About
- Jeff McCalla is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nutra-Flo Protein and Biotech Products. Jeff began his career with Nutra-Flo in 2000, and has travelled extensively to work with the company's global partners in the promotion of Nutra-Flo's products and ideas.
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There are bound to be times while traveling when you realize that you can't always anticipate the things that might come your way. Due to the frequency of my travelling it's happened to me many times. When these unexpected turns occur, I've observed people behave in a number of ways, and quite honestly, in many cases if I hadn't been there to witness some of these behaviors firsthand, I wouldn't have believed it myself.
Admittedly, sometimes there are mitigating factors. Sometimes there are cultural differences that enter into the equation, sometimes there are personal issues, family, work or a combination of pressures that make people lose it. But at other times, people are just downright rude and disrespectful for no good reason at all. I've seen drunk and belligerent passengers on flights harassing passengers and crew. I've seen irate and sometimes infantile behavior when a passenger's bags don't show up on time or when a flight is delayed or cancelled.
I guess if there is something I would recommend to people that don't travel often when they are facing an uncertain and frustrating situation is to ask themselves the following questions:
Is this really a big deal?
If I take a look at the big picture, will this adversely affect my life?
What is more important, my safety and well being or getting to my destination on time?
If I lose my material goods will my life really be negatively impacted?
The bottom line, I think, is that people can forget about the big picture when traveling. For instance, when a flight is delayed due to weather, people often get upset about the delay and forget about what effects the weather can have on the overall safety of their flight. Their desire or need to be somewhere at a certain time trumps the safety factor. Of course there are situations when time is of the essence and people absolutely need to be somewhere at a certain time, etc., but all too often I see people that are just being impatient and have lost sight of what is truly important.
My last piece of advice if you find yourself in a less than desirable situation is to realize that no matter what the circumstance, there is probably nothing you can do to change it by overreacting. So calm yourself down, take a deep breath, and keep the big picture in mind. If you can do this successfully, I bet you'll find that you manage to get through the situation without adding unnecessary stress.
Travel | Comments (1)
Jeff McCalla, Minneapolis February 1st, 2008 08:25:00 AM
Admittedly, sometimes there are mitigating factors. Sometimes there are cultural differences that enter into the equation, sometimes there are personal issues, family, work or a combination of pressures that make people lose it. But at other times, people are just downright rude and disrespectful for no good reason at all. I've seen drunk and belligerent passengers on flights harassing passengers and crew. I've seen irate and sometimes infantile behavior when a passenger's bags don't show up on time or when a flight is delayed or cancelled.
I guess if there is something I would recommend to people that don't travel often when they are facing an uncertain and frustrating situation is to ask themselves the following questions:
Is this really a big deal?
If I take a look at the big picture, will this adversely affect my life?
What is more important, my safety and well being or getting to my destination on time?
If I lose my material goods will my life really be negatively impacted?
The bottom line, I think, is that people can forget about the big picture when traveling. For instance, when a flight is delayed due to weather, people often get upset about the delay and forget about what effects the weather can have on the overall safety of their flight. Their desire or need to be somewhere at a certain time trumps the safety factor. Of course there are situations when time is of the essence and people absolutely need to be somewhere at a certain time, etc., but all too often I see people that are just being impatient and have lost sight of what is truly important.
My last piece of advice if you find yourself in a less than desirable situation is to realize that no matter what the circumstance, there is probably nothing you can do to change it by overreacting. So calm yourself down, take a deep breath, and keep the big picture in mind. If you can do this successfully, I bet you'll find that you manage to get through the situation without adding unnecessary stress.
Travel | Comments (1)
Jeff McCalla, Minneapolis February 1st, 2008 08:25:00 AM
Yeah it's true: I'm a terrible blogger
I looked back on my previous blog entry and decided that I really need to improve upon my blogging skills. I also realized as a new blogger that there are some fundamentals to blogging that I should be more conscious of, such as the frequency and length of entries. I'm entering a learning curve with all of this, so hopefully as time goes by, I will make great strides towards improving my blogging skills.
I'm sure I probably left most readers that viewed my previous blog entry wondering what my real message was, and truth be told, I should have either elaborated on my story or written it in such a way that would have delivered a much more clear and concise message. So in an attempt to help improve my skills, I thought I would try to follow up on the subject of my first blog entry, traveling.
The Good
My main point of my first message was going to be that you see a variety of things when traveling, hence, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Over the next few blog entries I will give you a few examples of each based upon my experience. First the good: you see all kinds of people, from all walks of life when traveling, especially when you travel internationally. I have seen good things come from a number of different people from a variety of backgrounds along the way. I have experienced all kinds of acts of kindness and generosity when I have traveled. For instance, a couple of years ago I severed the tendons in my right hand. My hand was bandaged up pretty good, but I was able to manage. I was surprised however, that I had so many people offer to help me, which, as a frequent traveler, it seems is a rare commodity these days. In fact, I remembering sitting next to a TV personality on a flight to Atlanta during this time and she was as helpful as could be. Another time when I experienced an extreme act of kindness was when I was in Australia visiting the Whitsunday Islands. I had missed a ferry and I honestly was unsure of what I was going to do because I needed to catch this ferry in order to get to a larger island that had an airport that basically operated one flight a day. I had to get there otherwise it was going to be a logistical nightmare to get to where I needed to be. I had asked at the ferry ticket office after realizing that I had missed my ride (the ferry) if there was another way for me to get to where I needed to be and they put me in touch with a gentleman that operated a small airplane service that gave flights around the islands. He flew me to where I needed to be at no charge. He showed me all kinds of interesting things along the way that could only be seen from above. I made it with time to spare and this guy was just as friendly as could be. This was not unusual based upon my experience the entire two years I spent in Australia, but it certainly was a very nice thing for someone to do.
Travel | Comments (2)
Jeff McCalla, Minneapolis December 5th, 2007 11:25:55 AM
I looked back on my previous blog entry and decided that I really need to improve upon my blogging skills. I also realized as a new blogger that there are some fundamentals to blogging that I should be more conscious of, such as the frequency and length of entries. I'm entering a learning curve with all of this, so hopefully as time goes by, I will make great strides towards improving my blogging skills.
I'm sure I probably left most readers that viewed my previous blog entry wondering what my real message was, and truth be told, I should have either elaborated on my story or written it in such a way that would have delivered a much more clear and concise message. So in an attempt to help improve my skills, I thought I would try to follow up on the subject of my first blog entry, traveling.
The Good
My main point of my first message was going to be that you see a variety of things when traveling, hence, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Over the next few blog entries I will give you a few examples of each based upon my experience. First the good: you see all kinds of people, from all walks of life when traveling, especially when you travel internationally. I have seen good things come from a number of different people from a variety of backgrounds along the way. I have experienced all kinds of acts of kindness and generosity when I have traveled. For instance, a couple of years ago I severed the tendons in my right hand. My hand was bandaged up pretty good, but I was able to manage. I was surprised however, that I had so many people offer to help me, which, as a frequent traveler, it seems is a rare commodity these days. In fact, I remembering sitting next to a TV personality on a flight to Atlanta during this time and she was as helpful as could be. Another time when I experienced an extreme act of kindness was when I was in Australia visiting the Whitsunday Islands. I had missed a ferry and I honestly was unsure of what I was going to do because I needed to catch this ferry in order to get to a larger island that had an airport that basically operated one flight a day. I had to get there otherwise it was going to be a logistical nightmare to get to where I needed to be. I had asked at the ferry ticket office after realizing that I had missed my ride (the ferry) if there was another way for me to get to where I needed to be and they put me in touch with a gentleman that operated a small airplane service that gave flights around the islands. He flew me to where I needed to be at no charge. He showed me all kinds of interesting things along the way that could only be seen from above. I made it with time to spare and this guy was just as friendly as could be. This was not unusual based upon my experience the entire two years I spent in Australia, but it certainly was a very nice thing for someone to do.
Travel | Comments (2)
Jeff McCalla, Minneapolis December 5th, 2007 11:25:55 AM
A good chunk of my life has been spent traveling. I've lived in a few places overseas. I've traveled for fun. I've traveled for school, and I travel for work. Traveling has really become second nature for me. Sometimes I don't even realize how much I actually travel until it hits me as I step on a plane, or when I'm in an airport going through security, or I'm in some obscure place trying to get from point A to point B. It is at these times that I realize how much I actually travel. Why, you may ask? As a seasoned traveler, you quickly learn tricks to efficiently navigate your way through airports, or to make your way from the airport to the hotel, or even how to find a restaurant in a new city. In contrast, it's clear to me when I'm travelling, particularly when I'm getting on an aircraft, that you can pick out people that don't travel often.
One of the tell-tale signs of someone who is somewhat wet behind the ears is when a person is unfamiliar with the location of their seat assignment. For me, I don't even think about it anymore, for instance, 14G - I just automatically go to the right hand side of the aircraft. Seating is ordered alphabetically starting with A on the far left side of the aircraft and continues across the aircraft.
Unfortunately , I'm not the only one who can spot a neophyte traveler. I recall a time when I was in line for a Taxi at the airport in Shanghai and an "underground" cab driver was trying his best to persuade a young woman who was standing next to me in line and traveling alone to get in his car:
"Cheap" he said, "I give you discount".
Fortunately she had the sense to say no, and then we chatted about it for a bit and I gave her a little piece of advice about how to safely get around the city. The point here is that people who don't travel much can be spotted from a crowd. Don't get me wrong, this is something that frequently happens to me as well, but I've learned it's better, instead of engaging in conversation as in the previous circumstance, to simply blow them off. That's a difference between a seasoned traveler and a rookie. It may seem like a rude thing to do, but it's a matter of ensuring your safety, which trumps all else, especially when traveling internationally and especially when you're alone. Of course, you have to somewhat adjust to the circumstances of the place you're visiting and each country will have its caveats, but the bottom line is that you have to use good judgment and listen to common sense when you're in an unfamiliar place.
Travel | Comments (3)
Jeff McCalla, Minneapolis November 15th, 2007 08:16:32 AM
One of the tell-tale signs of someone who is somewhat wet behind the ears is when a person is unfamiliar with the location of their seat assignment. For me, I don't even think about it anymore, for instance, 14G - I just automatically go to the right hand side of the aircraft. Seating is ordered alphabetically starting with A on the far left side of the aircraft and continues across the aircraft.
Unfortunately , I'm not the only one who can spot a neophyte traveler. I recall a time when I was in line for a Taxi at the airport in Shanghai and an "underground" cab driver was trying his best to persuade a young woman who was standing next to me in line and traveling alone to get in his car:
"Cheap" he said, "I give you discount".
Fortunately she had the sense to say no, and then we chatted about it for a bit and I gave her a little piece of advice about how to safely get around the city. The point here is that people who don't travel much can be spotted from a crowd. Don't get me wrong, this is something that frequently happens to me as well, but I've learned it's better, instead of engaging in conversation as in the previous circumstance, to simply blow them off. That's a difference between a seasoned traveler and a rookie. It may seem like a rude thing to do, but it's a matter of ensuring your safety, which trumps all else, especially when traveling internationally and especially when you're alone. Of course, you have to somewhat adjust to the circumstances of the place you're visiting and each country will have its caveats, but the bottom line is that you have to use good judgment and listen to common sense when you're in an unfamiliar place.
Travel | Comments (3)
Jeff McCalla, Minneapolis November 15th, 2007 08:16:32 AM