige” in a commercial fashion print opportunity is usually associated with either the upscale client, usage of photographs, or the amount of money paid to the commercial model.Commercial print models appear in magazine ads, newspapers, newspaper fliers/inserts, brochures, school text books, catalogues, billboards, Internet ads, hang tags, food packaging, and numerous other product pictures (too many to list all). We mentioned earlier that there is flexibility in the model’s appearance and even size. The requirements aren’t as strict as the editorial fashion model regarding height, weight, and body measurements, but the model hired for a commercial print job is required to fill the shoes of whatever “character” that they have been hired to portray in front of the camera. The character is usually booked according to the model that suits the role closest such as “young mom”, “middle-aged pilot”, “corporate executive”, “young nurse”, “college student”, etc. The company or advertising agency has its own idea of how they want their product or service represented, so the model must “look” and “project” the part to the client and photographer. This involves acting. The younger model is unlikely an experienced or trained actor, but modeling is a version of role-playing, so acting is a personal trait that can improve the model’s ability to get into character. Actors compete for these jobs, as well, in commercial print, so it’s not just for career models. Everyone wants the work. Commercial print modeling may or may not be a full-time career choice as compared to the editorial fashion model’s often hectic schedule.Flexibility in a model’s availability is also a key requirement to getting the work when jobs are available, too. Some bookings are literally made at the “last minute” when clients need someone a.s.a.p. for “whatever” reason they may find (a model never showed up, a model needs to be replaced, etc.) There are often a team of people relying on “everyone” to do their job and show up on time. Time is something that is paid for and a model should never assume that being even five to fifteen minutes late is acceptable. This is not a social situation, but rather a professional, paying job. Being a little early is well worth the experience of not frustrating a team of creative individuals and allowing you some breathing time to get into character! Being on time shouldn’t be considered as showing up at the exact moment that the job is officially starting. It is implied that you should know to be a little early to catch yourself up with any required information, extra preparation, or updates to what is going on for that booking. Your mind should be open to whatever character that you will be portraying and how you may best show whatever product or implied service via your poses and any props.Clothing may not always be provided by the client…surprise! You don’t want to find that out too late, either! This is part of the commercial modeling industry where you may provide the “props” such as clothing, shoes, eye glasses, jewelry, etc. You may even be required to put on your own make-up and do your own hairstyle. It’s not as glamorous as the general public perceives, huh? It all depends on the budget of the client, so you must be aware of this BEFORE you show up for the booking. Always get as much information from the agency when booking your schedule about any special considerations. It never hurts to check up on a potential client before a go-see, either, to learn what it is that they do if you are unfamiliar with them. Whatever gives you information that can help you get the job or be prepared to do the job even better is smart. (a.k.a. “a smart model”)
Motivation And The Home Based Business Owner
Many people who start a home based business are not successful. The reasons why people fail will differ from person to person. I want to have a closer look at the theories of motivation to analyse some of the reasons for failure.Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Due to the structure of this industry, most of the home based business owners do not employing other people on a full time basis. They do not report to a boss on work progress on a regular basis, they do not interact with fellow workers on a daily basis as people working fulltime in a formal job do.The motivation is totally different for the home based business owner. We must understand it to be optimally motivated every day in this environment.Quite a lot of the people become involved in a home based business programme due to good salesmanship and not after they have done their homework. They have high expectations of making big bucks quickly, without much effort or work and study.False Assumptions About Motivation And The Home Based BusinessMany people believe that the motivation of people is only money and biological drives like hunger.Studies have proven that the ability of money to provide motivation is very limited. It is only motivating people when they have a relatively small, simple task to perform over a short period of time. The more complex and long term the task is, the less money will be a true motivation factor.Having a good lifestyle or the ability to travel and see the world will be considered by many people as nice to have. The big question is whether it will really motivate somebody to perform and work hard over time on a daily basis.Most of the people that join a home based business group are motivated to join because of the guru or salesman telling them about the new lifestyle and the big money they can earn. The problem is that motivation does not last. It is not enough or a good enough motivating factor to keep that individual slogging and working hard every day.I believe the fact that the real motivation of people is not being understood well enough in this industry by the gurus is one of the main reasons why so many people join but are not successful in making the big bucks that can be made with the programme.Newer Theories Of Motivation And The Home Based Business OwnerPeople will not be motivated in their daily task if their basic needs are not satisfy. Their basic needs are not necessarily the potential better lifestyle or big bucks on some future date.People are only motivated in the long run if they are doing something that is their passion or that interests them, something that they feel is meaningful. They must have a feeling of being part of a community. They must work for, be part of, and believe that they are working towards something much bigger than themselves. They must build a legacy. This legacy is not the life on the beach or travelling.Understanding these true motivational factors of people is missing in the marketing strategies of most home based business owners when they sell their product and try to motivate people that have joined their team. Let’s have a closer look at them.Autonomy And The Home Based Business OwnerOne of the big motivational factors for people is autonomy. This is the beauty of the home based business. This is the kind of job somebody can do where he does have absolute autonomy. He has control over his time, tasks, techniques and the people he wants to work with. He does not have a boss to report to.The home based business owner has complete autonomy over everything he does. He must develop his own business plan, set his own goals, develop his own time scales, decide for himself on his training programmes, and have his own daily plans.I believe the importance of this as a motivational factor is not being used properly in this industry. Reasons for failure are due to the fact that many people starting out in this industry do not understand all the basic processes involved in planning a business and managing it on a day-to-day basis. More assistance is needed to assist home based business owners in this.Mastery”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – AristotlePeople are motivated if they feel that they have learned something, have developed a new skill, applied that skill successfully, and are making progress in the development of their own abilities. They must see and feel the progress. They must be able to measure and evaluate their progress regularly. The athlete preparing for a big event has a training programme. He knows where he wants to be on a specific future date. He is planning his daily exercise programme and is monitoring his progress regularly. That is the only way he can be assured that he will be in top physical form and mental state on the day of the competition. He is being motivated daily during the slogging period of exercise and preparations because he has a dream, a goal, a plan are taking action, monitor his progress daily and give him feedback on the progress.The same principle applies to the home based business owner. He must know what he wants to achieve. He must have a plan on how he wants to get there and he has to monitor his progress daily.There is so much knowledge that a home based business owner has to master and learn. He can be overwhelmed by that. He might not have a plan and priorities. By taking small steps every day he will not be motivated daily to keep on taking action and to work towards his goal. He will lose interest.PurposeMoney or profits have a limited ability to motivate people. We are motivated in the long run if there is purpose in our life. We want to belong also and be part of a bigger community. We want to contribute to others. We want to find meaning in life. In his theories of motivation, Maslow called it self-actualisation. There must be a purpose bigger than ourselves in life.I believe that in the home based business industry this is not getting enough attention. People are losing interest and becoming demotivated because the emphasis in the industry is on the “self”; my lifestyle, my travel, the way I want to spend my time, I do want to earn big bucks fast.We must develop a way to motivate people by giving them a bigger purpose in their lives that they can work for or be part of. Every day they must feel that through their daily actions or work, they will improve their own financial situation, but they will also contribute towards the lives of other and build their legacy.The home based business must look at the integration of social entrepreneurship as an integral part of the industry. We must also develop ways to support and motivate people working with us.The Lessons For The Home Based Business”A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.” – Tony RobbinsIt is a science to motivate people and keep them motivated. In the home based business programme, there are too many people who start but lose interest after some time. The rate of failure is too high. If failure is being defined as people not achieving in the industry what they believed they could or should have achieved, the real reason for this must be determined. My view is that the importance of the correct application of the basic theories of motivation is not being applied correctly in the industry.The nature of the home based business lends itself to apply the theories of motivation much better. The environment to motivate people is much better than in the more formal work environment. By applying some of the theories of motivation in our business, we will make more people successful and in the process everybody working together will be more successful.Join our team and we will keep you motivated. Your success is our success. You can reach the sky if you dream-it-plan-it-do-it daily. It will not happen overnight but remember it is a journey to your goal, not a happening.Let us work together to make you successful.