THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Youth Tour Operators

students. Schools can tailor the travel
experience to fit with the themes of the
school, the subject matter being taught in the
traditional classroom, and the interests and
needs of the students. Schools can choose a
destination that ties in curriculum objectives
but also gives students the freedom to have
hands-on interaction, not simply lecturing.
Being at the battlefield is better than being in
the classroom because it engages a broader
range of learning types and develops a
broader range of cognitive learning skills.
Why Hire a Tour Operator?
1. Knowledge
Tour operators have experience negotiating
with multiple companies, attractions, and
restaurants. They know how to make the trip
run as smoothly as possible because they plan
so many of them, ideally to the same location.
Most importantly, qualified student tour
operators have security details planned that
reduce liability.
2. Time
Planning student travel takes time. A quality
tour operator who frequently leads tours to
the destination selected will be able to help
plan everything from food and lodging that
safely meets the needs of large groups of
students to lesson plans that relate to the
school’s curriculum. Tour operators can
provide a sample itinerary, lesson plans,
releases, and safety checklists. With a tour
operator, schools do not have to recreate the
wheel. Not only can tour operators work with
schools to provide a unique educational
experience, but they can also provide the
support schools, parents, and students require
through the process over the phone, online,
and on tour.
3. Accounting and Fundraising Issues
A qualified student tour operator should have
its own accounting department and customer
service department, which will remove the
need for the teacher to take large sums of
cash from students and to field dozens of calls
and questions everyday. The tour operator is
also likely to be familiar with successful
fundraising strategies and should be able to
offer students assistance in choosing a
fundraiser, applying for scholarships and even
assisting the group in applying for possible
grant money.
4. Safety and Emergency Planning
While you might not be a believer in
“Murphys’ Law,” if you are a teacher
responsible for taking fifty 8 th -graders across
the country for a week, you better be prepared
for a number of contingencies. Whether you
have a disciplinary issue, a lost child, a
weather-related emergency such as a
snowstorm that keeps you stranded in an
airport or at your destination or a participant
or chaperone that becomes ill, a qualified
student tour operator will provide you with
the instant support you need to effectively
handle the emergency on the spot,
communicate with local authorities as well as
your parents back home and make sure the
tour continues forward safely. If for no other
reason than this, you will be more than
grateful you utilized the services of a tour
company the very first time you run into an
emergency situation on tour.
5. Insurance Protections and Liability
In addition to having detailed emergency
plans, tour operators should also carry
medical and accidental injury insurance that
will cover the students and professional
liability insurance (known as “professional
errors and omissions”) for the tour leaders
and chaperones. Even on non-school
sponsored trips, the tour operator should be
able to add the name the school and diocese
to the specific insurance policy, upon request.
To reduce potential liability, in addition to
providing insurance coverage, tour operators
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THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator