General Information - Destinations Group & School Travel

About Us

The directors of this company have worked in the travel industry for over 35 years, and have specialised in school travel for over 15 years. We are totally focused on the needs of our schools, where our experience, knowledge and expertise enables us to consistently produce and deliver flexible programmes that work for our groups. Our aim is to offer the most efficient service and the best quality products that we can – no matter how large or small the group.

Our Service To You

We work very hard to provide a quality service and product for all our groups. This means paying particular attention to those smaller details that so often get overlooked. A lot of time, effort and stress is spent organising school trips, so let us plan, coordinate and arrange your programme for you, leaving you to get on with organising your group.

Our Products

We want every part of the programme to work for your group. That is why we make an enormous effort to ensure that we have included the perfect mix of elements that will be exactly right for you. We use a good selection of quality hand-picked hotels, gîtes, new-concept school hotels & youth hostels, trustworthy coach companies who can be relied upon to provide a safe and excellent service, and a wonderful range of visits that are educational, exciting, full ofinterest and fun. All together, making sure that your school trip with us is as enjoyable and successful as it should be.

Prices

The guideline price quoted for each tour gives you an idea of what the trip is likely to cost. The exact price will depend on your travel dates, group size, tour duration, choice of accommodation, and (applicable to flight programmes only) how early you book. However, we will always try to offer our groups a quality product at the best competitive prices.

Free Teacher Places

We offer a free place ratio of 1:8 on our coach programmes and 1:10 on our air programmes. Let us know if you would like to include an extra teacher in your group.

Minimum Group Size

Our coach programmes are based on a minimum of 35 paying children, and our air programmes on a minimum of 20 paying children. If you have a smaller group, call us to discuss the various possibilities available.

Itinerary

We will help you to put your itinerary together, based on the type of programme you would like to have. A provisional itinerary, detailing your travelling arrangements and daily schedule will be sent, which will give you a good idea of what visits can be done each day. The fi nal itinerary will be sent once all arrangements have been made.

Tour Guides

Whether to include a tour guide depends entirely on the group and the complexity of the programme. We would normally recommend using a guide if the programme included a series of walking visits, multi-centre itineraries or if certain visits would benefit from the knowledge of a specialist guide.

Your Tailor-Made Programme

All our programmes can be lengthened or shortened to suit your requirements. You can also select your own travel dates, how you travel, type of accommodation, meal arrangements and visits. This way, you only pay for what is actually included.

What the Price Includes

Coach Programmes
• Return coach travel from school / hotel
• Return ferry crossings or Eurotunnel
• All road tolls and parking fees
• Use of coach for all visits
• Accommodation & meals as specified
• Pre-booking of all visits
• Entrance charges (some tours only)

Air Programmes
• Return flights
• All airport taxes, charges, passenger tax & baggage fees
• Return coach transfers from your overseas airport to hotel
• Accommodation & meals as specified
• Pre-booking of all visits
• Entrance charges (some tours only)

Full details will be included with your initial proposal.

Meals

We can offer your group a selection of meal arrangements, from bed & breakfast, half-board or full-board (see page 4 for more details). Just choose the arrangement that best suits your group.

Hard Rock Café

If you want to add something extra to your trip, then include dinner at one of the funky Hard Rock Cafés. You can SWAP one hotel dinner for a meal at the Hard Rock Café restaurants*. This offer applies to groups travelling to Berlin, Cologne, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Prague. Please let us know at the time of booking if you wish to include any meal swaps.

*a small supplement will be charged for meal swaps in Berlin, Cologne & Barcelona

Planet Hollywood

If you are booking a visit to Disneyland® Paris, then include dinner at the famous Planet Hollywood Restaurant in the Disney® Village. You can SWAP one hotel dinner for a meal at Planet Hollywood at no extra cost! After dinner, the group can spend some free time enjoying the entertainment in the Disney® Village. (this offer is only available if you have included a visit to one of the Disneyland® Parks)

Coach Travel

Travelling by coach is now far easier and quicker than it used to be. With good comfortable modern coaches and an excellent continental motorway network system, coach travel still represents superb value for money. It’s also very convenient with direct travel from school to your hotel, no luggage restrictions, total supervision of your group and full use of the coach for all your visits. (see page 5 for more information on coach travel)

Air Travel

With competitively priced fl ights to a number of popular European destinations, air travel is still very affordable for school groups. We have included a number of air programmes, particularly suitable for both large and small groups. (see page 5 for more information on air travel).

Passports & Visas

Each group member must have a valid passport or travel document for travel outside the UK (with at least 6 months left on the passport still to run). Visa regulations are constantly changing, so do let us know if anyone in the group does not have a British or EC passport. You can apply for a collective (group) passport, which is ideal for school groups. An application pack can be obtained from the passport office. The process is simple and a collective passport costs under £40. Students must be under 18 years of age by the return date, in order to be included on the passport. Before applying, please check that the country you are visiting will accept a collective (group) passport.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

All group members should carry an EHIC when travelling abroad to another EC country. This card allows free reciprocal (or cheaper) emergency medical treatment at any public hospital or medical centre within the EC. In the event of a medical claim, the insurance company may require the EHIC to be sent to them, as part of their conditions of cover. You can pick-up an application form at your local post office, or apply on-line at www.ehic.org.

Safety & Comfort

We fully recognise the responsibilities placed on group leaders when taking school trips abroad. All aspects of safety are of paramount importance to us, and we do ensure that all the correct procedures are in place for the safety of our groups.

Ferry Operators
All the ferry companies we work with are governed by their own independent safety standards regulatory body, where strict controls have to be met. Safety regulations are constantly reviewed to ensure the optimum safety of all passengers.

Coach Companies
We work with a select number of coach companies, all of whom are members of the Guild of British Coach Operators. Having worked with these companies for many years, their reliability is second to none, as are their standards for the safety and comfort of our groups.

Airlines
The airlines we work with are governed by their own independent safety standards regulatory body, where strict controls are in place to ensure the safety of all passengers.

Accommodation
All hotels, gîtes, youth hostels and new-concept school hotels have been inspected to ensure that all safety requirements are in place. All units hold current fi re & safety certifi ates and public liability insurance.

Emergency Contact
We provide group leaders with 24-hour emergency contact numbers should they need to contact us whilst abroad.