It's All in the Timing

In work - make that life in general - timing is everything.  Could be a decision to accept a new teaching position.  Or put down roots in a new school district.  Or fulfill that burning desire to travel.  Let’s focus in on that last one – the desire to travel.  When traveling on your own, it’s perfectly fine to “wing it” if that’s your vacation style.  When leading student travel, the better motto is: “The more detailed the timeline, the better.” 

Over 40 years and some ___ customized student trips and counting, you might say Brightspark Travel has perfected the art of the planning timeline.  For teachers new to travel in particular, opening that spreadsheet for the first time is a moment of relief because it’s then they know with certainty they’re not going to miss anything.     

For Teachers: A Snapshot of the Spreadsheet

Top of the list – you’ll need to know the parameters for getting approval by the administration and school board, particularly if your school does not have a tradition of student travel.  Once given the green light, you’ll set a date for the trip.  While scheduling is never a perfect science, knowing the school calendar inside and out helps.

Next is mapping out a reasonable timeline for students to raise funds.  This means getting parents involved too. 

You’ll want to estimate how much time you’ll need to develop special lesson plans that will enhance the learning potential of the trip.  Music teachers will want to block out extra practice sessions to prepare for the rigors of performance. 

You’ll need to communicate deadlines for payments, passports, medical forms and roommate preferences.  And share with parents the hard-and-fast behavior expectations and packing guidelines for their students.  If it’s a road trip, determining bus assignments is another item on the spreadsheet. 

In turn, the tour specialists at Brightspark will take care of booking tours.  They’re well versed in knowing which tours occur on which days and at what times.  Sometimes it requires reservations a full year in advance.  They’ll be on top of all of that. 

So, in conclusion, if gauging time is not your forte, or if you’re new to student travel, or if you simply want expert advice on getting the most out of a trip, then partnering with a student travel company may be a fine way to go.