How to Compare Quotes

Many schools ask teachers to collect several quotes before a trip can be approved. That sounds simple enough. But, as you already know, school trip quotes rarely arrive in the same format or include exactly the same things. 

In fact, no two school trip quotes are the same. 

One price may include airport transfers, hold baggage and entry to attractions. Another may leave all those things out. 

One itinerary may reflect the details you asked for. Another may be a generic outline that leaves important elements unclear. 

That makes a true like-for-like comparison difficult (and it's one more job to fit around teaching, planning and the daily demands of school life).

The good news is that you don't have to work it out all alone. 

Short on time? Ask us to compare your quotes. 

Send them to your Halsbury Tour Adviser (or email them to us via enquiries@halsbury.com). Our team reviews school trip quotes every day (both our own and those from other providers). We'll help you spot the differences, understand what is and isn't included, and identify the questions you need to ask. 

How to compare school trip quotes: your quick checklist

Before you compare the price per person, check that each quote:

• Is based on the same dates, duration, group size and departure point. 
• Reflects the trip you've actually asked for. 
• Explains exactly what's included and excluded. 
• Gives specific transport and accommodation details. 
• States whether anything is being held for your group. 
• Includes a realistic, relevant itinerary. 
• Explains how your money and your group will be protected. 
• Sets out the support you'll receive before and during the trip. 
• Shows how the operator will help to reduce your workload. 

Let's take those checks step-by-step. 

1. Make sure every provider is quoting for the same trip. 

Start with the brief. Small differences can have a big effect on the price, so check that every quotes uses the same: 

• Destination and travel dates. 
• Number and ages of paying passengers. 
• Number of staff and free staff place ratio. 
• Departure airport or coach pick-up point. 
• Trip duration and number of nights. 
• Transport type. 
• Accommodation standard and location. 
• Board basis. 
• Activities and visits. 
• Accessibility, medical and dietary requirements. 

If one quote is based on 40 paying students and another on 45, the price per person isn't directly comparable. The same applies if one operator has priced a centrally located hotel and another has priced accommodation outside the city (with extra transfers still to add). 

Make sure the basic elements are the same first. Then compare the numbers. 

2. Check that the quote has been built around your request.

A fast quote can be helpful. But speed alone doesn't tell you whether it's been built around your brief. 

Look for signs that the quote reflects what you asked for. Does it show:

• Your preferred dates and group numbers. 
• A named hotel (or a clear accommodation standard and location). 
• Realistic flight or coach details. 
• The activities you've asked for. 
• The right number of meals. 
• Any specific requirements you've discussed. 
• A clear explanation of whether flight prices (if applicable) are current or estimated. 

If the document gives you a generic itinerary and very little practical detail, treat it as an initial indication, rather than a fully comparable quote. If it's not totally clear, ask how it reflects your brief, which elements are included in the price, and which details remain provisional. 

What are flight prices based on? 

Sometimes, a quote has to be prepared before flights are on sale for your travel dates. 

That's common. What matters is knowing that the flight price could change before you book. 

A good quote should tell you:

• Whether the flight price is estimated or based on a live price. 
• When a live flight price is likely to become available (if estimated). 
• How the flight price will be reviewed once live fares become available. 
• That you should include a contingency to the price quoted to students. 

At Halsbury, when flights aren't on sale yet, we estimate what we expect the fare to be when it's released and make clear that the flight price is estimated. 

And when flight prices are live, we'll let you know that we've quoted on a live price. 

Whether flight prices are estimated or based on live prices, we always recommend that you include a contingency on the price you quote students (and we can advise you on this). That's because, even when flight prices are live, they're subject to change until the moment they're booked (and a sensible contingency should mean you don't need to ask parents to pay more). 

Look beyond the headline price

Two quotes can show a similar trip but include very different things. Work through each one line-by-line. 

Transport

Check whether the price includes:

• Return flights, rail travel or coach travel. 
• UK airport transfers (if you've asked for them). 
• Overseas airport or station transfers. 
• Hold baggage and cabin baggage. 
• Tolls, parking charges and permits. 
• Local transport needed for the itinerary. 

If you're travelling by coach, just remember that the law around drivers' hours may mean you need two drivers to achieve your planned itinerary. 

Accommodation and meals

Check:

• The hotel or accommodation standard and location. 
• How many nights are included. 
• The rooming basis for students and staff. 
• Whether staff single-room supplements apply. 
• The board basis. 
• The first and last meals included. 
• Whether dietary requirements can be accommodated (and whether there's an extra charge). 
• Whether local tourist or city taxes are included. 

Visits and activities

Check:

• Whether every visit shown on the itinerary is included in the price. 
• Whether group reservation or booking fees are included.
• Whether guides, workshops or equipment hire cost extra. 
• Whether the activities suit the age and needs of your group. 
• Whether there are optional activities you would need to add later. 

Staff places and other essentials

Check:

• How many free staff places are included. 
• The staff-to-student ratio used to calculate the price. 
• Whether insurance is included (and what it covers). 
• Whether a representative or local assistance is included. 
• Whether there are any supplements, booking fees or compulsory extras. 

One quote may be cheaper because it offers a more basic package. Once you've added the missing meals, visits, baggage and transfers, you may find it actually costs more overall. 

Compare the likely final price, not just the first figure you see. 

3. Check the transport details carefully. 

Convenient transport can make the difference between a manageable travel day and a very long one (for you and your students. 

For a flight tour, ask:

• Are the airline, departure and flight times shown?
• Are the times suitable for a school group?
• Is the price based on current group availability?
• Is the fare live, held or estimated?
• What baggage allowance is included?
• Are seats, taxes and booking fees included?
• Are transfers included at both ends?
• Could the fare change before booking?

Some airline prices can change at any time before tickets are actually booked (particularly if you're looking at a low-cost airline). Your quote should explain whether that's the case or not. 

For coach or rail travel, check the route, timings, pick-up points and any crossings. Ask whether the price includes all likely supplements and whether long journeys have been planned with suitable stops. 

At Halsbury, all our quotes have a valid until date. This isn't there to rush you. It tells you how long the checked price can be relied on (subject to clearly stated exceptions). After that date, suppliers may change their prices or availability. 

4. Find out if anything is being held. 

A quote doesn't automatically mean that the flights, accommodation or activities have been reserved. 

Ask each provider: 

• Is the transport or accommodation behing held for our group?
• What exactly is being held?
• When will the option expire?
• Could the price or availability change before we book?
• What deposit or approval is needed to secure it?

This is really important when you're waiting for internal approval or collecting expressions of interest. If nothing is being held, you need to understand the risk of the preferred option selling out (or increasing in price) before you're ready to book. 

5. Test the itinerary. 

A packed itinerary can look impressive. It isn't necessarily better value. 

At the quoting stage, the itinerary will usually be a proposed plan rather than a confirmed schedule. Check that it's useful, realistic and right for your learning objectives. 

Look at:

• How much time the itinerary allows at each visit. 
• How much free time is included.
• Journey time between visits. 
• Realistic times for meals, check-ins and comfort breaks. 
• The pace of each day. 
• Accessibility and age suitability. 
• The educational value of each activity. 

Free activities can be a valuable addition. But they shouldn't distract from missing essentials or visits that better support your aims. 

The exact timings and visit bookings will normally be confirmed later. At the quoting stage, look for enough details to judge the itinerary's educational value, pace and practicality. 

6. Identify costs that could appear later. 

Before you share a price with parents, ask what isn't included and what could change. 

Possible extra costs include:

• Meals outside the quoted board basis. 
• Optional or excluded activities. 
• UK airport transfers. 
• Baggage. 
• Public transport or coach transfers at the destination. 
• Local tourist taxes. 
• Staff single-room supplements. 
• Passport, visa or entry-authorisation costs. 
• Insurance upgrades. 
• Currency or supplier-related surcharges (where permitted under the booking terms). 
• Any increase that could apply if an estimated flight fare rises before booking. 

No teacher wants to go back to families and ask for more money after students have signed up. A complete, transparent quote makes it easier to set a realistic price from the start. 

7. Compare protection and support. 

You're not only buying transport, beds and tickets. You're choosing who will help you plan the trip (and who will support you if something changes while you're away). 

Ask how each provider will protect your payments and manage health and safety. Check the protection relevant to your booking and ask the operator to explain exactly how it applies. 

Useful checks include:

• ABTA membership. 
• ATOL protection for applicable flight-inclusive arrangements. 
• ABTOT protection for applicable non-flight packages. 
• Assured membership of the School Travel Forum. 
• The Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. 
• Safety management and supplier audit processes. 
• 24-hour emergency assistance while you're away. 

Halsbury is an ABTA member (V2645), holds an ATOL (5079) and has ABTOT protection (membership number 5493) for non-flight packages. 

We're also an Assured Member of the School Travel Forum and hold the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. You can read more on our accreditations page. 

Then compare the practical support on offer:

• Will you have a named contact? 
• Can you get advice while you're developing the itinerary?
• Will they help if a supplier changes or cancels something?
• Is support available 24 hours a day while you're travelling?
• Can they arrange an inspection visit?
• What help will you receive with risk management information and trip administration?

The right support may not appear as a line on the price breakdown. But it can save significant time and stress (so it's worth checking from the outset). 

8. Compare the workload for you. 

Trips are becoming harder to run and many teachers aren't given any formal planning time during the working day. Your tour operator should lighten the load. 

Ask how you'll manage:

• Passenger names and dates of birth. 
• Passport details. 
• Medical, dietary and accessibility information. 
• Rooming lists. 
• Changes to group numbers. 
• Payments and deadlines. 
• Travel documents. 
• Itinerary updates. 
• Information for your school's approval process. 

Also, ask what the provider will do for you. Will they coordinate suppliers? Chase confirmations? Provide clear deadlines? Keep essential information in one place?

The less time you have to spend duplicating data and tracking different suppliers, the more time you can spend preparing your students for the experience. 

For more information on how we're working to reduce your workload, check out My Trip Zone. 

9. Ask every provider the same questions. 

Use this checklist when reviewing your quotes:

• Is this quote tailored to our stated dates, numbers and requirements?
• What's included in the price per person?
• What isn't included?
• What could change before we book?
• Have they specified the transport and accommodation the quote is based on and is anything being held (and until when)?
• Does the proposed itinerary meet our learning objectives and group needs?
• What financial protection applies to this booking?
• What support will we receive before departure?
• Who do we contact if we need help while we're away?
• What administration will you handle for us?

If the answers aren't clear, keep asking. A good tour operator will be happy to explain how the quote has been built. 

Need help comparing your school trip quotes?

Send your quotes to your Halsbury Tour Adviser. They look at school trip quotes every day and know where differences tend to hide (from baggage and meal allowances to unpriced activities and estimated transport costs). We'll take you through them in plain English and help you understand the questions to ask before you make a decision. 

Clear costs and clear choices make for confident planning.