Planning a school trip can be daunting, but with the right company and a good checklist it can even be enjoyable! Follow this guide and you can embrace the excitement of taking your students anywhere in the world.
Start Planning Early
There are numerous things to consider with a school trip, and to ensure the trip runs smoothly it is essential to start planning early on. A year in advance for the majority of trips is plenty, however if you are going further afield then there is no harm in planning around 18 months in advance.
Not only will this reduce the stress surrounding the trip, but it means the teachers and students can get excited about the prospect of the travels without worrying or stressing!
Find a Good Tour Operator
A good tour operator is essential to your school trip. They can make or break the experience, and you want to be able to trust them to get the most out of the trip you can!
A good tour operator will plan a full itinerary for you based on yours and the students’ needs. This can include taking into consideration the subjects studied, the amount of students and what you want to get out of the trip.
The Learning Adventure personalises every schools’ itinerary and creates an original, fun and unique trip experience. We listen to exactly what you are looking for and deliver!
Risk Assessment
A detailed and well thought out risk assessment is essential to planning a school trip. This is when the tour group operator can really help. Operators usually offer 24 hour emergency support throughout the trip, however it is good to ask a few questions to make sure you are with the right operator:
How do you deal with emergency situations?
Are there testimonials from schools that have used you in the past?
Do you offer 24 hour emergency support?
There are plenty of resources online to help you build a risk assessment, take a look HERE for a good comprehensive guide to risk assessments.
Consider Additional Costs
When you receive a quote from a tour operator, look in depth at what is covered and what is not, for example: meals, entrance costs, travel, ETC.
By knowing your budget inside and out and what is being spent and where, you will be able to cover unexpected costs that inevitably crop up.
It is also a good idea to ask your operator about currency. As the exchange rate fluctuates the price of the tour can as well, so it’s good for the operator to buy currency in advance.
Be Experimental
We know it’s easy and tempting to run the same school trips year after year, but there are endless possibilities for your school and its students! Be experimental and brave, push the boat out because it will be well worth it.
We offer school trips all around the world, so drop us an email or give us a call if you want to discuss your ideas and we can work together!
