Five Reasons You Might be Nervous About Switching to a Premium Student Travel Company
(Problems and Solutions)
If you're an educator considering leading a trip and have done any research on the web, you've probably encountered some discussion of the problems associated with premium group travel companies. You know that there are many options, and you’re unsure if working with a premium travel company is the right fit for your experiential travel program.
We share this information with the hope that you'll never end up leading a subpar school trip. Imagine your students on tour, having fun, and asking great questions. You are full of energy and enthusiasm to share this incredible experience. Your trip is a lifelong memory for you and your students.
We've led premium tours for thousands of students and their happy teachers. No, every trip was not perfect. If you’ve led trips, you understand that some things are out of your control. Feedback from inspiring teachers is the key to our success. Our open ear has given us intimate knowledge of the good, the bad, and the ugly of premium student travel.
The purpose of this article is to address, with full disclosure, five of the most common problems associated with premium student travel companies.
But we won't leave you there. We'll also discuss the causes of these problems and how you can avoid them. But in the spirit of full disclosure, we have to point out that these "problems" are entirely avoidable. You’ll be surprised to find that the price between standard and premium experiential travel is about the same.
The most common premium educational travel companies problems and solutions:
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Health and Safety Programs (solution: robust health and safety program)
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Financial Security (solution: refund record, trust account)
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Price (solution: assess different levels of value)
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Experience (solution: experience should align with trip goals)
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Size (solution: work with a company that is)
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Problem #1: Tour Company Health and Safety Programs
Health and Safety programs have never been more critical.
The reality is that most school trips run smoothly. Your concern is what happens when things do not go smoothly. A student travel company should have the planning and support needed to respond to emergencies effectively.
We get it. That’s why as a trip leader, it’s essential to evaluate the health and safety program of your tour operator.
Whether it’s something minor, like a broken bone on tour, or something major that requires hospitalization and a parent needing to be at the bedside, your tour company needs to have a plan.
Choose a company with a Health and Safety Program ready to support your trip should issues arise.
Most premium travels are support-based with a thorough health and safety program. Here’s what you need to look for in a student travel company’s health and safety program.
What should you look for in a tour company’s Health and Safety program?
Travel with peace of mind knowing the student travel company you work with has the following levels of planning and support.
Local Support: Local experts should support your trip. Trip leaders know that extra support is crucial in the event of an unforeseen event. Work with a student travel company with a local presence while your group is on tour. Local support teams work for your group to gather information and to help guide decisions in real-time.
Insurance: You want the assurance of knowing that your trip has the extra coverage to support your journey. Look for medical, medical evacuation, and liability insurance programs.
24/7 phone support: When you make a call, you expect someone to pick it up, right? Have the assurance that when you have questions, you will get answers. We’ve found that an expertly trained 24/7 support staff can help support your trip when you need them most.
Doctors on Call: Whether your group needs a checkup in their hotel room or an emergency room visit, you should be covered. A doctor on call program will support minor and major events that sometimes arise on your trip.
Supervision: Awesome Tour Manager? Check. Fun Bus Driver? Check. Dynamic Trip Leader? Check. Diligent On-site coordinator? Check. But what happens when you and your trip support need to sleep? Your group needs night supervision. Your night supervision team monitors the hallways of your hotel so that you and your group can rest easy.
Health and safety is the most critical aspect of travel. You want to feel supported, just in case issues arise. Your group needs a plan. Use the checklist above to assess a student travel company’s health and safety program.
At GL Travel, each tour starts with a foundation of safety. And like most things, it begins with the people who support your trip.
Well-Trained Team
A properly trained team can make the difference between a smooth trip and a trip with problems. Is there enough staff to support your trip? Are they trained?
The best policy is to prepare for unforeseen health and safety events like we do here at GL Travel. Our team takes tremendous pride in their work to support the health and safety of your inspiring trip.
PROBLEM: Subpar health and safety plan.
SOLUTION: Working with a premium student travel company that makes safety a top priority.
Problem #2: Educational Travel Company Financial Security
If you talk to enough people or scroll through enough online forums, you'll probably come across companies delaying refunds or even filing for bankruptcy. As a trip leader, you don’t want to deal with this. You shouldn't have to worry about the safety of your group’s trip payments.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen student travel companies struggle financially over the years. The good news is that there is a simple solution that every student travel company should follow. As a California Seller of Travel (CST# 2115492), GL Travel is required by law to maintain a trust account for all trip-related transactions. All trip funds are held in the GL Trust account whether your group is from California or any of the other 49 states. All trip payments are held in trust and only used to pay travel service providers for your trip (i.e., hotels, guides, airline companies, etc.)
Question: What happens if a student travel company does not hold your trip payments in trust?
There is a good chance that they are paying for business expenses out of their trust account. Why does this matter, you ask? No big deal, you might think? Actually, it’s a pretty big deal. Here’s why.
Not having a trust account typically means that salaries, rent, and other non-trip-related expenses are paid from not completed trips. Trip refunds are delayed or, worse, not refunded because the money is gone. It’s a shell game.
Here’s the good news. Most student travel companies hold your funds the right way, in trust. Like any other business, they want to do right by their customers. Work with a premium student travel company that holds trip funds in trust.
Make certain of two things:
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The company that you work with operates a trust account.
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The company that you work with has a track record of financial security.
PROBLEM: Financial Security
SOLUTION: Learn about trust accounts, refund policies, and the financial certainty of prospective travel companies.
Problem #3: Travel Program Pricing
You might be asking yourself, does it cost more money to have a premium travel experience? Great question. You want to get the most value for your students and their families. Is it worth paying the same or a little more for a premium student travel experience?
Let’s get into the differences between premium and standard. The main factors affecting an educational tour’s cost are the level of support and “add-ons.”
Support
Each student travel company will have a different standard of support for your trip. While support starts well before your trip departs, it’s important to compare how your trip feels on tour.
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A trip with minimal support might look like a trip leader guiding and having most of the tour’s responsibilities.
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A somewhat supported trip might have an hourly guide that does not stay with the hotel group.
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A supported trip will have a dedicated site coordinator that makes sure your trip runs smoothly, a skilled bus driver, and an engaging tour guide that stays with your group at the hotel.
Consider the volume of groups traveling with your student travel company. Are they supporting hundreds of student groups while you're on tour? Is their goal to run hundreds of programs like clockwork? Or to focus on delivering quality to your group? Your trip should feel premium, not standard. And the truth is, most of the time the price is about the same.
Add-ons
Your travel program’s activities and events create lifelong memories for your students. You want to make the most impact by delivering a trip with great value to your students. You and your students should love your trip.
Choices like staying in a centrally located hotel or sitting in the front row of a hit Broadway show will add to any travel program’s cost. Ultimately the decision of add ons comes down to trade-offs. The right question to ask is, “what experiences have the most impact on my trip?”
Most trip leaders are budget conscious. And they should be. After all, families make sacrifices to afford to send their kids on a student trip.
Choose add ons that align with your trip goals and have a budget in mind before you start planning your trip. Using this strategy will create a journey that meets the expectations of your students and their families.
Click here - Why does my student trip cost so much?
PROBLEM: Premium student travel can cost more than standard trips
SOLUTION: Assess the level of value. Consider the level of support, add-ons, and experiences. (The truth is, most of the time, the price or premium and standard are about the same.)
Problem #4: Student Travel Company Experience
First time leading a school trip? You’ll want to work with an expert.
So, you’re a seasoned trip leader? You’ll want to work with an expert.
You want to feel like your trip vision is supported. Here’s how you can choose a company whose experience aligns with your goal of leading a memory-making trip.
What's the solution?
With most things, experience matters. But it’s the type of experience that matters most.
Assess the alignment of your trip goals and the travel company’s experience by contacting a few of their references. Ask the reference point blank, “How did they make your trip unique?” or “How did they support your trip?” or any question related to your trip goals.
Contact trip leaders who are new to the company and those who worked with the company for more than five years. The answer will give you a good idea of how a company’s trip quality has changed over time.
Does the company have experience with small group tours and large group tours? What percentage of the student travel company’s travelers are elementary school, middle school, high school, and college students? Are they experienced delivering trips at top destinations and places less traveled? Does the company organize trips in places like New York, Washington DC, San Diego, and National Parks? Does the company primarily work with bus groups or groups that require airfare?
PROBLEM: Experience of Premium Travel Companies
SOLUTION: Find an excellent student travel company with experience that aligns with your trip vision. Contact prospective student travel company references.
Problem #5: Student Travel Company Size
Does the size of the student travel company matter? Great question. Ask these questions first:
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Does the tour company have a robust health and safety program?
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Is the tour company financially secure?
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Compare standard and premium pricing.
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Does the company’s experience align with your memory-making trip goals?
Once you’ve checked all the boxes, you’ll find the answer might come down to the way you shop. You may be the kind of educator who enjoys working with larger companies over small and medium-sized companies. You might want to work with a company that has a local presence in your state. Our experience is that premium travel companies come in all sizes. Work with a company that has a track record of trust and delivering trips like yours.
PROBLEM: Student Travel Company Size
SOLUTION: Go through our checklist. Select a company that you can trust and that will deliver your perfect trip.
Conclusion
If you are considering working with an educational tour company, remember to follow an effective process. We recommend using a checklist when evaluating your current and prospective providers. Working with the right team will streamline your process and result in your best trip ever! If you're tired of feeling like your trip is not meeting your standards, we can help. We create memory-making trips that teachers and their students love.
