How to Book a European School Trip
Organising a trip can sometimes seem an overwhelming prospect, but at Schools Into Europe we have gone to great lengths to simplify the process and to make the role of Party Leader as stress-free as possible.
So Where Do I Start?
First of all you need to decide which destination suits you, your subject, and the age group of the children you wish to take. We have a wide selection of destinations, many of which are listed on this website, but if you have a destination in mind which isn’t listed, we would be more than happy to tailor make a tour to almost any European destination.
We also have paper information packs on the majority of the destinations which we offer, and if you would prefer to read through these, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be happy to send you whatever information you wish.
Once you’ve chosen where you want to go, the next question is:–
When Do I Want to Go?
Establishing proposed dates for your trip as early on as possible is crucial to making the process as stress-free as possible. Many of our groups now prefer to travel over long weekends or during the holidays, but even if your school is happy for you to travel during term-time, your School or Group calendar is an excellent place to start to make sure your trip won’t clash with any internal school events. You also need to consider how long it will take to collect the money from your party, as all those involved will need time to get this together.
Once you have found suitable dates, it’s a good idea to ask your headteacher or leadership team for approval for the trip. While some of our party leaders prefer to make a Provisional Booking before seeking approval, if it’s your first trip we advise that you ask for the headteacher/leadership’s team input at the beginning, so that any recommendations they make can be factored into your original Provisional Booking.
So, you have your destination, dates and the relevant permission… it’s time to make your Provisional Booking!
Making a Provisional Booking
A Provisional Booking is just that: provisional. At this stage you are not under any obligation to run the trip, and no money or deposit will have been paid. All it means from a party leader's perspective is that we can provide you with a more detailed summary of the costs involved in the trip, and what optional extras you may wish to include. Please bear in mind that the earlier you make your Provisional Booking, the earlier you will receive this information, and the longer you will have to confirm everything both in the school and with us. Unlike some of our competitors, we book all of the excursions and accommodation at this stage even though you are still under no obligation to travel; that way we can be sure to offer you everything which appears on your Provisional Booking should you choose to run the trip.
Making a Provisional Booking is quick and easy, and there are 3 ways to do it:-
Give us a call! Just one simple telephone call will give you access to one of our helpful advisors who will take you through the process and identify your needs quickly and efficiently. All you need to hand is the dates you want to go and the destination and we’ll do the rest!
Fax/Email us your requirements! If you’d prefer to just send us an itinerary of what you would like to do, please feel free. We would be grateful if you could include the dates and destination as this is the crucial information that we require. Be sure to note any special requirements or excursions too, as the earlier you let us know the sooner we can make these arrangements for you!
Make your Provisional Booking right here! Complete the online enquiry form - Just click here to make your Provisional Booking on line!
What Happens Next?
As we already mentioned, we provisionally book a number of things at this stage, so if there is a slight delay before you receive your confirmation, please be patient: we are only waiting for our suppliers to confirm these arrangements, and then we’ll contact you straight away!
Once these are in place, you will receive your Confirmation of Provisional Booking, which will include all of the relevant details, including the price. You will also receive a starter pack which includes payment cards, a sample letter to parents, helpful notes to Party Leaders, posters, the day trip/tour booking form, Health and Safety Management System and Planning Safety Guide (which includes the generic risk assessment) and any other relevant information or support material. *NB* Please keep hold of your booking form as you will need this later on.
Advertising
So you’ve received all the relevant paperwork. Now it’s time to start advertising. You will have received a sample letter to parents from us to use or you may want to write your own. In our experience, it’s important to include as much detail as possible, particularly in respect of payment deadlines and the return of permission slips. We know how busy teachers are, and making these deadlines clear early on should hopefully minimise the number of people you have to chase at the last minute! We also have a tonne of other resources we can give you, including posters and a sample Powerpoint Presentation, to help your advertising to be as successful as possible.
Confirming Your Booking
Once you have collected the initial deposits from the children, please send them to us as soon as possible, along with the signed Booking Form which was included with your Notification of Provisional Booking. Once we have received this we can begin to confirm the arrangements which we have provisionally made for your party. (Please note that a select few of our most popular centres require a holding deposit before this time, though we will provide more details of this if applicable at the beginning of the provisional stage).
It’s important that you are explicit about what you want from your trip throughout the booking process. We really want you and your group to have a wonderful tour and, time allowing, can arrange for your party to do almost anything you want whilst away, whether it’s in our information packs or not. So, if there is something you particularly want to do, whether it’s an excursion to a real French boulangerie, or a guided tour of a Belgian diamond factory, please don’t hesitate to tell us!
Once we have received your initial deposits, we will treat your tour as a Definite Booking. This means that we will begin to compile your provisional itinerary and other documentation, giving you the maximum possible time before departure to make any alterations which you see fit. We will stay in regular contact with you during this period to ensure that all of your requirements are being met.
Finalising Your Tour
The relevant payment deadlines for your party will be made clear on your documentation, but we generally ask for the final balance ten weeks before departure for a tour, and four weeks before departure for a day trip. For tours, we may also ask for a further payment between receiving your deposits and the final payment date. This is also the point where we make any final adjustments to your itinerary, and make sure that everything is as you would like it!
On-y-va!
So, you’ve paid your final balance, received all you documents, and you’re ready to go! We will speak with you just before your departure to make sure that everything is ok, and we hope that you and your party will have a wonderful time! We will give you an emergency 24-hour telephone number before you leave, and are at your disposal throughout your tour to help in anyway we can!
When you come home we will also send you a feedback form, which we hope you will return to us so that we can make the service which we provide even better!
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question not answered by the above? Please see our list of frequently asked questions or contact us directly!
