WildChina has been operating residential and excursions in China for over 20 years, so we know just how much work goes into them. Teachers can often get bogged down with filling out forms and stressful planning, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In this article, we’ve combined all of our resources, knowledge, and guidelines to better support the teachers we love working with.
Steps to planning a school trip
Below is WildChina’s five-step plan to ensure a well-thought-out and engaging trip that maximizes your time and focuses on some of the more overlooked trip planning essentials, while also producing a well thought out program for your students and staff :
1. Lay out the objectives and determine the key goals of the program
Consider what is affordable for your students and their parents and ensure you are giving them enough time to save for the trip
2. Contact with an Educational Provider
Ensure the operator you are choosing fully understands your learning objective and the mission of your trip. They should also have your requirements at the heart of their offering. Request a full written quote, clearly showing what is and is not included along with any surcharges that you may incur.
3. Approval
Meet with your school administration and get full approval of your dates, prices, and choice of operator. Prior to approval, you are likely required to complete a risk assessment form and recce trip. If you book through Wild China, we are happy to help you with the above.
4. Promote the trip
Launch the trip to your students and parents, sharing as much information as possible including deposit and payment dates plus a proposed itinerary. If you choose WildChina, we will help you promote your trip with students to help students and parents make an informed decision. Establish potential numbers of participants and collect any additional information that may impact the planning of the trip such as disabilities, allergies, and dietary requirements.
5. Book your trip
Send deposits and confirm passenger details. Your tour operator will guide you through the finer details such as the passenger manifest list and future payment dates. Once you are fully booked, your tour operator will continue to support you, booking all agreed elements of your rip and tailor-making your itinerary to suit your objectives. They should also help you with parent’s communications, expectations, and communications
The Parental Perspective
Sending one’s children away can be daunting for any parent. The most important aspects a teacher can focus on to ensure high engagement and enjoyment from both students and parents is detailed planning and strong communication with parents on safety and learning opportunities. Still, some parents may be hesitant about sending their son or daughter hours away, so below are some tips on how teachers can help put parents’ minds at ease:
Why a school trip?
Travel helps children to develop their sense of independence, experience new cultures, and bond with their classmates. Parents will support an itinerary with strong educational content alongside enjoyable, interactive, and hands-on visits.
Know your Program Operator!
Choose an experienced tour operator with a proven track record. Then if the parents want to check out who you are booking with, they will see safety is covered to the highest level of standards.
What about health care?
Ask your parents to give clear instructions on any allergies, conditions, or concerns about their children’s health so you can be fully prepared. In return, inform them about health care contingencies.
Setting expectations
Have a pre-departure parent meeting to go through the program in detail, the education objectives, and the logistics details. This will give parents peace of mind that all details have been taken care of.
Keeping in touch with family
Parents will be concerned about keeping in touch with their children. Manage expectations by making it clear what your mobile phone and social media policy are.
Communication is Key
Setup a trip blog that students can manage and upload each evening with photos, videos, and a diary of what we have done that day. Parents will be able to check in and keep up to date with the fun
WildChina vs DIY
There are many teachers who may still choose to arrange their school trip themselves. But when you are taking your students away overnight, it can start to get more complicated. Dealing with transportation, lodging, food, attraction tickets, lesson plans, and more can quickly take up your time, and hours can be spent on the phone or emailing with businesses to no avail.
We at WildChina serve as the bridge between your trip idea and actual experience, prioritizing safety, comfort, and education while ensuring that you and your students have a fun, worry-free trip.
Apart from the time savings you get in the tour planning process, the added benefit is the round the clock support you get from WildChina throughout a whole range of emergency situations such as a delayed flight, a ferry strike, a sick child, extreme weather, and other events that could sideswipe your journey. WildChina has 24-hour emergency support and should be able to provide solutions in order for your trip to run smoothly and for you to concentrate on the students.
To view some of our world-class educational journeys and offerings or get in touch with WildChina about planning your next trip, please visit https://wildchinaeducation.com// or email education@wildchina.com to start planning!
