We understand cost is one of the most important factors of a school trip, ensuring it is as affordable and accessible to everybody as can be. Making small changes can often make big differences to the overall trip cost. Whilst we know many factors are outside of your control, detailed below are some tips to help you save money on your next school trip.
Dates
Travel dates is often the biggest factor in what impacts the cost of a school trip. Being flexible on travel dates is ultimately the best way to cut costs on your trip as it means we can search over large periods to find the best deals for you. Taking your trip within the Autumn, or Spring terms are often much more cost-effective than the Summer term for example.
Whilst it’s understandable that many schools wish to take their students away at the end of the academic year in June or July to celebrate their successes, it often works better to have a trip within the term, as this means learning can continue, following the return to school.
Group size
When travelling by coach, a trip is most cost-effective when every seat is occupied. A full coach means the total cost can be split between more students, making it cheaper for everybody on board. Whilst we use various coach sizes, the standard coach has 49 seats (we can source larger vehicles if required), making a trip of 44/45 students with 4/5 staff the ideal ratio. When taking a smaller group, costs rapidly increase as the cost of every empty seat is paid for by those going on the trip.
Coach & Rail Transport
As mentioned above, the cost can vary quite drastically depending on how full a coach is. If travelling with a smaller group, it is sometimes cheaper to choose an alternative transport method e.g., by train. For example, for groups of 20-25 passengers to London, this can be a good option.
Similarly for destinations such as Paris, Lille and Amsterdam, we can compare air travel with coach and Eurostar options too.
Air Transport
If travelling by air, oddly it is often the more passengers you have the more the air seats costs, due to dynamic pricing models employed by airlines. However these increased costs are often offset by lower in-destination costs (such as reduced transfer costs). But travelling by air does not always mean a bigger group is cheaper.
Wherever possible, we utilise low-cost airlines as they are almost always more cost-effective than other carriers.
When travelling by air, the cost of checked in baggage is considerable. If travelling for a short period it may be possible to avoid this cost. But we always give you the option to add or remove airline baggage from your package where it is an option.
Join another subject, year group or school
If you’re struggling to reach the desired numbers within a particular cohort, it is often worth expanding the trip to other subjects, year groups, or partner schools. For example, a trip to Rome can be perfect for both History and Religious Studies students alike. We can offer a bespoke itinerary to combine subject areas or student ages for you.
Accommodation
Whilst it may seem desirable to stay in a city centre, it is often cheaper to stay on the outskirts. Not only is it cheaper, but often more peaceful, safe and gives groups the chance to experience something different, for example a local neighbourhood. Our individual destination pages offer various accommodation options, to include central and rural locations for you to compare.
Booking Early
Booking your school trip early means we have more chance to get the best accommodation and transport deals for you, as well as securing availability. Hotels in London for example book up over 1 year in advance, meaning the earlier we can get these booked in to ensure you don’t miss out, the better. In addition, booking earlier means better choice of accommodation, and so more choice can often mean more cost-effective options are available.
Booking early becomes most important if travelling by low-cost air. As they employ dynamic pricing, every seat booked on the flight becomes more expensive. In an ideal scenario, you can book your trip before the air seats are even on sale so when they are released we can book them at the lowest cost for you. To do this, we need all passenger names (as per passports) and confirmation deposits.
Single Rooms
Understandably, staff members prefer single rooms for the tour. However the cost of single rooms ultimately falls on parents. So the more single rooms you take, the higher the per student cost. The impact is more keenly felt with bigger staff numbers and longer duration trips.
Excursions
Choosing excursions wisely can have a big impact. Many destinations offer free excursions with great educational value, especially in the UK. There are many free cultural experiences your students can have at places such as local markets. If your excursion requires transport and you did not travel by coach, consider an extra cost for the transport to/from the excursion.
Our team are highly experienced at organising school trips, every day. Therefore, are well placed to advise on ways you can reduce your student costs.
%202.jpg)
