School trips are always popular with pupils, particularly ski trips. It gives them an opportunity to bond with their peers outside of the classroom, to learn new skills and to visit a new part of the world. However, you may need to convince your colleagues and the parents of the benefits of your proposed trip. Before you start planning, make sure you have the necessary permissions from your school, and that parents would be in favour of your trip. This is an essential first step and every school will have different procedures for getting permissions.

Most organisers start planning their trip more than a year in advance. Make sure you have plenty of time to plan, promote and prepare for your trip. There is a lot to organise, but we can offer you expert advice and assistance. The sooner you begin organising, the better availability at our preferred resorts and accommodations, so it pays to be prompt.

As the lead organiser, you are likely to have a good understanding of how much parents in your area will be able to pay. While it is important to make the trip an experience the students will remember, it must be accessible to students from various backgrounds. You can help parents to pay for the trip by planning the trip early, and organising for them to pay in instalments.

The success of a group trip often rests on how much the students enjoyed themselves. As a result, it is important you consider the needs of your group.

Skiing

When organising a skiing trip, there are several things to consider:

Does the group have experience of skiing?
Groups of experienced skiers may be looking for enough variety and challenge. However, where the group is new to skiing, they may need easier routes and ones with assistance or other activities. Where you are taking a group with mixed experience of skiing, you will need to strike a balance. We have an in-depth understanding of resorts and can help you choose the perfect location.

Where do you want to stay?
Accommodation is an important consideration. Many organisers like to stay next to the slopes where it is busy, whereas others prefer a quieter area. We also offer some accommodations with sole occupancy, so please do let us know if this is an important factor for your group.

Evening entertainment
We have excellent recommendations for evening entertainment on our educational tours as well as Après Ski. It may be a good idea to ask pupils what they would like to do in the evenings. Some groups may be happy socialising with one another some nights, but others may prefer entertainment every night.

Find out more about Aprés Ski

Educational tours

The needs of your group when it comes to educational tours are normally focussed around learning outcomes and keeping your group engaged. Things you may wish to consider include:

• Does the trip compliment a particular unit or lesson?
• Will the pupils engage with the activities?
• Will the pupils have the opportunity to use foreign language skills?
• Will the trip broaden the pupil’s understanding of other cultures?
• Will it inspire pupils to do well in your particular subject?

Now that you have planned the perfect trip, you will need to promote it properly to teachers, pupils and parents. How you launch your trip can make all the difference to its success, but don’t worry, we have a few tips, tricks and resources for promotion with impact.

Find out more about promoting your trip

Organising a trip for pupils is a challenging but rewarding job. However, to make the most of your trip, you should ensure that it is not just an opportunity to travel, but an excellent learning experience too.

Find out more about creating a learning experience

Parents will be paying for the trip and trusting you with their children, so it is essential you get their support for the trip. After you have made an enquiry with us, we will send you a bespoke proposal outlining exactly what is included and the costs for the trip. You are under no obligation at this point, so you can change any elements of your itinerary that you wish. This is a useful guide for presenting to parents. We have put together a parents evening toolkit in the section below to help you make a great impression.

Find out more about promoting your trip