Planning Israel Trip with ASDAL
“He who fails to plan is planning to fail” -Winston Churchill
Every great activity requires planning. I haven’t encountered yet an iconic and historical event that was not a result of planning. The entrance of the Greeks to the city of Troy through the famous Trojan Horse is a classic example and reminder of how important planning is. Like the Greeks, anyone can win a war or a journey with the aid of planning. And so, our trip at Israel should be well-planned so the benefits of going there would eventually outweigh its costs.
And I am so glad to know that planning can be made easier by employing ASDAL elements. ASDAL simply stands for Analysis, Strategy, Decision, Action and Learning. All in all, we have 21 methods for this planning framework/model. But for my family, we were only able to employ 13 planning methods and I am discussing each briefly below.
ACTIVITY 01
ANALYSIS
Resource Assessment-this is the method that enabled us to examine further the resources we have and how we can maximize such to fulfill our needs. In this case, needs assessment is what we did first. After doing so, we were able to plot three needs: to be spiritually refreshed, to temporarily escape from academic/work pressure and to have a break from the threats of the CoVid-19 pandemic. From that, we prepared the resources we need from clothing to funds, toiletries, documents etc.
Delphi Technique-for this, we consulted our spiritual counsellors on their insights of going to Israel. Since they’re the first ones to visit the place, we believe that their experiences and encounters matter and would impact us a lot especially on what we might be expecting to see and feel once we are there.
Brainstorming-for this method, we gathered together as one family thinking of the very reasons why we will be going to Israel. Would it be for an escape only from work/academic pressure or would it be something that could remind us of the love of God despite the uncertain consequences and threats of the CoVid-19 pandemic. Brainstorming also allowed us to know what and what not to bring. On this method, priorities were set and expectations were already settled.
STRATEGY
Scenarios-for this, we envisioned the different environmental and cultural changes that we might be experiencing once we set foot to Israel. By having a hypothetical scenario, we were able to create plans on how we will adjust to situations that might be new to us be it from food, culture, clothing, language or body movements. For me, this method provided our family an opportunity to let our adjustments be the springboard to speak cultural sensitivity to the people of Israel.
Cross-Impact Analysis-on this method, we were able to see that the CoVid-19 pandemic gave birth to cross-impacts. It brings forth a cycle of effects. For our family, CoVid-19 put us into extreme and depressing social isolation from others — especially when we were under the ECQ quarantine classification and that church fellowships and activities were not permitted to operate. That resulted us to experience spiritual weakening and by realizing how this domino effect of a certain problem plagues us, we decided then to have a trip at Israel with a belief that somehow, it’ll replenish and renew our souls.
DECISION
Decision Analysis-through this method, we were able to see how our decision of going to Israel would spring many benefits. Of course, we also did our research particularly on the number of tourists visiting the place. Statistically speaking, we can say that lesser number of tourists equates to lesser chances of acquiring CoVid-19 virus. Decision analysis also contains some of the factors we should be considering before going to Israel which includes the requirements needed, costs of travel and socio-cultural benefits.
Cost-Benefit Analysis-this method enabled us to assess whether the benefits of going to Israel outweigh its costs. And by examining related statistical reports and data available online, we found out that the financial cost of tripping to Israel is so high. However, its benefits are greater and can even be a once in a lifetime opportunity. For us, experiencing first-hand where Jesus walked is priceless!
Goal-Achievement Matrix-on this method, we were able to come up with a list of our goals — the very reasons why we want to go in Israel. And these goals also serve as the basis of our total budget and number of days we should be spending and staying in Israel.
ACTION
Inter-Organizational Coordination-through this method, we were able to see and assess how different organizations perceive Israel not only as a place of leisure but for recreation and soul-searching too. For my family, we reviewed some of the articles written by Travelling Israel and Nomadic Matt and from that, we finally decided to give it a try visiting Israel.
Programme Evaluation Review Technique-this method allows us to properly allocate our resources specifically our budget so we could achieve wisely our objectives without spending too much. To do this, my family intends to visit first the places in Jerusalem where Jesus mostly lived and performed His miracles like the famous Church of Sepulchre and the City of David and visit afterwards the remaining iconic and religious places only when budget is still enough.
Flowcharting-this method allows us to graphically visualize our soon to be journey at Israel. By using shapes, lines and patterns I believe it will be easier for us to plot and plan how things would go by. Doing this also provides us a more comprehensive overview on how we planned our trip.
LEARNING
Communication Development Indicators-this method allows us to see how our trip in Israel is good and ideal based on different indicators or standards present on different information resources available online and offline which includes statistics obtained from administrative documents and also the content and effects analyses of the media as reflected on how Israel is presented on television and on magazines.
Case Study-this method is very crucial to us because through this, we are able to examine how exciting and worthy it is to travel to Israel based on the individual experiences of people who went there. And to do this, we will be examining their personal notes to identify their unique experiences during their tour.
ACTIVITY 2-PAIR SHARING
Great things are meant to be shared! And so, this time, I shared how we planned our family vacation at Israel using ASDAL methods and elements to Trisha Gaite — one of my beloved best friends.
And after having a 30-minute good talk/sharing with her, I was able to realize and observe the following.
1. Trisha was able to fill out successfully the ASDAL table and for me, she was able to apply the most appropriate ASDAL methods considering her family’s present resources, goals and situation. According to her, I was also able to do the same and she commends me because I was able to discuss to her why the methods I applied were the most fitting to our planned vacation at Israel.
2. For me, we have different responses primarily because our intended places to visit are completely different which means that the way we should plan how to go there varies in terms of resource assessment, needs analysis and goals. In addition to that, we have to take into consideration also the needs of our individual families because if not, conflicts on preferences what and what not to bring would occur. Technically, we belong to different families with unique situations and conditions and that explains so much the difference on our responses.
3. Since both of us were able to put our inputs on Planning Elements and Planning Methods, I believe we properly answered and gave what the table is demanding us to put.
KEY TAKE AWAY
For this activity, I am reminded how important it is to plan. Without planning, the chances for us to fail and not meet our desires are very high. To conclude, I must say that what makes our dreams powerful is the degree, amount and kind of planning attached to make it happen. Because at the end of the day, we are all soldiers. No one knows when, how and where the enemy would attack and planning can save us from such uncertainties.
