Arranging a school trip is a time-consuming process (we don’t need to tell you that). So, it’s incredibly frustrating when you put all that time into planning, only for the trip not to go ahead because of one seemingly tiny oversight.
But this is happening to many teachers trying to plan trips right now.
What’s this tiny thing that can derail the best-laid plans?
Not speaking to your finance department about your trip early enough.
Many finance departments only make payments at fixed times of the month.
So, what (we’re sure you’re thinking)?
Well, you’ll notice that your quote has an expiry date. This isn’t an arbitrary date—it’s the last date at which we can definitely honour the quote (for example, we might have accommodation on hold for you that expires on that date, or flight prices might be due to or likely to increase after this date).
If you only approach your finance department about paying the deposits when you want them paid, you may find (like many of our group leaders) that your finance department won’t make another BACS run for 2 weeks.
And that delay of 2 weeks could see you lose the accommodation you have on hold or end up with more expensive flights (or even no flights altogether).
Added to that is the fact that the approval process for payments can be long-winded and often means having to go through multiple levels of approval (sometimes right up to county level).
We’re not saying this to scare you. It’s a common issue that affects many schools but that many teachers just aren’t aware of.
And it can so easily be avoided.
So, we urge you to include a quick chat with your finance department right at the start of planning your trip, to find out when they’ll be able to make the deposit payment (including exactly what they need from you and what the approval process for payments is).
Speaking to your finance team right at the beginning of the planning process (i.e. when gathering quotes) ensures you’ll be able to secure the trip you’re dreaming of.
And while you’re at it…
Another key thing to check right at the beginning of the process is whether your school has travel and medical insurance in place already.
You could save between £10 and £50 per person on your trip if you already have insurance in place, so this is definitely worth checking.
We’ve stopped including travel and medical insurance in our quotes as standard, as we’ve found more and more schools already have this in place and groups didn’t actually need it (but we can still arrange this as an optional extra, so just let us know if you do need this).
We really hope you’ve found this blog helpful. Don’t forget, we’re always really happy to answer any questions you have about the trip planning process, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.