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To give you an idea of how we plan our trips, the amount of contact you can expect from us and what will be required of you as the Lead Teacher, we have developed this timeline which also provides a detailed breakdown of the entire programme.

Planning

  1. Tour Information Meeting

    The Tour Information Meeting will usually be the first time that we meet with you and discuss the possibility of helping you organise an overseas trip.

    Being a tailor-made company it is important that we listen to your ideas and focus on the learning objectives that you would like the trip to deliver, this way we can be certain to provide advice and suggestions on how best we can develop an itinerary that meets your expectations.

  2. Initial Itinerary and Quote

    We will design a preliminary itinerary and quote for any of the destinations to which you are interested in running an overseas trip.

    We want to get things right for you, so will take into account your requirements of activities, duration, departure dates, itinerary design and cost.

Launch

  1. School Announcement and Advertising

    Announcing and advertising the trip properly is crucial in encouraging support.

    Having confirmed an itinerary, we will set a date for us to return and provide a Launch Presentation. We will provide you with a Parents’ Invite Letter and a Tour Summary Sheet for you to distribute. These documents will help you announce the venture and invite pupils and parents to attend the Launch Presentation.

  2. Schools Worldwide Parents’ Presentation and Launch Evening

    The Launch Evening consists of a comprehensive presentation that introduces parents to our company, details the itinerary, highlights our standard travel policies, and explains the joining process.

    At the end of the meeting everyone is invited to take home an Application Pack, which contains an application form that will need to be completed and returned to the school with the deposit.

Preparation

  1. Application Forms and Booking Confirmation

    Once you have received all the application forms you will need to send these to us with the deposit to confirm your trip. We will then provide you with the logon details of your Members’ Area to distribute to the group and their parents.

  2. Members’ Area

    Your Members’ Area is accessible via this website and provides parents, pupils and teachers with access to all relevant trip information quickly and easily. The Members’ Area includes information about the destination, your itinerary, flight details, kit lists, inoculation advice, project advice, fundraising advice and fitness information. There is additional information for teachers regarding risk assessments, and safety, as well as consent forms for parents.

  3. Tour Information Packs

    We have created three Tour Information Packs (TIPs) for each pupil to receive during the development phase which are uploaded onto their Members’ Area. These are designed to ‘drip-feed’ information about the country and the itinerary, as well as provide guidance on the preparations they should be considering:

    1. Pack 1 gives the pupils an introduction to the country and should be the starting point of the group’s own research into the country and its regions. An outline of the itinerary is also uploaded as well as guidance on the fitness training they should undergo if they are undertaking a trek on their trip.
    2. Pack 2 gives guidance on the practicalities for each team member to begin preparing for the tour, including consular information, inoculation advice and health and safety advice. We will also upload a kit list, providing advice and information on the equipment the group should take.
    3. Pack 3 will contain a detailed tour itinerary and final details of the trip which will include airline information, baggage information and a final check sheet.
  4. Venture Preparation Session

    The aim of a Venture Preparation Session (VPS) is to deliver a comprehensive workshop to help them prepare for the trip. The session has been designed to get the group thinking about their trip as a unit and preparing through a series of practical workshops including icebreakers, team building and problem solving, a fitness assessment, kit and equipment advice, health and safety, environmental awareness, and project planning (if applicable).

  5. Schools Travel Conference

    In order to discuss the practicalities and provide guidance with running our overseas ventures, we hold an annual Schools Travel Conference for all leaders and teachers to attend. The conference is run as a series of seminars and workshops to discuss the ethos of our trips, but also the practicalities of running them once overseas. Guest speakers, including technical and medical advisors, existing teachers and leaders and members of Schools Worldwide staff will provide practical advice to help you prepare your group for their trip and be aware of the support on offer.

  6. Pre-departure Meeting

    In order to introduce everyone to your leader, we would like to arrange a presentation at the school, which can be a combined meeting with parents to answer any questions they may also have.

    The idea of the presentation is not only to formally introduce the leader to all parties, but also inform parents of the work Schools Worldwide has been doing to prepare for the trip, highlight the safety and back-up system, receive a presentation by the leader and hold a question and answer session.

    To further develop the team’s personal skills of presenting, some schools see this meeting as a perfect opportunity for the team to provide a short presentation about the trip to their parents and the leader.

  7. Leader Appointment

    Included in the cost of your trip is a qualified Mountain Leader, who will accompany you and your team for the entire trip.

    Your leader may not necessarily be experienced with the country, but will certainly be experienced with working with groups of young people on similar overseas trips.

    Not only providing the expert safety advice whilst on your trip, your leader can also provide you and your team with massive support and advice during the development phase by providing excellent tips and guidance, especially regarding kit.

Departure

  1. Kitbags and Group Safety Equipment

    As well as a 100L overseas kitbag for each group member, Schools Worldwide will provide you with all necessary group safety equipment. Depending on your choice of destination and the nature of your itinerary, this will include medical boxes, satellite phone, emergency shelters, throw lines and ropes.

  2. Final Joining Instructions

    We will send you a copy of your team’s Final Joining Instructions and Overseas Manual, containing advice and guidance and all reference material concerning your trip.

  3. Overseas Trip

    You will embark upon your itinerary and we will meet you at the airport upon your return to the UK, to collect all of the group safety equipment.

Review

  1. Trip Review Meeting

    Your comments are important to us, and having gone through the entire process we will visit you again at the school to receive your feedback and recommendationsin order that we can develop and improve our trips.