It’s going to be warm out there today!
The humidity in Washington DC can be intense, especially in May and June. Staying hydrated must be a priority during these warm weather months. Although, this is often easy to forget in the excitement of touring!
Many schools opt to bring cases of water and snacks for students on their school trip to Washington DC. This is certainly helpful for hydration and keeping blood sugar levels level.
Keep the following tips in mind to optimize tour time and give the needed items to your students.
A Bottle a Day
How much water should you bring? We recommend one bottle of water per student per day of the trip. While this will not meet the needs for the day, it will fill in the down time between meals and water fountains.
Gather Donations at the Final Parent Meeting
Encourage parents to donate cases of water and/or snacks for the trip. If preferred, monetary donations can also be accepted. The best time to collect these is at the last parent meeting before trip departure. This gives the group leader the opportunity to organize the items and make sure that enough is available. Last minute packing can get frantic. It is easy for parents to forget their donations on the day of trip departure. Cross this item off of your list and collect donations in advance.
Store Water/Snacks Underneath the Motorcoach
Save seat space by storing the items underneath the motorcoach.
Retrieve Water/Snacks for the Day Before Hotel Departure
While students are loading the bus at the hotel each morning, get the amount of water and snacks needed for the group for the day from underneath the bus. Store these items in the first or second row on the bus for quick access.  This prevents a late departure as well as multiple trips underneath the bus at inconvenient times during your tour day.
Choose a Convenient Location to Distribute Items
There are certain locations in Washington DC where the group must load the bus very quickly and other locations where the loading time can be more leisurely. Before distributing items to students, check with your tour leader to make sure that you are in a  convenient place.
Distribute All Water/Snacks at One Time
Pick a time to distribute all water and all snacks to the group. This keeps the group loading the bus quickly and prevents unnecessary interruptions from individual students.
Hand Out Water/Snacks Mid-Morning or Mid-Afternoon
Choose a time between meals to hand out the water and snacks. If your students can last until the afternoon, wait. This will help with hydration when the day is the hottest and keep their blood sugar level until dinner.
Related Articles:
- The Prepared Teacher’s Field Trip Checklist
- How to Pack for a School Trip to Washington DC
- 20 Must Pack Items When Traveling by Motorcoach Bus
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