Why should we choose to travel by coach rather than fly?
For distances under 700 miles, coach travel is far greener than air travel.
Take school trip favourite, Paris, for example. Depending on where you’re travelling from, the journey by coach could produce around 0.02 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The same journey by air could produce around 0.09 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
With road vehicles, there has been a real concerted push towards greener solutions, such as the development of electric cars, and fuel economy.
And coach engines are constantly optimised for more economic fuel consumption and to produce lower emissions of diesel particles.
But there’s yet to be found an effective greener alternative to jet fuel.
Are there other benefits of choosing to go by coach?
Aside from being more environmentally friendly, coach travel is generally cheaper, so it’s a great option if you’re trying to keep costs down.
And although air travel is quicker, coach travel can be more convenient – there’s no check-in to contend with and you can all just hop on at school and hop off at your destination (with a few comfort breaks, of course!).
Of course, this makes supervision during the journey a lot more simple for you and your colleagues.
And, as you’ll have the coach to yourselves, you can make the journey part of the whole experience, whether you sit back and enjoy a film together, play a few coach games or enjoy a good old singalong! Check out our top tips for coach trips guide for inspiration!
Thinking about a school trip?
If you’re thinking about a school trip and would like more information on the transport available, or destinations which are easily reached by coach, then please don’t hesitate to contact us, as we’ll be very pleased to help. To give you an idea, here are a few of our favourite school trip destinations that are easily reached by coach.
Top school trips by coach
WW1 Battlefields
You really have to take a coach to get the best out of the WW1 battlefields. Having the coach with you means that you’ll be able to travel around the area according to your own tailor-made itinerary, so that you can take in the visits that best support your curriculum and learning objectives.
Paris
Paris is another of our top destinations for school coach trips. By taking a coach, you’ll be able to travel by ferry to France, which is usually the cheapest option.
And once you’re there, Paris offers fantastic educational opportunities for almost every subject, from French to fashion and food technology, and from science and art to business studies. And because it is such a versatile destination, Paris is perfect for a cross-curricular school trip, which is a great way to increase numbers and bring down the cost per person of your school trip!
Normandy
Normandy is a spectacular region of France that is close to the UK both geographically and historically, offering short journey times for British groups travelling by coach. It also offers students a wonderful insight into French culture, with plenty of opportunities to practise their French with friendly native speakers.
Normandy is also a region that is famous as a bit of a paradise for foodies and so it’s a great choice for food technology groups too, although any school groups visiting will want to include some food-related activities while they’re here!
And, of course, the region played a pivotal role in WW2, so history groups will love the chance to explore further what life was like in occupied France and what the impact of the Normandy landings was on the course of the war.
Barcelona and the Costa Brava
You may not have realised that it’s possible to visit Spain by coach on a school trip…but it is! Barcelona and the Costa Brava actually make for a great school trip by coach. And having the coach with you means that you can actually stay in one of the lovely seaside resorts along the Costa Brava and travel into Barcelona by coach for your visits.
This gives you the best of both worlds – you’ll enjoy the quieter, more relaxed seaside resort, where you can spend time on the beach after you’ve finished exploring all the wonderful sights of Barcelona during the day.
And, of course, Barcelona and the Costa Brava is another destination that works well as a cross-curricular school trip, as it works so well for so many different subjects. It’s great for Spanish, art, geography, fashion and business studies!
Rhineland
You also may have thought that Germany was a little bit too far to visit by coach, but that’s not the case! In fact, many of our groups who visit the Rhineland prefer to travel by coach. Again, it’s cheaper and it’s more convenient once you’re in resort as you can use the coach to travel around, rather than having to shepherd students on and off public transport.
The Rhineland as a wider area is perfect for German language groups, and its capital, Cologne, also works well for German and science groups.
Feeling inspired?
Ready to start planning your school trip by coach? Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.