on student travel ❖
New Guide Will Aid Student Travel Planners This December, Premier Tourism marketing (parent company of Leisure Group Travel magazine) launches Student Travel Planning Guide, a comprehensive how-to resource for planning student/youth trips. The Planning Guide assists buyers in a variety of facets related to planning and executing a successful youth trip. chapters include: • First Decisions – developing a purpose & objective of your trip • creating a Timeline - what needs to happen when (pre-trip) • choosing Destinations and Travel Date • setting budgets & Fundraising efforts
WOrKiNG WiTh TOUr PrOViDers The section on working with student tour providers stresses that regular communication with the tour operator by telephone or email, at least biweekly, is important because it will diffuse potential problems and clarify questions. Teacher group leaders, according to the student Planning Guide, should let the provider know their most important considerations after contracting with the tour provider. examples include: • specific flight patterns (longer or shorter layovers)
Group leaders need to do their homework and keep up with pre-trip deadlines • how to Work with student Tour & receptive Operators • Working with hotels • meals & entertainment • Transportation solutions • student cruises • Negotiating with Vendors • etiquette and Discipline while traveling • chaperones – developing guidelines and a sense of cooperation • Travel insurance + safety & security • rules of the road • Post-trip evaluation/Next Trip Planning Teachers, tour operators, travel agents and other readers will find the guide to be a gold mine of practical tips. The following preview touches on just a few of the subjects covered. 12 October 2009
• Location of hotels (within the cities or outside of urban areas) • meal upgrades (may increase the per-person price of the tour) • Participants traveling from gateways other than the group matters on paperwork requested by the tour provider revolve around keeping up with deadlines, which include: • Any liability contracts or agreements to act as a group leader • Gathering of student information such as passport data • creation of an emergency calling tree • reminding participants and parents of payment schedules • enrolling participants on optional tour excursions • matching passport names with
names on the trip roster The final point is highly critical, the guide explains, because there can be no difference between the name on the provider’s roster and the name in the passport. “correcting this in the days before departure can cost hundreds of dollars.” TOUr hOTeLs The student Travel Planning Guide’s section on tour hotels suggests that quality and price can vary considerably and will be in line with the overall cost of the student tour. students are generally lodged three or four to a room; adults are placed two to a room. most hotels on student tours will be two or three stars, but it is not uncommon for groups to be lodged in a more expensive hotel. Group leaders with specific requests should make those known to tour providers months in advance. Questions regarding hotels should include: • is the hotel in the city • if not, how far from the inner city is the hotel • has this particular hotel been used by the tour provider before • if breakfast is included, is it continental, buffet, or a full, hot breakfast • if in the city, is the neighborhood safe • is there internet access • Does the hotel maintain independent security • Are the guest rooms furnished with mini-bars Groups with alcohol policies must LeisureGroupTravel.com