FINDING A STUDENT TRAVEL COMPANY | STUDENT TOUR OPERATORS
What criteria should I use to select a Student Travel company?
If you are looking at educational travel programs for student groups, you’ve probably discovered that there are many decisions to make! Maybe it’s your first time leading trips. Perhaps you’re an experienced group leader, and you want to take a look at other options. Regardless of experience, this guide will help.
There are many companies in the market. You want to partner with a student travel company that you can trust. You and your student trip shouldn’t have to settle for unmet expectations.
You want to lead educational experiences that inspire your students. This checklist helps you interview potential student travel partners.
The first question educators will want to ask any student travel company is business information and experience. These questions will relate to years in the industry, insurance, and professional organizations. Next, the student travel company should be able to share medical and emergency contingency plans.
Often overlooked but fundamental is the financial solvency of a student travel company. Are trip payments safely held in trust? Does the student travel provider offer trip protection in the event of a cancellation? Can the student travel operator provide customer references and address all of your trip requirements? How is your trip supported on tour? Finally, what does not matter when selecting a tour company?
How do I select a reputable educational travel company?
The Ultimate Student Travel Company Vetting Checklist
Student Travel Company: _______________________________________________________
1. Business Information and years of experience
___ The company is licensed and insured
Note: ask if the name on the license is the same as the company name. If not, find out why.
___ Find out how many years the company has been in business leading school trips
___ What travel experience does the company have with leading school groups in the desired travel destination?
___ Does the travel company offer a Full Refund Protection plan?
___ Collectively, the student travel company should have at least a 5:1 useful review to bad review ratio.
___ They responded reasonably to negative reviews when possible
___ The student travel operator is an expert in your desired destination cities.
___ The student travel company is a member of industry-related travel organizations
2. Medical and Emergency Plan
What is the student travel company's medical plan?
_______________________________________________________________________
Does the student travel company partner with doctors on call in your destination city?
_______________________________________________________________________
Does the student travel company offer 24/7 support when your group is on tour?
_______________________________________________________________________
What happens if a trip participant is hospitalized on tour? (Does the tour operator arrange for a parent to be with the trip participant?)
_______________________________________________________________________
What is the travel company emergency plan?
________________________________________________________________________
3. Financial Strength
Has the student travel company recently gone through bankruptcy? If so, how did that impact refunds, and who was not paid in bankruptcy?
________________________________________________________________________
Are the trip deposits paid by your students held in trust?
________________________________________________________________________
4. Customer References
Ask the following questions of the student travel company:
___ How many students have traveled since you started the business?
___ How many groups traveled last year?
___ Of those groups, how many references can you provide? They should be able to provide 3-5 References.
___ Call at least three references
When Calling References, Be Sure To Ask The Following:
___ Would you use the same student travel company again?
___ What did you enjoy about the experience working with the travel company?
___ What did you enjoy about the experience on tour with the travel company?
___ What was least enjoyable?
___ Did the student travel company make the planning, pre-trip, and trip management easy?
___ What travel, destination cities, and upgrades did you choose?
___ What would you do differently?
___ How did the student travel company handle challenges and problems when they arose?
___ How did the student travel company handle refunds during COVID?
___ Were you consulted by the student travel company on how you wanted to handle cancellations, refunds, or trip rescheduling due to COVID-19?
___ Were families given the option of a refund or a future trip for COVID cancellations? The key to the question is, were families given an option?
5. Pre Trip Planning
___ Does the student travel company create custom itineraries?
___ How many groups does the student travel company have on tour at any given time?
___ Are trip-related delays related to the hotel, airport, or bus covered by the student travel company?
___ Are there any hidden costs on the trip?
___ Can I see a day-by-day itinerary with information about hotels, transportation, meals, and attractions
___ Can the student travel company provide specific hotels, restaurants, and bus companies they have used in the past?
6. How is your trip supported on tour
Does the student travel company have any practices that distinguish them from the competition?
________________________________________________________________________
___ Does the student company provide a Site coordinator at the group’s hotel?
___ Who will accompany my trip?
___ The Qualifications, training, and experience of Tour Guides.
___ What portion of the tour has a guide, and what portion is unescorted?
___ Are there any additional tour costs and inclusions?
7. Pricing and Contract
___ Whenever possible, the price for all work is included in the contract or at the very least as a formal quote.
Note: Do not sign a tour agreement until you have all of your must-haves included.
___ Trip Dates are listed on the contract
___ Dates for the deposit, payment schedule and final payment are listed in the contract
___ All "upgrades" are listed on the contract
___ What is not included in the price
___ How would a change in participant numbers impact the trip price
___ Question you’ll need to ask yourself. Is it more important to have a slightly pricier all-inclusive trip or have a less expensive trip and have students pay out of pocket while on tour?
To learn more, check out these articles:
2022 Historic East Coast Trip Pricing
New York vs. Washington DC
BONUS
Things That Are NOT All That Important
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The size of the company: great student travel companies come in all sizes :)
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Website and Marketing: Shiny brochures and updated Facebook posts are nice but not necessarily an indication of integrity or having the best interest of your student group.
How you’ll find the right student travel company:
Ask the student group travel company business information and level of experience. These questions will relate to years in the industry, insurance, and professional organizations. The answers you receive are a good indication of delivering a high-level trip and customer satisfaction.
The student travel company should be able to share medical and emergency contingency plans.
This is extremely important. Reputable companies will have 24/7 customer support while groups are on tour, doctors on-call program, an emergency plan that they can share, and a protocol for when a student is injured or hospitalized.
Often overlooked but significant is the financial health of a student travel company. Payments made by the families you serve safe should be safe.
What is the trip protection policy offered in the event of a cancellation? Can the student travel operator provide customer references and include all of your trip requirements in the tour agreement? How is your trip supported on tour?
What does not matter when selecting a tour company?
Why selecting the right educational tour company matters.
Selecting the right student travel program impacts the quality of your tour. You want to partner with a team that has your trip’s best interests in mind. You and your students deserve a memory-making trip.
Your school community will appreciate this opportunity that you are providing. You create a legacy on your middle school or high school campus and a lifelong memory for your students. Use our experience as a guide to help you make the right decision for your student group.
We hope you will find this helpful in your quest to find the perfect student travel company.
If you'd like to see various tour destination comparisons, take a look at our growing list of reviews.
Check out these articles on trip pricing:
Washington DC and Colonial Virginia vs. Washington DC and Philadelphia
Philadelphia vs. Boston
If you have questions or need to be pointed in the right direction, we will gladly send you references of companies that uphold the same standards we do.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out.
Thanks and good luck!
