When's the best time of year to take a school trip? The benefits of travelling earlier in the academic year

You've gone to the effort of planning a school trip and you want to make sure your learners get the most out of it. 

Voyager's Account Manager, Lucy Buckley, spent 17 years as a teacher, during which time she ran and assisted 10 trips—4 of which were with us to Château de la Baudonnière. Now she's on the other side and sharing her experience to help you decide the best time of year to take a school trip to maximise the educational value. 

The advantages of taking a school trip outside of summer

Of course, it's great to end the year on a high. But, you also want to consider how you're going to get the most mileage out of the trip you've put so much preparation into. To get the most educational bang from your school trip, Lucy recommends taking a language trip between September and April. Here's why:

• You and your students will bond earlier on in the school year
• More time for your pupils to apply the language skills and confidence they developed on the trip 
• Fewer crowds, better availability and more choice (plus the chance of sole occupancy at some centres)
• Lower prices, so more students can benefit
• Great prep for MFL mocks

1. Beat the waiting list

Demand for our expert-led educational trips outstrips supply in the summer term. But consider taking your school trip before Easter and you'll find more availability on our 'sold out' language residentials.

What's more, once you've secured your school's place at one of our centres, you will benefit from priority access in future years.

2. Give students a confidence boost early on

82% of MFL teachers report improvements in their pupils’ language confidence after a Voyager residential, with many also commenting that their trip fostered stronger peer-to-peer relationships that endured back at school. 

By booking an earlier residential, teachers can help instil the confidence and teamwork students need to flourish over the rest of the academic year.

3. More choice of accommodation, activities and visits

It's no coincidence that 90% of our autumn visitors rebook each year. 

Avoid the crowds and spend longer at popular attractions such as Mont St Michel, Disneyland Paris or Barcelona, by travelling before the busy summer season. What's more, you will benefit from individual attention from our staff (and may even bag sole occupancy), resulting in a more enriching experience for the group. 

Psst! Teachers are more likely to get a single room by booking a trip in the autumn or spring terms.

4. Longer-term impact back in the classroom 

Teachers wanting to maximise the educational benefit of our curriculum-linked MFL trips should consider travelling earlier in the year to give students more opportunities to practise and reinforce what they learned abroad. Also consider that it's a shame for any progress students make on a trip in June or July to be lost over the long summer holidays.

5. Benefit from lower prices 

Prices in the spring term can be as much as 20% cheaper than the summer term, and we offer great seasonal deals, packed with valuable extras, at our Moulin aux Draps residential centre in Northern France. Being flexible with your dates means that you can save money on the trip, and more of your students can participate.

6. Prepare students for their GCSE speaking mocks 

Our immersive approach to language teaching has been shown to improve students' listening skills, vocabulary, and language confidence. A week at Château de la Baudonnière, for example, offers students more exposure to speaking and listening to French than is possible in a whole term of lessons back at school. 

The intensive and real-life language practice is great preparation for the mock speaking exams in December and January.