Planning a school trip involves a lot of moving parts.
You've got students to organise, parents to keep informed, paperwork to complete and deadlines to meet (all alongside everything else that comes with teaching). But you don't have to manage every part of the trip yourself.
From your first ideas through to your return home, our team will guide you through what needs to happen next (and make it clear what we need from you along the way).
While you're taking care of the things only your school can do, we'll be working behind the scenes with our suppliers and our support teams to bring the rest of your trip together.
Every trip is different, so your exact deadlines may vary. Your Tour Consultant and Itinerary Coordinator will make sure you know what we need from you (and when).
1. Start Planning
This is where the possibilities start to take shape. Think about what you want your students to get from the trip. Consider your preferred destination, approximate dates, length of stay, group size and budget.
You don't need to have every detail worked out before getting in touch. Tell us what you want the trip to achieve (even if your destination, dates or budget aren't fixed yet), and we can help you explore the options.
Your next steps:
- Decide on the main objectives for your trip.
- Think about possible destinations and dates.
- Estimate your group size.
- Consider your approximate budget.
- Speak to your SLT, EVC or trip coordinator about your initial plans.
- Request a quote.
What we're doing behind the scenes
Your Tour Consultant will take time to understand your group and what you want the trip to achieve. We'll advise you on suitable destinations, transport, accommodation and activities (taking your objectives, budget and group into account).
We'll also start checking availability and building an itinerary that works for your group.
2. Build your case and get approval
Once you've got an initial plan, you'll need to turn it into something your school can approve.
That may mean discussing the trip with your SLT or EVC, comparing quotes and answering questions from colleagues and parents.
You already know that a school trip is about more than the headline price. What's included, the quality of the arrangements and the support you'll receive can make a significant difference.
Your next steps:
- Check your school's approval process (including checking with the finance department about payment methods and timescales).
- Review your quote and proposed itinerary.
- Compare what's included in different options.
- Discuss the trip with your SLT, EVC or trip coordinator.
- Start preparing information for parents.
- Ask us about any changes you need.
What we're doing behind the scenes
We'll help you refine the trip, so it fits your objectives and budget.
We'll explain what's included in your quote (so you can compare the details, not just the headline price), answer questions and revise your plans where needed.
We'll also keep an eye on price, availability and any deadlines that could affect your options while you're getting approval.
And (where useful), we can provide information you can share with colleagues and parents to help you make the case for the trip.
3. Book your trip
Approval secured. Decision made. Now you can confirm your booking and start turning the plan into a real trip.
There may still be plenty happening at school (from launching the trip to students and parents to collecting deposits), but this is also the point where our operational planning begins to gather pace.
You can begin to collect passenger information. Traditionally, this has been one of the most admin-heavy aspects of school trip planning, but using our customer portal, My Trip Zone, you'll just need to send one secure link to parents, and they can upload this information directly into our portal, ready for airlines, etc., when they need it.
Your next steps:
- Launch your trip to parents and students.
- Collect deposits.
- Confirm your booking.
- Check your payment schedule and key deadlines.
- Send parents a secure link to our online portal, where they'll be able to upload key information for travellers.
What we're doing behind the scenes
We'll secure the arrangements included in your booking and work with our suppliers on the next steps.
We'll also prepare the handover from your Tour Consultant to your Itinerary Coordinator. Your new contact won't be starting from scratch. We'll pass on the important details and agreements from the planning stage, so there's continuity as your trip moves into preparation.
Pro Tip
We've noticed more schools sending out initial "expressions of interest" letters before collecting deposits, but we strongly advise going straight to launching with deposit collection instead.
In our experience, non-binding interest forms often don't reflect actual sign-ups, with numbers often dropping significantly when it comes to collecting deposits. And that can jeopardise your trip's viability or mean we need to re-cost your tour (to reflect the actual number signed up).
Adding this extra phase also delays your timeline by weeks, running the risk of losing preferred accommodation, missing flight holding deadlines, or incurring price increases.
To lock in the best availability and rates for your students, setting a firm deposit deadline right from the start is by far the safest approach.
4. Around 6-4 months before travel
This is when the practical preparation really gets going.
There's usually more information to collect now (and more people asking you questions). Keeping on top of the key deadlines will make the final weeks much easier.
Your next steps
Depending on your trip, you may need to:
- Check passport requirements.
- Arrange visas or other travel documentation.
- Gather required passenger, medical and accessibility information.
- Continue your risk assessment.
- Complete school approval paperwork, such as EVOLVE.
- Confirm any subject-specific or activity requirements.
- Keep parents updated.
What we're doing behind the scenes
Your Itinerary Coordinator will be working with transport providers, accommodation, activity providers and other suppliers to bring your arrangements together.
We'll update your itinerary and manage requests and changes. We'll also keep you clear on what we need from you, what's already been confirmed and what's still being worked on.
If something changes, we'll help you understand what that means for the trip and what action (if any) you need to take.
5. Around 3-2 months before travel
Your trip is getting closer.
By now, the main shape of the itinerary should be clear, and you'll be working through the final pieces of administration.
Your next steps:
- Review your latest itinerary.
- Make your final payment when due.
- Complete your risk assessment.
- Review the passenger information collected and chase any gaps.
- Confirm dietary, medical and accessibility requirements.
- Prepare students for the trip.
- Update parents on the final arrangements.
What we're doing behind the scenes
We'll continue confirming your arrangements with suppliers and checking that everything fits together.
Your Itinerary Coordinator will keep the itinerary up-to-date and work through any outstanding changes with you.
This is also when we start bringing together the information and documents you'll need for departure.
6. Around 4-1 weeks before travel
Nearly there.
The final few weeks can feel particularly busy. There are rooming lists to check, last-minute questions to answer and students who suddenly remember an important piece of information they haven't told you yet.
This is where the final checks really matter.
Your next steps:
- Submit final passenger information and check for any last-minute changes.
- Confirm rooming arrangements.
- Hold your final parent and student briefings.
- Review your itinerary and emergency procedures.
- Make sure accompanying staff have the information they need.
- Download and check Vamoos.
What we're doing behind the scenes
We'll make the final preparations with your suppliers and check the details of your arrangements.
We'll prepare your final travel information and make sure you have the documents you need.
We'll also make sure your trip information is available on Vamoos, so that you can access it on the go via your phone or tablet.
If anything is still outstanding, your Itinerary Coordinator will help you understand what needs resolving, who's dealing with it and whether there's anything you need to do.
7. While you're away
This is the moment you've been working towards.
Your focus is now on your students: keeping everyone safe, informed, engaged and in the right place at the right time.
Our job is to make sure you're supported while you do it.
Your next steps:
- Follow your itinerary and travel information.
- Keep your group together and informed.
- Work with your accompanying staff and any local representatives.
- Use the support contacts we've given you if something changes or if you need help.
What we're doing behind the scenes
Our support doesn't stop when you leave school.
Your support team will work with our suppliers and representatives to help keep your trip running smoothly.
If something unexpected happens, we'll work with the relevant suppliers and support teams to coordinate the response and keep you informed about what's happening.
8. When you're back
Students home. Suitcases unpacked. Trip completed.
You may be ready to reflect on an incredible experience. Or you may simply be ready for a cup of tea and a quieter week.
When you're ready to reflect on the trip, we'll be here (whether that means sharing feedback, resolving a question or eventually starting to think about another trip).
Your next steps:
- Close off any remaining school administration.
- Share useful feedback with us (when you're ready).
- Let us know if anything remains unresolved.
- Celebrate what your students achieved and experienced.
What we're doing behind the scenes
We'll check how your trip went and make sure any outstanding issues are followed up.
If something didn't go as expected, resolving that comes first.
And when you're ready to start thinking about another trip, we'll already have the experience and history of this one to build on.
Keep your school trip timeline to hand
There's a lot to remember when you're organising a school trip.
That's why we've created a simple downloadable timeline you can save, print or share with colleagues.
It brings the main stages, deadlines and responsibilities together in one place (including what our team will be doing behind the scenes).
And remember, you don't need to work out every step alone. Your Tour Consultant and Itinerary Coordinator are there to guide you, answer questions and help deal with problems as they arise.