Make school trips more sustainable with these five helpful tips

Learning outside of the classroom through overseas trips can help to inspire pupils in their education through real-world experiences, often sparking deeper interest in particular subject areas.

However, there are concerns over the sustainability of overseas school trips, with the Department for Education calling on UK schools to drive sustainable behaviour and to reduce their carbon footprint where they can.

Young people are also increasingly concerned about becoming more eco-conscious in their behaviour, with a 2024 report from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council finding that roughly three quarters (73%) of Gen Z are more likely to go on trips with sustainable offerings.

Specialist travel management companies can help tailor itineraries to fit specific needs, budgets, and embed sustainability throughout the trip. Here are my five tips on lowering the carbon footprint of trips and making educational visits, particularly overseas excursions, more sustainable. 

Five ways schools can travel more sustainably

1. Pick an eco-friendly travel destination: if you haven’t picked your destination already, try somewhere that promotes eco-conscious living, offers sustainable travel options like a tram system, or integrate eco-friendly activities into your itineraries.
2. Bring energy-efficient devices: contribute small actions to reduce your energy consumption, whether by the devices you bring or your behaviour on the trip.
3. Choose green hotels: choose accommodation that meet eco-certifications, such as Earth Check and Eco Hotel.
4. Find ways to offset carbon: request both centralised and point-of-sale solutions to offset your carbon emissions, and find a project that best reflects your school or opt for purchasing carbon credits.
5. Avoid single-use plastics: encourage reusable water bottles, metal straws, and bulk-buy any products for the trip beforehand. This is something all students can contribute to (and their parents).