So, you want to plan a school trip but aren’t too sure where to start? Here, at Rayburn Tours, we know this can be a daunting task, as there are so many elements to consider. That’s why we’ve created this helpful guide on how to plan a school trip to you get you started in the right direction.
School trips are a fantastic way to engage and inspire students, bringing academic subjects to life and helping them to explore the wider world around them. The key to a successful school trip lies careful planning and communication, and we’re here to help make the process as straightforward as possible.
Check out our guide below on planning a school trip.
1. Define school trip objectives and budget
The first step when planning a school trip is to define the objectives and desired outcomes. Whether you’re organising an educational or concert trip, a ski or adventure trip, or a sports tour, each trip will have its own set of goals.
For example, if you’re planning an educational school trip, your objectives might be to connect students with the curriculum and classroom learning by providing them with real-world experiences. For ski and adventure trips, the goal may be to immerse students in the great outdoors, giving them the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones while gaining valuable personal skills. If you’re planning a school sports tour, your tour objectives could include developing sporting skills, enhancing teamwork and compete against international teams in incredible locations.
Budget also plays a vital role in planning a school trip. It helps determines whether the trip can go ahead based on affordability. Establishing what parents can realistically early on can help you shape the trip that suits their budgets while still achieving your objectives. Once you’ve decided on your budget, we recommend adding a contingency fund to cover any unexpected costs.
Discover our fundraising ideas for school trips here.
Start planning your school trip early, to benefit from better rates for accommodation and transportation, while giving parents plenty of notice for payments.
2. Secure school leadership approval
When presenting your school trip to the senior leadership team, it’s important to highlight the key benefits for students’ learning and development as well as the cultural and enriching experiences it will provide.
It’s also an opportunity to reassure the leadership team about students’ health and safety and financial security of the trip. Working with a school tour operator, such as Rayburn Tours means that you’ll have expert support throughout the planning process, with key elements including accommodation, transport, excursions and tour guides, all of which have been audited and tick the correct boxes.
The leadership team and parents can also feel reassured knowing their money is safe, as we’re ABTA members, ATOL licenced and ABTOT bonded.
We’re also School Travel Forum (STF) Founder Members and hold the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge which gives you and your leadership team confidence in the quality of educational experiences we provide.
It’s also worth highlighting that when you with Rayburn Tours, the trip will be supported by experts throughout the booking and planning process. From our ski and sports specialists to the linguists, musicians and historians that make up our internal team, we’ll tailor your trip to meet your objectives and to ensure your students get the most out of the experience.
With r support from our head office staff, you’ll also benefit from additional support throughout your trip.
For more information on how to get decision makers on board, click here to read our blog.
3. It’s time to enquire
Once the senior leadership team is on board, it’s time to request a quote. Include your tour requirements, such as preferred dates, number of students, accommodation preferences, travel arrangements, destination and any itinerary ideas you’d like to add.
Speaking to our team is an important part of the booking process, as it helps them to understand more about what you want to achieve on your school trip.
We’ll then put together a quote detailing:
- Accommodation information
- Pricing – including free place information
- Activities and excursions
- Travel Insurance information
- Curriculum links
- Suggested itinerary
- Deposit information
- Package safety with our bonds and accreditations
4. Student sign-up and parent communications
Once you’ve received your quote and you’re happy to go ahead, it’s time to announce the school trip to students!
Whether it’s an assembly, a presentation or a poster to get the students excited, it’s important to inform the parents and communicate the trip details clearly. We recommend sending a letter with an overview of the trip, the benefits for and the travel and payment plan arrangements.
The letter is also a great place to introduce Rayburn Tours as the school trip provider and highlight that we take care of the travel, accommodation and excursions and all elements have been audited for health and safety. Not only this, but you can also outline all of Rayburn Tours’ financial safety accreditations to reassure parents that their money is safe.
Click here to read a helpful blog to get you started on writing a trip letter to parents.
5. Work with Rayburn Tours to create a tailor-made itinerary
As previously mentioned, when you choose Rayburn Tours to help you plan a school trip, you’ll be supported by specialists throughout the entire booking and planning process.
From our ski, sports and adventure team who are passionate outdoor enthusiasts themselves, to our concert and educational trip experts, we bring the same level of knowledge, passion and attention to detail to every itinerary.
We’ll work with you to ensure the itinerary aligns with your learning objectives, is tailored to your students’ needs and provide plenty of opportunities to gain cultural capital, engage with the subject and create lasting memories with classmates.
6. Confirm your booking and complete the necessary paperwork
Once you’ve confirmed the booking, the next step is complete the necessary paperwork. This includes collecting parental consent and passport information if travelling internationally, medical information and dietary requirements.
To make accessing important travel documentation easier, we recommend using Vamoos, a digital platform designed to make travel management simpler and more efficient. It brings together all of your essential travel information together in one app.
To learn more about Vamoos, check out our blog here.
Risk assessments are also vital to any school trip. We have a range of Risk Management Handbooks tailored to different types of school trips. These guide you through the process of identifying potential hazards and potential risks and allowing you to put the necessary measures in place to keep students and staff safe.
Check out our guide to risk assessments for teachers here.
7. Pre-departure preparation
As the pre-departure excitement and anticipation build, it’s time to finalise the required documentation. This includes confirming students’ passport details, checking insurance arrangements, emergency contact list, medical and dietary requirements. Your dedicated tour coordinator will be on hand to help you with this.
It’s also worth having a briefing with the staff and students who are attending to go over the trip objectives, behavioural standards and what the students can expect on tour.
8. It’s time to depart!
After all the time and hard work that goes into planning your school trip, it’s finally time to depart! Gather the students, check you have all of the necessary travel documents, board the coach and you’re off for an educational adventure like no other!
And remember Rayburn Tours is here for you 24/7 while you’re on tour, helping you to feel reassured that any problems or questions will be answered by a member of our team.
We hope you have a wonderful and inspiring trip!
