Halsbury Travel offers Primary school teachers some advice for organising trips abroad.
Organising a school trip can be hard enough without adding the word ‘abroad’ into the equation. But planning for a trip abroad with your class doesn’t have to be as stressful as you might think. Sue Sharkey, director of Halsbury Travel, lets us in on a handful of tips to make the process just that bit easier and approachable.
1. Choose your destination carefully
Choosing the right destination is important, especially for Primary trips. You need to choose a place which is self-contained, quiet and safe, with lots of things to do close by.
2. Don’t make the trip too long
Day trips are a great, low cost way of introducing your students to a new country but they can be tiring so make sure everyone brings a pillow so they can have a nap. An overnight stay, on the other hand will allow your pupils to see more and gently introduce them to being away from home which will greatly improve their independence. For Primary school children, it is better to keep trips short as the novelty will wear off much quicker than for older children and it will be replaced with homesickness.
3. Travel by coach
Coach is the ideal option for your first trip, as you can ensure that all your pupils stay in one place. You will also have the use of the coach for the duration of your trip, so there will be no worries about carrying heavy baggage. For your channel crossing, if you are a bit apprehensive about keeping your pupils together, then Eurotunnel is the perfect option, as you can stay on the coach for the duration of the crossing, which only takes 35 minutes.
4. Take a group size you are comfortable with
The standard coach size is 49 seats so in order to get the best price you will need to fill the coach. However, it is no problem if you want to take more or less pupils – there are bigger coaches out there if you do want to take more.
5. Prepare your pupils for the trip
You should spend a good amount of time preparing your students for the trip; ideally a few weeks. Use lessons to go over any essential vocabulary, promote the trip and get your students excited. Role-play exercises are a great way to simulate experiences they might actually have on the trip.
About Halsbury Travel
Halsbury Travel is a family run tour operator with 30 years' experience in creating bespoke school tours. Destinations that can be visited with Halsbury include Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Greece.
0115 9404 303
enquiries@halsbury.com
www.halsbury.com
