|
|
| Greetings!
The holidays are upon us. However, there's no need to frantically run from store to store, worry about gift wrapping, or figure out how to ship all those goodies to Grandma's. Let AYS handle it for you!
The AYS Elves can help you get ready for the holidays by:
- Addressing your cards;
- Buying gifts for your friends and family;
- Wrapping your gifts;
- Shipping your packages;
- Decorating your home or office; and
- Getting you organized for next Holiday Season.
And for that person on your list that has everything? An AYS Gift Certificate makes a great gift!
|
AYS Clients & Team Members Share Their Favorite Holiday Memories
Special memories are always created during the holidays. Recently we asked our clients and partners to tell us some of their most treasured memories of holidays past. Here's a sampling of them.
When my girls were still young enough to say they wanted "pasghetti" for dinner, we thought it would be nice for them to see Santa and his reindeer land on the roof. Well, the sandman won the battle that Christmas eve, but in their waking moments, mouths open more than their eyes, they immediately asked if he had come. Parents and grandparents were sure they had heard something on the roof and thought it worthy of a look. Imagine their excitement as sisters stepped onto the roof of their house for the first time; a magic moment only to be outdone by a deep gasped, "Daddy! Look!" There, lodged between chimney brick and metal flashing, was a torn piece of leather strap with two silver bells on it. One of Santa's reindeer's no doubt. The find was priceless to them; the memory more priceless to us.
- P.M. Winter Park
One of my most vivid memories of childhood Christmases was the year I asked Santa for a bike. I just knew that he was going to have to put the bike outside since there wouldn't be enough room near the Christmas tree. I listened for him all night long so that I could catch him in the act of placing my prized bike near the front porch. I kept looking out the window, expecting to see him any minute. I was sure I stayed awake all night, but I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes because when I glanced out the window again, THERE IT WAS, a beautiful, shiny new bike!!! How excited I was - and my belief in Santa's magical abilities was reinforced multi-fold! (To this day I have no idea how my parents knew the very minute I must have gone to sleep and how they had time to place the bike on the porch before I awoke again. I don't think they slept on Christmas Eve for YEARS!).
- L.R. Ocoee
The Advent Calendar was my parents' way to provide a string of little rewards in exchange for heightening anticipation of the Big Day. And it focused our thoughts on the true meaning of Christmas at the same time. The calendar was always the first bit of Christmas decor unpacked each year at the start of the Advent season. It was a large color lithograph of the Nativity with 24 numbered doors. Each day another door would be opened to disclose a small picture of toys and angels and lambs and such. Finally, on Christmas Eve, the largest door in the very center, number 24, was opened. Behind it was a picture of the Christ Child. And the next day would be Christmas.
-R.W. Ocoee
My Mother had three sisters and a brother and each of them had two or three children, so our extended family was quite large. Since none of the families was wealthy, we drew names each summer to determine which relatives we would send a Christmas gift to - two separate groups, kids and adults. Everyone always kept the secret, which added to the Christmas excitement as we waited to find out who had our name. Finally a package would arrive with my name on it and I could hardly contain myself until Christmas morning to learn which of my cousins sent me a gift. One of my most memorable gifts came from my cousin Donna. It was a white whale with a pen attached so all my friends could sign it. When I was ten, it was just the coolest thing ever!
-J.H. Orlando
|
|
MedTrav Sets Its Sites on Costa Rica
Medical Tourism - What's That?
Medical tourism (or medical travel) is a growing practice to obtain more affordable, high quality medical procedures in countries other than the U.S. Around the world - in nations as diverse as India, Thailand, Costa Rica and the Bahamas - nations have invested billions of dollars in building state-of-the-art medical facilities and training first rate doctors, nurses and technicians to staff them.
At the same time, they have created topflight support facilities to serve the needs of international patients, including airports, recovery facilities and resorts. In addition to affordable healthcare in a first-class hospital with quality care, medical travelers can recuperate in a peaceful, beautiful, exotic location that offers tourist attractions for them and their companions or family.
Medical travel can be of great benefit for persons who are uninsured or whose insurance is restricted due to a pre-existing condition. Those wanting specific elective procedures not covered by their insurance or needing dental work for which they don't have insurance can also benefit.
Procedures in other countries are often 30% to 60% of the cost in U.S. facilities. Even adding the cost of airfare and accommodations, if the cost of a procedure stateside is $6000 or more, having it performed overseas will result in significant savings. In addition, many people choose to go abroad for anonymity, privacy, and the chance to recuperate in a place they have longed to visit. Some of the most common procedures requested by medical travelers include face lift, rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast augmentation or reduction, dental procedures and oral surgery, bariatric procedures, knee or hip replacement.
AYS expects to begin medical travel services, rolling out its MedTrav business line in January 2010. We will guide you step by step through the entire process, helping you determine the feasibility of traveling abroad for healthcare, based on your specific needs and facilitating all the details from travel arrangements to your accommodations and transportation in-country.
AYS ensures that the medical facilities we refer you to are certified or accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the international arm of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations that certifies hospitals in the U.S., which assures that they follow the best practices and quality standards in the industry. We also interview administrators and care providers to verify that the medical staff have experience working in medical institutions in the U.S., Europe, or other advanced countries and that staff speak English or have English-speaking interpreters available on site.
AYS will be certain that the facilities are located in countries with no recent experience of turmoil and have excellent infrastructure, including clean, air-conditioned rooms for patients and their family or companions with televisionand Internet connectivity.
Our goal for MedTrav is the same as our goal for our other lines, to meet or exceed every client's expectations at an affordable price. As always, AYS strives to be connected to our clients before, during and after the experience.
|
|
Holiday Travel Tips
If you are traveling this holiday season, you'll want to check out three recent blogs on our Travel Haven website. Safe travels!
| |
|
|
|
Thank you for your business and support in 2009! We wish you a wonderful holiday season!
Sincerely,
Jolynn Haven
Lynette Reynolds
Rod Wiesinger |
|
|
