Pre Tour Summary

By: Madey Shihab

We have come a long way, from choosing a destination to finalizing every element to near perfection. There was much to do before this tour could be put in place. But now, as we approach the departure date there is a feeling of elation and high spirits. This semester has been very testing to all of us, in terms of the work load. And our trip to Sri Lanka will be both educational as well as an enjoyable experience.

Leaving on the 12^th of November which falls upon a Monday, we will be flying with Air Asia to reach our destination. The flight departs from LCCT at 1100hrs and reaches Sri Lanka at 1200hrs, local time. We will be gathering at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus at 0630hrs to take the Taylor’s bus directly to the airport. Meanwhile, a few of us have decided to use their own modes of transport as they live in the KL area.

Since our group is large, and to contest any issues that might arise at the airport groups of students have been put under the leadership of select students. The groups are based on the grouping presented in the flight booking. This is to ensure that if there is a problem these leaders may sort it out, or reduce any confusion or chaos.

Visa is a very important element of our trip. There is no option for a visa on arrival, and all visa applications needed to be carried out well in advance as to ensure everybody could travel. Hence, each person is advised to bring their own visa printed out. Besides this, Diana Knezevic, the in charge for visa will be printing out everyone’s visa as a safety measure. This is again to reduce any complications that might occur.

We have thought of in advance a few issues that we need to be aware of while in Sri Lanka. The culture would be without doubt different from that of Malaysia. Although Malaysia is a multicultural country, there are certain traditions and customs that we need to be prepared for. And we should be mindful to respect these differences. We have covered this in more detail during the Risk Management Plan which was presented earlier in class.

Besides the culture there is also the component of safety. Sri Lanka is not a dangerous country, but as such a great number of students are travelling we are to be mindful of each other. Thus, the brilliant minds of our Risk Management Team brought to us the concept of a buddy system. Where there is a leader for a selected number of students. And these leaders would ensure that they all stick together and look out for each other. As I mentioned before, Sri Lanka is not a dangerous country, but these are just precautions.

After everything that has passed, concluding the final class for today everyone was very energetic and hyped up for the trip. After a pre-tour briefing and assigning roles for students to perform while on the trip the class was concluded. And everybody went home, without doubt, looking forward to “Discover Sri Lanka”.