The Benefits of Booking Early

Plan Ahead! Book Early!

Let’s build the momentum!

It’s never too early to book a group tour! In fact, its highly recommended by our specialist team to book a tour at least 18 months in advance. It’s a time to build up the excitement between you as a party leader, and your students/members. When the day arrives and your tour begins, it’ll feel like the biggest reward watching our combined efforts become the best experience for your group.

Planning a tour can take a lot of your focus, time and preparation so we want to make sure this process is as smooth as possible. Here are some of our top tips for booking early!

Better availability

With a wide variety of accommodation, activities and tour options, securing availability is a huge bonus when booking early! You will get the best preferences for your group and have more of a chance of coming within your agreed budget. We can book iconic excursions, and the best accommodation and transport!

Time to prepare

Allowing more time to plan creates an easier ride for tailoring your experience. It allows flexibility when customising your itinerary in line with the interests of your group. There is the necessary paperwork, but the outcome will be a tour that delivers the best experience for everyone, including you!

Spread out the cost

Open up the opportunity and make it more inclusive for all students/members by spreading out the cost. Making a tour easier to afford will boost interest and increase numbers. The more the merrier, especially when they fill the coach and bring down the cost!

Enjoy the planning

Give yourself time to distribute tasks amongst staff members who are joining you on tour. With the logistics handled by us, you can focus on the fun side of things, such as researching attractions, shopping in periods of down time and getting everyone excited about the journey ahead.

Create flexibility for changes

Booking early provides more flexibility when it comes to adjusting your itinerary. If new activities arise, you have a better chance of accommodating changes. Rooming changes, people dropping out, the time allows for changes and flexibility ! We also provide a draft itinerary early in the process, giving you the opportunity to make any changes your group might need .

It’s all about the excitement!

Traveling is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. When you book a group tour early, you give everyone time to enjoy the build up and give them something to look forward to. Create conversations about the upcoming trip with your group, plan a parents meeting and build the momentum for all. The anticipation can add to the enjoyment of the trip.

The Number 1 Top Tip!

I would suggest you start planning early, promote your tour at 18 months in advance, give everyone time to get excited, and build the momentum because when it arrives, it really is the icing on the cake. For me the tour has already started before I go. The best bit is actually doing the tour following a big build up. A lead time will give parents time to pay, with the option to pay little by little.

Jason Andrews, Teacher of Rednock School

Headshot of Jason Andrews

Jason Andrews
Rednock School Party Leader

Plan ahead – the further you plan ahead, the longer the students/parents have to save up for the trip and payments can be spread over a longer period of time. By booking ahead, we can protect the price against exchange rate fluctuations, secure the best accommodation and book flights as soon as they are released to help you secure your first choice. For some of our popular destinations such as Iceland, we are already full for some key dates in 2026.

Lucy Simson- Sales Manager, Rayburn Tours

Headshot of Lucy Simson

Lucy Simson
Sales Manager at Rayburn Tours

Real experiences

Liz and Tom at Rayburn Tours organised a fantastic trip to Iceland for our students. They listened to what we wanted and designed an itinerary that met our needs. Karen, our tour guide whilst in Iceland, was fantastic. She was so friendly and helpful from the moment she met us at Manchester Airport, and nothing was too much trouble for her. Karen was great with the students and so informative – we will definitely request her for any future trips! Feedback from students has been nothing but positive. Thank you for providing our students with memories to last a lifetime!

Layla Curran, St Francis Xavier School, Iceland 2023

We took 55 year 9 pupils for 4 nights to Paris and The Somme with Rayburn Tours. Customer service was excellent. The trip was very well planned and organised. We fitted a lot into the trip, including sightseeing in Paris, Bateaux Mouches, Parc Asterix and museums and memorials for the Battle of the Somme and a visit to Boulogne-Sur-Mer. The pupils absolutely loved the trip.

David Williams, Kettlethorpe High School, Paris and The Somme 2024

The whole team at Rayburn were absolutely fantastic in their organisation, communication and support of our school’s Year 8 trip to Munich! Everything that a trip leader would need for the trip was provided by the company and it made the trip organisation process so much easier than it usually is!

Tom Perkins, Parmiters, Munich 2023

Book with confidence

Financial Protection

Your trip is protected through our ABTA membership, ATOL license & ABTOT bonding

24hr Tour Support

Access to our 24 hour on tour emergency telephone support

Specialist Teams

We're here to guide and support you every step of the way

All the added extras

We've got you covered!

For your financial security, you must have insurance when travelling with us, whether it be your own or the insurance we provide through Aviva. We highly recommend our insurance because it’s tailored specifically for school groups .

Val Vannet, Field Study Tutor for Rayburn Tours, speaks with a student at a glacier.

Tour Managers

A Tour Manager can provide on-hand support to ensure your trip runs smoothly, making your life that little bit easier!

Teacher teaching children huddling around a table

Teaching Resources

From our visually striking classroom posters to our popular Top It! card games (great for coach journeys), we invite you to download, print off and enjoy our free resources!

Community Choirs

We all sing in the car, the shower, on our walk to work to beat the Monday blues, but nothing is better than coming together in a community choir! Take a look at some tour stories from our community choirs and become inspired for your next concert tour!

DISCOVER MORE

Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir hugging after a performance at Canongate Kirk in Edinburhg during the Fringe Festival

The Excitement Begins the Moment You Book!

There is no such thing as booking too early. The earlier the better when it comes to booking something as big as a tour! We want the process to be as smooth as possible and just as exciting for you to count down the days of your tour! Whenever you’re ready, we’re ready, we’re with you every step of the way.

Get in contact

Tour Manager Arianna with Ruth of Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir

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