Fall is such a beautiful time of year. Many teachers who lead a fall student trip say that the travel bonds their class together and sets the tone for the rest of the school year. With fewer crowds, there is increased availability at many hotels and destination sites that are often in high-demand. Large schools requiring high volume reservations find fall travel particularly advantageous. However, fall travel can seem daunting since it is at the beginning of the school year. We are here to help! The following timeline and tips will help you to plan and lead a successful fall student trip.
Steps for Planning a Successful Fall Student Trip
1. Request proposals 9 months to one year in advance.
Ideally, trip planning begins one calendar year in advance. The fall of the year prior is a great time to talk to a travel consultant and receive proposals. Work together to design a trip schedule that meets the interests and needs of your school.
Fall in Central Park photo: essential-new-york-city-guide.com
2. Hold a parent trip meeting early in the calendar year.
Meet with parents of the traveling class early in the calendar year to build excitement for the trip and discuss the itinerary, payment schedule, and fundraising. Use our pre-trip meeting presentation to organize your information.
3. Fundraise during the spring and summer months.
If your class needs to fundraise to offset the cost of the trip, design a fundraising plan over the spring and summer months that works with the schedule of your group. There are many fundraising ideas on our site to get you started.
4. Maintain regular communication with parents and chaperones during the spring and over the summer.
Regular communication with parents is key to the success of your fall student trip, especially since many of the parents aren’t parents of your current students. On the bright side, this is a great way to get to know the parents and students of your class for the upcoming year! Choose whichever communication route works best for the current group. This may be building a trip website, sending reminder postcards, or creating an email list. Communication is especially important during the summer months.
Fall in Williamsburg (photo: nafa-va.org)
5. Hold a trip meeting at the very beginning of the school year.
Get all parents and travelers together for a meeting at the start of the traveling school year. This is a great chance to officially kick the year off, regroup, review scheduling, and go over any final details.
6. Encourage returning travelers to talk to next year’s travelers.
After returning from your first fall student trip, you have a group of excited travelers and parents who are thrilled to share stories about their trip. This is a great opportunity! Invite these parents and students to speak at the first trip meeting for next year’s class of travelers. It is always encouraging for first time travelers to hear about the fun the class before them had.
Scholastica Travel has specialized in customized travel since 1980. Let us help you make your class travel goals a reality. Call today or fill out a quick info request to receive a free quote.
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