Youth Adventure Package

Travel Insurance

Don’t let anything spoil your fun! Your vacation is all about exploring, adventure and fun. You want to see new places and try new things.

The Youth Adventure Package is an affordable ‘just in case’ backup plan, so you aren’t hit with unexpected medical costs while on the adventure of a lifetime. You’ll be a long way from home. If you have an unexpected illness or, accidental injury, well be there to help and ensure you get the care you need.

Our emergency travel assistance services are available from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night.

A. Even for young healthy travelers, sickness or accidental injury can happen at any time. Charges for hospital stays can be thousands of dollars per day not including doctor’s fees and diagnostic services. This easily adds up to a devastating financial loss. You are on the adventure of a lifetime and don’t want to be burdened with a medical bill or to pay for lost or stolen luggage.

B.  Travel insurance is intended to cover sudden, unexpected and unforeseeable circumstances. Your plan is comprised of 4 different coverages. For more information, please read the Benefits under each.

C. The Youth Adventure Package does not cover everything. This insurance has some exclusions. You should read and understand them before you travel. Prior-existing medical conditions may be excluded. Any medical condition you are aware of prior to the effective date of coverage, whether diagnosed or not, may not be covered. Sickness or accidental injury that occurs as a result of the use of alcohol or illegal drugs is not covered.

D. We are dedicated to protecting your privacy. Your medical history will be collected when required and will only be used or disclosed for the purpose of adjudicating the claim.

E. Yes, you can. Just call your agent no sooner than 7 days prior to the expiry of your policy. You can purchase an extension if you are in good health and have not filed any claims on the policy.

F. You are covered for any country outside of the USA. However, transit for 5 days only is allowed through the USA.

A Career in Hotel Management

Introduction

Hotel management provides exciting career opportunities in the dynamic hospitality and tourism industry. Indeed, tourism is the world’s fastest-growing industry. Recent figures show tourism enjoying a growth rate 23% higher than that of the global economy, employing some 212 million and earning in the region of $ US 3.4 trillion per annum.

In a year from now, employment figures are predicted to exceed 338 million, with revenue above SUS7.2 trillion. The vast majority of new jobs will be in the Asia-Pacific region, which by the year 2010 will attract 1 in every 5 of the world’s holidaymakers. The employment prospects for the International College of Hospitality Management’s graduates are exciting.

The International College of Hospitality Management

The International College of Hospitality Management provides diploma and degree level hotel management training for the international hospitality and tourism industry. Established in 1993, the International College of Hospitality Management in the Asia-Pacific Basin campus of the renowned European Hotel Association. It also incorporates the classical French cooking training of Le Gourmet, Paris.

International Hotel Management Diploma

The International College of Hospitality Management course is industry-oriented, balancing operative, supervisory and management level training. The Diploma course is 3 years full time. Semesters 1, 3 and 5 are spent studying on campus, and Semesters 2, 4 and 6 are spent in industry on undergraduate placements, called ‘stages’. One stage may be taken up with language studies.

Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management) Degree

Students who graduate with the International Hotel Management Diploma are assured of a further year of Degree Study at the University of the Antipodes. Studies will focus on such areas as Global Marketing, Strategic Management, Total Quality Management, Cross-Cultural Communications, Developing Organisations and Management of Change, Global Development in Hospitality and Tourism, Intercultural Relations. Under certain circumstances the final year of study can be conducted on a part-time basis and by distance education mode, enabling students to study while maintaining a full-time career in the hospitality industry, either here or in their home country.

Training Facilities

The International College of Hospitality Management has more than 120 professional lecturers and international-standard, training facilities. These include three public restaurants, ten commercial training kitchens, simulated front office training facilities, four computer suites, a fully operational winery, and a food science laboratory. The Learning Resource Centre collection is extensive. The student support services provide professional counselling in the areas of health, learning support, language skills, accommodation and welfare. Childcare facilities are also available on campus.

International Home

The International College of Hospitality Management has students enrolled from more than 20 countries, some of whom stay on campus in International House. Built-in 1999, International House is accommodation comprising villa-style units. Each student has their own bedroom, sharing en suite facilities with another student. An adjoining kitchenette and lounge area is shared by the four students in the villa. All meals are served in the College dining room which is next to the student common room. Student privacy and security are priorities. A computer outlet in each bedroom enables the student to connect into the College network, providing 24 hour-a-day access. The residence is a two-minute walk to the College’s sporting and training facilities and is on a regular bus service to the city centre 10 km away. International House is also being used to enhance on-campus training, from Monday to Friday, Year 1 students, supervised by 2nd Years, are assigned kitchen, waiting, housekeeping and receptionist duties.

Simulated check-in/check-out exercises, receptionist duties and breakfast service to a limited number of rooms are also part of the program.

INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

MANAGEMENT DIPLOMA

Short Courses

A. This certificate is designed for participants wishing to acquire the skills to perform duties relevant to a front office receptionist working within a range of hospitality establishments. The course includes: front office and organizational structure, role and duties of the front office personnel, guests’ reservations and registrations, check-in and check-out procedures, guest accounting and management reports.

B. This certificate is designed for participants wishing to develop a solid understanding of, and the ability to perform duties and skills required in the advanced front office operations and night auditing. The course includes: night auditing procedures, daily records and reports, early and late arrivals, security duties, bell desk/concierge, guest service and information, advanced cashiering, supervision of payments, banking operations, debtor control and financial reports.

C. This certificate is designed for participants wishing to acquire the skills relevant to table attendant duties within an a la carte restaurant. The course includes table setting for a variety of menus, plate and silver service, tray and wine service, ordering and docket systems, wine styles and label identification, food and wine combinations.

D. This certificate is designed for participants wishing to acquire the skills to perform a bar attendant’s duties within the range of industry settings. Course includes: bar preparation, cash handling, beer service, patron care, basic cocktail mixing, product knowledge.

Recipe for Long Life

There is a place where 100-year-olds live in their own homes and tend their own gardens and where the three leading killers in western culture (heart disease, stroke and cancer) occur with the lowest frequency in the world. People maintain a healthy weight without dieting throughout life. This place is the Japanese island-state of Okinawa, home to the healthiest people on Earth. A 25-year research project, the Okinawa Centenarian Study, found that there are more than 400 people aged 100 or older in a population of 1.3 million. In the United States, there are only 65-130 centenarians in a comparably sized sample, most of whom can no longer live alone.

How have the Okinawans managed to do all this? Simple: their lifestyle habits are extremely healthy. First, they eat a plant-based diet high in unrefined carbohydrates. This gives them protection against heart disease, cancer, stroke and weight gain. Even if you are not an Okinawan and don’t live anywhere near a peaceful tropical island, there is something you can still do, adopt some of the Okinawans’ habits, especially their dietary habits. The evidence presented in the Okinawa Centenarian Study reveals that what you eat as well as how you live and think has a huge impact on your health, weight, energy, stress level and life expectancy. Here’s how to eat like an Okinawan:

Nutrition research consistently shows that a high-carbohydrate, plant-based diet is best for long-term health and weight maintenance. Aim for eight to 10 serving of whole grains a day. Westerners eat mostly refined grains: bleached flour products such as white bread, cookies and cakes, and white rice, which have little or no fibre. Whole grains (brown rice whole-wheat bread for example) are unrefined carbohydrates which contain lots of fibre. Unrefined carbohydrates do not cause obesity. Instead, they provide essential fuel for the brain, central nervous system and muscles, plus nutrients that decrease the risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Their fibre content helps you feel full and carries waste products through your digestive tract more quickly, so whole grains can help you lose weight. If the grain is white, the chances are it’s refined and no longer a “whole” grain, which tends to be and ranges in colour from light to dark brown. Grains you should add to your diet include brown and wild rice, barley, oats, kasha, quinoa, bulgur and buckwheat.

Vegetables are a major antioxidant, which reduces cell damage from free radicals responsible for the ageing process. Plants contain antioxidants in abundance, but some more than others. The elder Okinawans eat a lot of carrots, cabbage, onions, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers and sprouts. Fruits are fine as well, but no more than 4 servings. A diet hill of vegetables and fruit will keep you looking younger and living longer. It doesn’t matter which ones you choose, just make sure you eat a variety of vegetables and fruits.

Flavonoids, plant compounds found in soy products, flaxseed and tea, to name a few sources, are powerful antioxidants, Theoretically, they provide a weak form of estrogen where the body needs it and block the body’s own estrogen in locations where estrogen may feed cancer. The importance of flavonoids is only beginning to take hold in the medical research community. A high blood level of flavonoids can be maintained by eating 24 servings of these products a day. Other flavonoid-rich foods readily available include onions, snow green beans, cranberry juice, apple sauce.

Aim for three servings of calcium-rich foods daily. Calcium strengthens bones and prevents osteoporosis, Good vegetarian sources are green leafy vegetables and tofu. Dairy products are also excellent sources of calcium, but consume them in moderation. Surprisingly, osteoporosis rates are lower in societies where people eat few, if any, dairy products. The type of saturated fat in whole-fat dairy products is one of the worst offenders for making cholesterol in the body So, go for low-fat varieties, preferably two dairy servings a day and try one of the vegetarian sources as your third calcium serving.

Unless you’re eating fish or flax several times a week, you’re probably not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids, which are critical for maintaining optimal performance of the brain, cardiovascular system and immune system. You can get adequate amounts by eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids several times a week. are generally the darker-fleshed fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel. If you’re a vegetarian, you can get omega-3s from walnuts. If you’re a meat-eater, you should try to make the switch to fish. The omega-3s in fish can help prevent clots from forming in coronary arteries and elsewhere.

Use 1 -2 tablespoons of monounsaturated vegetable oils dally. The problem is not how much fat you eat, but what kind. The highly-rated Mediterranean diet is high in fat but low in health risks because the fat in that diet is monounsaturated, the heart-healthy, good-for-you fat. “Bad” fats, the kind that clog arteries are saturated fat, derived mostly from animal sources like red meat and dairy plus trans fats, found in margarine French fries, chips and cookies. Olive, canola and flaxseed oil which reduce the bad and boost the good cholesterol, are all high in monounsaturated fats, as are avocados and almonds. Canola is the Okinawans’ oil of choice.

Up to seven servings a week of high-protein meats, poultry and eggs are fine too; don’t eat red meat every day; three times a week is plenty.. and choose lean cuts about three servings a week. Women should have no more than one alcoholic beverage a day, men two. Red wine is best as it contains compounds thought to protect against heart diseases and osteoporosis. Drink enough water so that your urine is clear, whether it 8 glasses a day or 12. If you’re physically active, you’ll need even more.

Okinawans eat food that is high in unrefined carbohydrates and fibre, but they tend to stop eating before they are full. They call their secret ‘hara hachi bu’, which loosely translates to ‘eat until you are eight parts full (out of ten).’ Simply put, leave a little room at the end of each meal. In addition to eating healthily, I feel exercise is a way of life. They take up martial arts and traditional dance when young and continue these activities throughout their lives; most also garden and walk. Okinawans have a deep respect for nature and believe they have an obligation to help others. These relationships with nature and community are powerful: research shows that they help extend life and lower disease risk. These are concepts that we can and should integrate into our daily lives to maintain our physical, emotional and spiritual health.