Step 1. Work with an experienced specialist school tour operator.
Perhaps you are thinking, “They would say that wouldn’t they” but the point is that the support that you get will make life so much easier. You really want to get on with other things, safe in the knowledge that your school trip is being taken care of.
Expert advice isn’t ‘found’ overnight and the policies and experience of your provider will be the main driver behind success. A good indicator is their membership of the School Travel Forum which is the most influential industry body and Health & Safety provider.
Step 2. Get the correct insurance cover
ABTA and the School Travel Forum worked with AXA to provide a purpose-built school travel insurance policy in the wake of the pandemic to ensure that schools could book with confidence. The ‘Travelsure’ policy is designed with you in mind and once you appreciate its coverage you will understand why it opens up the world of school travel.
All clients booking with Activ4 School Tours are covered and we can send you a free copy of the Book with Confidence – Travelsure, overview.
Step 3. Take account of numbers
As you open up the world of school travel there will be pent up demand, so why not use this to your advantage and create a secondary group that form the basis of a reserve list. That way if any members of the main group drop out you have a ready replacement.
The key to all successful outcomes is a fall-back plan and in this, if you work with the right operator, you can even make provision to include the additional members at a later date if there you have had no requirement for replacements.
Step 4. Budget for extra staff
It’s a false economy to take the bare minimum when it comes to staff places. Share the experience and create a pool of helpers that can assist in the running of the trip. As with student places why not create a reserve pool which covers all eventualities.
In the right environment and for the right trip, staff members will give of their time… but why not incentivise them. Over the years we have developed a whole range of neat little ideas that provide a little extra impetus when it comes to school trips such as School Ski Trips and School Sports Tours
Step 5. Use the ‘App
The modern world revolves around ‘real time’ communication. School travel design and management should be easy and convenient to access.
In our quest to continue to set the standard for customer service in educational travel, we have developed a digital approach to tour management. Our web based project management application makes the collaboration between you and your Activ4 School Tours Co-ordinator easier and more efficient.
- Navigate through your journey from booking to departure
- Documentation, hints, tips & reminders in one app
- Use Trello on Desktop, Laptop, Tablet & Phone
- Stay in Sync across all of your devices
so you can collaborate with your team anywhere from sitting on the bus to sitting on the beach!
