Use a school travel company or do it yourself?

1 Oct 2021, 12:08
by Kate Moore

The DfE is working with our trade body to build a roadmap for the resumption of school trips in this country.
Organise your UK trip as a package to benefit from financial and refund protection
You may think that you only need use a travel company to organise a school trip abroad, but there are important protections that come with booking with an ABTA-backed travel operator that extends to trips in this country too.
By booking your school residential as a package with Voyager School Travel, your group will enjoy much more protection than if you booked the trip yourself. For example, if we have to cancel your trip due to COVID, or any other reason, then your group will be eligible for a full, no-quibble, refund. What’s more, as Voyager School Travel is ABTA bonded, then an overnight trip booked with us will include financial protection, giving parents and schools peace of mind that their money is safe.
By organising the trip yourself, your group wouldn’t be protected in these ways.
What constitutes a package?
For your overnight trip to qualify as a package, and benefit from refund protection, we just need to organise more than one element of your trip, for example, your coach transport and accommodation. Of course, the more elements we arrange for you, such as visits, guides and meals, the easier it is for you to organise, and more of your trip is protected in case plans change.
DIY versus using a school travel specialist
Even if you have a clear view of where you want to go and exactly what you want to do, putting together a DIY trip can be more of a headache compared to using an educational travel specialist. By having one single supplier to make and be responsible for, all the arrangements and just one single invoice to pay is certainly easier than organising each element yourself.
Wherever possible, our groups travel with Pegasus, our very own specialist coach company which means that you can be sure of a punctual and reliable service and, in the unlikely event of a problem, you only have to deal with one point of contact to get it sorted.
Reassured? Now time to plan your next UK residential trip!
Contact us with your learning objectives and our travel team will use their expertise to recommend a workable itinerary with plenty of school group-friendly options to help you make the most out of your short trip this summer.
Take a look at our UK school trip ideas for someday trip inspiration.