What to pack (or not!) for a school trip

Whatever your destination,  duration of trip or method of transport, it’s always a challenge to get your bag packed in such a way that you’ve got all you need but aren’t loaded down with stuff you don’t.

Voyager School Travel have always offered students advice as to how to perfect this skill, by providing recommended kit lists and check lists, but this article gives a little more insight into perfect packing for school tours.

Clothing

Layers

Depending on the time of year and the latitude of your destination country, it should be relatively easy to prepare for all weather and temperature eventualities.

As most tours to Europe take place in the spring and summer the key to keeping cool or warm is layers.

In the height of Summer in Rome for example, daytime attire might be sunglasses, sun hat, trainers, shorts/skirt and a t-shirt. However, most seasoned travellers will also be carrying a light jumper and/or a scarf or cotton shawl – these latter items are always of value, not only to keep warm when inside air-conditioned buildings, in the shade or at night as the temperature drops,  but also as a further shade from the sun as required.

Light layers can easily be added or removed allowing you to adjust your temperature to suit you.

Equally, should your trip be scheduled for a colder destination or season, the logic of layers still applies, allowing you to adjust your temperature when going from indoors to out or for example when building up a sweat on a good winter walk.

Old not new

Whilst it may be tempting to purchase an entirely new wardrobe prior to an exciting school trip the best clothes for travelling are clothes you know are a good fit and are most importantly, comfortable. This particularly applies to footwear as most school tours involve a good amount of walking and news shoes can cause all sorts of problems.

Toiletries

Besides the usual personal toiletries such as toothpaste/brush, deodorant, contact lense solutions etc its worth considering packing for the climate you are visiting and what that might entail. Sunscreen/cream and Aftersun lotion are always advisable when summer travelling in Europe and beyond, as is insect repellent in countries where this could be a problem.

Equally, if your trip is to Iceland in the autumn, it makes sense to pack lip balm and moisturiser if you will be exposed to cold winds and rain.

Valuable items/electronics

Not all students are fortunate enough to own a camera, smart phone, MP3 player, tablet, games console and a laptop, but even those who are should not be tempted to take them all on a school trip. Sure, an electronic device for entertainment on long journeys is fine, and a mobile phone can be handy in emergencies, but students should be actively discouraged from bringing numerous electronic devices.

Besides being distracting when students are meant to be soaking up the sights and sounds around them they can be heavy adding weight to luggage, and there is of course added security issues with a group that is carrying lots of electronic items.

In general, if you apply some common sense to things and use the Voyager School Travel Kit list you should be prepared for a fantastic school trip!

Contact us today to talk about your next school trip!