By Amanda Miller
A school trip would have no price limit in an ideal world. You’d be able to tell the parents that there’s a trip coming up to New York City, for example, and not have to worry about how to keep your costs down. However, the rising cost of living has meant that everyone has started to pinch their pennies. And the fact is that school trips are rarely flush with cash, budget-wise, at the best of times. It’s important to look for practical ways that you can keep excess spending to a minimum.
Don’t Travel In Peak Season
This is true for anyone who’s planning a trip, not just for schools! Peak travel season will always be more expensive as hotels, airlines and even restaurants will look to take advantage of the higher demand for their services. It’s always worth looking for a time of year when the costs are going to be lower, even if that means that you might all be missing out on some summer sunshine.
Find A Tour Operator You Can Trust
Finding a good tour operator is one of the best ways that you can keep everything about your school trip running smoothly. They can help you put together your itinerary, they can ensure that everything is going to be taken care of health and safety-wise, and they can also work with you to make sure that you’re not going to go wildly over budget. You might think that there’s no way that you could plan school trips to the USA, for example, without spending a huge amount of money. But European Travel Tours have plenty of experience in helping schools put together great cost-effective trips to make sure that everyone has the best time. Visit their website to find out more about their trip packages around the world.
Book As Far In Advance As You Can
Anyone who’s booked a holiday will know that you can sometimes get great deals last minute. But that’s not really an option when you’re taking a group of school kids with you. You need to have hotels, restaurants and more locked in well in advance of your journey. With that in mind, booking ahead is the safest bet and it will generally be the most cost-effective. The hospitality industry has had a tough time recently so they should be excited about getting a bulk booking in nice and early. Make sure to give them all of your dietary and access requirements to avoid any issues.
Keep An Eye On Exchange Rates
Now, this is not always something that you can do much about. But you might be able to save everyone some money by changing currencies or making international bookings at the right time. The markets have been extremely turbulent, so it might just end up being a shot in the dark. There’s still a good chance that you’ll lose more than you’d like, but you could end up saving a good chunk of money.
About the Author New York Trend is a weekly news publication that focuses on issues and lifestyles of the African & Caribbean American communities throughout the New York metropolitan area and Nassau and Suffolk Counties of Long Island. It is a respected and well recognized news publication that has been in existence since 1989. Owner, Publisher and Executive Director, Dr. Teresa Taylor Williams has been at the helm of this award-winning publication since its inception. New York Trend continues to be the only black woman-owned, metropolitan newspaper in New York and Long island. New York Trend is the largest black-owned newspaper throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. |