You may feel like a pro when it comes to crafting trips for seniors, but what about when an opportunity comes to plan a student group trip? It can seem intimidating for many experienced adult group travel planners.
But how does student group travel really differ from other travel? Try implementing these six tips into planning a student group trip for an experience that will please both the students and the parents.
1.) Safety first
One of the biggest differences between youth travel and adult travel is a greater focus on safety. Kids often don’t have the experience or common sense that adults have when it comes to what is safe and what isn’t. So considering safety is a must for student travel. Depending on the age of the children, you’ll need to decide the ratio of adult chaperones to students. You’ll also need to figure out if you’d prefer volunteer parents or faculty for those chaperones.
Figure out what rules you will enforce and how you will enforce them, such as curfew, misbehaving students and emergency situations. Tour companies often have policies already in place for these types of events, so if using one, decide if their safety measures have been well thought out.
2.) Choosing a partner
When choosing a tour operator, make sure they not only consider safety a major priority, but also opt for one studied in the type of trip you are looking for. Make sure they have experience with your age group, the amount of educational focus you are looking for and the flexibility to customize a trip to perfect for your individual group.
3.) Consider the curriculum
Student travel can range in its goals, but all require some type of educational component. Sometimes these trips have educational themes, such as a trip to Philadelphia focused on the founding of the nation. Others embrace broader themes and can expound on a variety of topics, such as science, history and art.
Talk to teachers to determine what focuses make sense for the age group and find ways to incorporate them into the trip. Guides or faculty on the trip can often provide talks to go with sightseeing to give students a deeper understanding of what they are seeing.
4.) Experiential learning
But don’t just talk to your students, engage them in the learning process through experiential activities. Teach them the culture of a destination through a cooking class or about a historic art period through a hands-on art workshop. These types of activities not only allow the student to interact more with what they are learning, but they also provide powerful memories.
5.) Guided with freedoms
Though safety remains the first consideration, an itinerary with some built-in free time or choices can help students follow their interests. Discuss the group’s age and maturity level with teachers to determine how much free reign to give them. For example, some time for them to explore a museum on their own might work for a number of ages. However, an entire day free might be too risky unless coordinated so that students will be with a chaperone at all times.
6.) Lay it all out
A good rule of thumb send out all the materials you can ahead of time on the rules, expectations, itinerary details and other information of a student group trip. For example, the paperwork needed is sometimes more involved for a student group, so parents and student should be notified clearly as to what is expected of them.
Students will also want to know trip details, such as how many children to a room, how many chaperones on the trip and the behavior expected of each student. Keep parents and students in the loop as much as possible, so everyone is prepared to enjoy a fun and safe trip.
