7 steps to organising a school trip

Organising a pleasant and instructive school trip is not easy. But don’t worry, with some right tips and following a few steps, it is possible. Here are some practical tips enclosed in 7 points to enable your school trip to be an amazing experience full of adventures, lots of fun and lasting memories.

During a school camp experience, young people get to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world situations. An environment where children can feel comfortable, have fun, learn new things about themselves and the world, and strengthen their physical and emotional skills while learning how to cope with new situations. A school trip is also an opportunity for educators to observe how students react in uncomfortable situations and push their comfort zones.

To ensure a successful school trip, here are a few things you should consider when planning an adventure with your students.

1. Curriculum Objectives

It is important to decide when the school trip is going to take place, and also to know the main purpose of the trip. Choosing the best activities and desired location will be much easier and faster this way. 

Review your school’s field trip policies in advance and prepare forms that outline specific learning objectives and how the field trip will achieve them. Field trips and hands-on learning make concepts more memorable, so exploring this opportunity as a form of experiential learning allows students to experience concepts discussed in the class firsthand and pick up new knowledge through interaction, which impacts their whole approach to learning.

• Choose your warriors: Your amazing Students! By setting clear objectives for your trip, such as an optional field trip, a CAS project, or a bonding experience at the start of the school year, you can narrow down the list of potential participants! Decide who will be going on the trip, whether you want to celebrate your high schooler’s graduation, take your class only or the entire school, establish potential numbers of participants.

• A team of fantastic chaperones: Aligning with the teaching team is important to create a group that really wants to go on the ride and accept that responsibility. Electing a trip leader is also advisable for securing school and student documents, insurance information for students, and all useful numbers for the trip’s smooth running. Brief staff in preparation for the trip, including responsibilities and emergency arrangements and get them to prepare students for the trip discussing arrangements, expectations and safety as well.

And remember…There is no better place to create lasting bonds with others than the experience of traveling together, sharing adventures and supporting each other when things get ‘tough’. It is something students will remember for the rest of their lives. A school trip creates the perfect environment to build a special connection between students, teachers and school staff. 

2. Choose a trusted provider

Track Record

Look at their website, read reviews, and see how they communicate with you. Make sure your school trip provider understands your expectations and needs. Companies offering school camps with a reputation for providing excellent service will be familiar with the destination, have a good ‘bank’ of suppliers from which to choose appropriate services for your school trip, and provide 24 hour support and assistance when needed. Also, check for their staff –  if they are experienced tutors with a child-led approach.

Costs and fees

Consider the cost, location, and services offered by the school camp provider. You should also check that they have availability for your desired dates.

Consider places that enhance and reinforce your curriculum goals and plan together a schedule for each day. Break it up into activities, and decide how long each one would take. Take into consideration the attention span and interests of the students. Try to plan a variety of activities that different types of students will enjoy and create a programme that best suits your school.

An all-inclusive package

It is not only essential to identify the destination, but also the means of transportation, how to get there, the type of accommodation to book and insurance to all travelers. To ensure that all is covered, residential school camps which include full-boarding and come with on-site catering service are your best options so you only need to think about having fun!

Here’s a tip: Look for providers that make it easy for you to see what’s included in the price. Often, budget providers appear great, but they are only covering less than half of the trip, and the rest must be handled by you. So, If you’re not sure, make sure.

3. Engage families 

Promote the Camp! After completing your trip planning and obtaining administrative approval, it’s time to contact families and start recruiting your students! The thing teachers should do is reassure parents that the trip is safe. Before the school trip, parents should be invited to a meeting where they can get the detailed information about the programme, accommodation and general information with regards to their children staying abroad.

4. Obtaining travel-related information

A very important thing to do is to make sure everyone has a valid passport for the travel dates. There might be students of different nationalities holding passports from varied countries, so that’s something to check also, in case there are specific visa requirements to enter your destination . The information you need to gather from your students can be done in one hit. Names as detailed within passports, emergency contact numbers and dietary requirements should all be on point as they should be also required by your school trip provider.

5. Leading up to departure

We enter the phase of the final arrangements, last packing tips, and lots of excitement!!! Get students pumped for their trip by explaining what you’ll see and do and align your rules and their expectations for the trip, make this contract in between you the best of both worlds! Also for the day of travel, don’t forget to have a pre-departure checklist before and during the voyage to manage students documents and information, as well as to keep track of your headcount! 

6. Bon Voyage

Enjoy a nice nap on the coach, train or the plane! Or join your students on their chants and sing along sessions. The way to get to your final destination is also a special part of the trip. Nourish your inner author by writing, beat (or get beaten) by your students at cards and remind them to hydrate and rest well… A whole new adventure awaits! 

7. Enjoy the trip experience!

It’s school trip time, so let’s live this experience to the fullest!!!

The benefits of learning outside the classroom for students are well known. But we also must not forget to thank you, teachers, who arrange these experiences on top of an already busy and demanding schedule. Therefore don’t forget to enjoy this time away with your pupils! You will be able to see your students in a whole new light, and your students will see you as the teacher who went above and beyond the call of duty.

Happy teachers, happy students. Happy students, happy teachers. You can turn it into a revolving door that will lead to better relationships with your students, resulting in better communication, understanding, and cooperation when back in the classroom…