Why Choose Destination Training?
What comes to mind when you think about Costa Rica, Venezuela, Mexico, Belize, Ireland, England, or Thailand? Why would you want to take the time to go and get massage training there? I have travelled to all of those places, and received my Thai Massage instructor training in Thailand. But it was vastly more educational than I bargained for. One thing I insisted on doing before I left Thailand was taking a ride on an elephant. Unfortunately, elephants can be rather uncooperative beasts. If they decide they want to lie down in the river to take a bath, they don’t care if you are on their backs or not. Another thing about elephants is that their hairs are tiny and bristly, so it is particularly not a good idea to ride an elephant in swim trunks. I found that out the hard way. After I ended up in the river, and got boils (don’t ask where) from the abrasions the hairs caused, I had a 20 plus hour flight home. All in all my assessment of the trip was: destination training? Yes! Elephants? No!
Destination training is a smart investment for your business. Every penny of your travel and training is tax deductible as a business expense. That means airfare, lodging, tuition, meals, excursions, and any incidentals related to your training–are all tax deductible.
Destination training offers a host of psychological benefits that boost your ability to learn. The relaxation and separation from daily life gives you the mental “bandwidth” to absorb the training material. By making an investment in the course, you’ll be able to get the most out of its perceived value too–if you’re spending the money and time, you’re going to want to get as much value out of the course as you possibly can. With destination training, these elements combine to give you your maximum receptivity for learning.
However, destination training offers more than just an opportunity for downtime and learning. It’s also fantastic for expanding your network. You’ll develop alliances, friends, colleagues, and new practices with people outside of your usual social circles. These new contacts are a great way for you to develop relationships for renewal and support.
So what should you look for in a great destination training course? You’ll want something that offers experiential teaching, with lots of hands-on learning. Make sure you find out exactly what you’re signing up for, and what’s included in the price of the trip. Determine if the training is accredited in your home country, and find out more about the instructors. Make sure that they are experienced with traveling and teaching in the destination location. Also find out how much the main instructor will be teaching the course and how much will be taught by assistants.
To get the most out of your experience, planning is key. Check the location for distance from the airport and major travel routes. See what day trips are available. Next, find out what is available in the local area, especially if you are not renting a car. If you have medical needs, for example, you might want to know the location of the nearest pharmacy.
Importantly, you will want to find out what the conditions are where you are going to be trained. Are you traveling to a Third World country, to a city, or to a rural, mountain, or beach setting? Inquire if the instructor speaks fluent English and if that is the language the course will be taught in.
With a little preparation, you can get the most out of a massage retreat. By investing in your education with destination training, you will be giving yourself the gift of adventure, renewal and knowledge.
