Travel Blog

Let's be honest the thought of planning an overseas excursion for a class can seem very overwhelming. Working out where to begin can be the hardest part. Especially if the School hasn't done an overseas excursion before.  

We are here to help you guide your way through planning a tour with some key simple steps. Let's take the pressure away from the planning, so keep continue reading.  

A little bit about our company, we are known for tailor making student tours overseas. Covering a range of subjects and sports codes. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, we are confident we know the ins and outs. Our role in the beginning process is to work closely with the organizer which is usually the class teacher, coach, or subject Co-Ordinator.   

Step ONE: 

We begin with the DATES. This is an important part to get in early. When we know dates well in advance the flight availability and price is a lot more desirable which allows the tour to be a great price for students. We normally work within the School holiday period. Early is key. We normally begin planning a school tour a year in advance.  

Step TWO: 

Important Inclusions. We are well known for our tailor-made programs and tours. We work closely with the organizers to ensure we include exactly what they are looking for in the tours. We always ask if there are any important inclusions to consider when putting together the quote. For example, if an Italian language group is heading to Rome the organizer may ask us to include a visit to the St Peters Square. There may be a link to the teaching in the class that is important. Make note of any important visits to include and then we can do the rest! Now don't stress if there aren’t any specific inclusions, we can send many sample itineraries to work from 😊  

Step THREE: 

Homestay or lessons only. This step only applies to any language tours we arrange. We allow the organizers to decide whether the students will be participating in a homestay with our local or language schools or just language lessons. We believe this is an important step in the planning because homestay arrangements require time to find host families for the students and we like to touch base with our schools as early as possible.  

Step FOUR: 

Number of Students and Teachers. When we begin to provide a quote for the organizer, ideally, we have an estimated number of the group to work with. This allows us to ensure flight availability, accommodation availability, or host families. When we create the quote of the estimated numbers we assist the organizer with promoting the tour to the class and parents. We can offer flyers, posters, presentations, and even an information night where the parents are allowed to meet us and ask as many questions as possible.  

Step FIVE: 

Let the booking process begin. We have an online booking process that we work closely with the organizer. We request student booking forms to be submitted followed by deposits for the group. When we get closer to the departure we arrange a departure meeting. We come to the school or host it ourselves. This is where we run through the final itinerary in detail, hand out any required documents for the group, along question time with us.  

We always assist the process right from the beginning providing great resources and knowledge of the industry. We are confident if you break down the process into our 5 steps we believe the thought of planning an overseas tour won't be so overwhelming.  

Because we love to provide as many resources as we can to help, click the button below to download a FREE planning tour checklist!