How to increase your school trip group size

4 Mar 2026, 11:45
by Rachel Lewis

Five Tips To Fill Your Trip

We all recognise that school trips are an essential part of a student's educational experience & personal development. Still, teachers can come up against it when trying to launch a trip if they've only got a small group.

The optimum group size for any trip travelling by coach is 40 students. At this point, you fill the coach and significantly reduce travel costs. We understand this is more of a challenge for some schools, so here are 5 of our travel experts' top tips on how to maximise the size of your group.

1. Offer the trip to multiple year groups

One of the simplest ways to increase the size of your group is to combine year groups. Though this may mean running the trip every other year, it makes it more viable.

You could also consider partnering with neighbouring schools or others in your trust, something Royal High School Bath and Shrewsbury High School do for their French trip to La Grand' Ferme. We can organise multiple pick-ups to make this straightforward and cost-effective.

2. Plan a cross-curricular trip

Combining multiple subjects into a single trip is an excellent way to attract more students and drive down the price per pupil.

Large European cities can offer educational visits for every subject. For example:

French language combined with art in Paris
German language with WW2 history in Berlin
Classics and Geography in Italy's Bay of Naples.

That's why we run our GCSE drama workshops, business studies, media studies and travel & tourism conventions at Disneyland Paris on the same dates, so that teachers can combine their classes and travel/stay together.

3. Choose an itinerary that educates and excites

The most successful trips strike a careful balance between strong educational content and memorable experiences.

Parents are understandably cautious about trips that feel like “extravagant holidays”. A clearly structured itinerary with curriculum links reassures them of the trip’s academic value.

At the same time, adding one standout excursion can significantly increase sign-ups. For example, many schools enhance their Paris trip with a day at Disneyland® Paris or Parc Astérix. In Germany, a stop at Phantasialand can be a major draw on a school trip to Cologne.

One carefully chosen “wow” moment can make all the difference.

4. Launch the trip early

Spreading the word about your trip well ahead of time is key to generating interest and gathering sign-ups. Launching early also gives families time to budget and spread payments into smaller instalments. Many schools plan at least 18 months in advance for this reason.

If several departments launch trips at the same time, families may have to choose. Speak with colleagues and coordinate your launch timing (no one wants to compete against a ski trip!). Positioning your trip strategically within the school calendar can make it stand out.

When you're ready to launch the trip, use our range of promotional materials such as letters, posters and presentations to explain the educational outcomes and show good value to parents. Share our videos to help families picture the experience and understand its value.

5. Involve students in planning

Involve students in the planning process to ensure the trip aligns with their interests. Conduct surveys or hold brainstorming sessions to gather ideas and propose some of the excursions and activities we've suggested for you on each trip page to see what they're interested in. When students feel a sense of participation, they're more likely to spread the word and encourage their peers to join the trip.

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