Today, schools are expanding their extracurricular activities, so students can develop their learning beyond the classroom and they can experience hands-on learning. A school tour specialist provides a trip that gives students the chance to build character, develop a deeper understanding of the context of their learning, as well as grow in confidence and adapt to different social situations.

So what are some of the questions you need to consider?

1. Does the company specialize in a few locations or are they a “Jack of all trades, master of none” tour company?

If the travel company specializes in a certain area they are able to provide you with in-depth knowledge and are able to keep up to date with changes in the area.

Vietnam School Tours is an Australian family-owned company with intrinsic ties to Vietnam. Co-founder Tram Macdouall is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, and Vietnam is very close to her heart. Her brother is award-winning author and comedian Anh Do and her husband Brett was a teacher and Assistant Principal with over twenty years’ experience working with students – including over a decade of personally guiding consecutive trips to Vietnam and Cambodia.

2. What is the purpose of your school trip?

There are different kinds of trips offered – cultural, curriculum links and community service are just a few of options available. Your travel company needs to be able to build an itinerary to suit your school’s needs.

At Vietnam School Tours we work with you to craft itineraries that best suits your schools requirements. Whether it be a history tour, food tech tour, a community service tour or a mixture of it all, contact us and let us know your requirements.

3. Who is your tour guide?

Finding out as much as possible about your tour guide is paramount for a successful student trip. How many years of experience does he or she have? Do they have experience in guiding school groups? Will they stay with the group or have separate accommodation? Is it a national guide who will be staying with the group the entire time they are in-country?

All Vietnam School Tours tour guides understand that school travel groups are very different to mass market ‘off the rack’ tours and know very well how to maximise both student and staff enjoyment and safety. Not only do our guides speak English but they also read body language, they will gauge how your students are going and will amend the days activities to suit (upon consultation with teachers).

Our guides also stay at the same accommodation as the group ensuring that they are there immediately in case of an emergency.

4. Is there 24/7 support whilst you are on your trip?

Can your school principal contact your group at all times if there is an emergency back at home? Will the tour company only be contactable during office hours?

We at Vietnam School Tours know what a big deal it is to take school students overseas so we have 24 hour on-call support for the duration of all our tours. On-call support goes straight to Tram or Brett – not to a call centre that queues the call while trying to reach the boss for a definitive decision!

5. What are the activities on tour?

Always make sure you have a good look at what the activities include. Often people make the mistake of just looking at the number of days and the hotel and don’t really look at the quality or the ‘purpose’ of the activity.

Vietnam School Tours provides itineraries which are rich in hands-on activities as we truly believe that students learn more when they are ‘doing’ rather than just watching. We engage students through Q&A’s with people who have lived through the experience.

6. What kind of support can you expect from the company you choose? 

A good school tour specialist will be able to help and guide you from the planning stages right through to when you return.

At Vietnam School Tours we always try our best to make sure that the teacher, as much as possible, can be comfortable and engage with the students to enjoy the school trip. We offer support before, during and after the trip. Such as: 

• We will provide posters/flyers to help promote the trip.
• Sample letters to parents regarding expressions of interest, information nights etc. can be emailed through to you.
• A school-specific sample risk assessment for travel can be provided. 
• A VST staff member can attend your parent information evening or run it through Skype;
• We can provide a powerpoint for your information evening.
• Detailed information booklets provided for information evenings.
• Detailed “Before you travel” booklet provided which includes what to expect overseas, a suggested packing list etc.
• Daily Facebook updates, which will provide parents with an up-to-date account of the students activities. We also notify any flight delays. 

7. Are there positive testimonials about the tour company on their website or the Internet?

A student tour company should feature many positive testimonials, from both students and teachers and also be willing to provide contacts of schools who have travelled with them in the past.

You can read some of the great feedback which we’ve had from teachers and students on our website: https://vietnamschooltours.com.au/testimonials/index

While planning a school trip seems daunting, you want to give the best opportunity on your students trip of a lifetime and the educational benefits they are having. Follow these tips when choosing the best school tour company for your needs and all should go smoothly – safe travels!

Find out more about exciting school trips itinerary on Vietnam School Tours Website.