You’re a teacher, parent, student or musical director and you have decided that you’d like to enhance your classroom’s learning experience by adding educational student tours to the curriculum. Where do you start?
1. Pick the Best Educational Tours Company
Know that only the best educational tour companies should be used to plan your trip. Your primary focus should be the education of your students, leaving school tour companies to concentrate on transportation, meals, activities, and other logistics. Specialized logistics such as musical instrument shipping and costume storage during music performance tours can also be included in packages.
2. Determine a Field Trip Goal
Decide what the goal of the field trip is. Is it an education trip – a California history tour or a Washington DC history tour? Or a graduation celebration – a grad night adventure to Disneyland or a Six Flags park? Are you interested in high school music trips such as a marching band trip, choir performance tours or dance recitals outside of your hometown? Is there another objective, such as an administration’s desire to support academic tours?
3. Book in Advance
An educational tour company can most effectively negotiate discounts and reserve premium travel times when specific travel dates are known early. Lead time is important. The further in advance educational tours are booked, the more likely travel companies will be able to reserve all desired package components.
4. Select a Destination and Determine a Budget
Choose your travel destination and provide a per-student budget for the trip before contacting an educational travel company. Travel agencies can provide limited or extended-stay itineraries for domestic and international travel, so providing destination and budget details early can shorten the research time for a travel proposal.
5. Learn Your School’s Approval Process
Know the trip approval decision date and what the approval process is for your classroom’s travel. School band tours are planned one to two years prior to departure and are usually approved by the school administration. Performing tours have a similar approval process and schedule. International travel may require district approval in addition to administration.
Knowing these 5 strategies to educational student tours planning prior to beginning your school’s preparation can truly help a travel organizer to better manage time and create a positive, enriching experience for students and teachers alike.
