What are they and what do they involve?
A tour can take place in almost any venue of public interest; whether it’s a historic building, a museum or a factory visit, it’s likely to have some sort of tour available! Usually led by a guide, the primary purpose of a tour is to both entertain and educate the group while showing them around the venue and explaining various points of interest.
What are the benefits?
Tours are excellent ways of getting the most out of a venue – a guide can give you all sorts of extra information you wouldn’t find out by yourself and can take the pressure out of a school trip. A guided tour provides the best experience possible of a venue and will ensure you find out all of the important facts about the subject in question!
What students is it suitable for?
Tours are fantastic for their flexibility; they can be tailored to suit the needs of a group and guides are often specially trained in including everybody in the tour! If you have any concerns, consult with the venue - it’s likely they can make arrangements to involve anyone with specialist needs.
Costs?
While some tours may be free to join in with, they will often have a fee – however, it’s rare for tours to be too expensive, and school groups are likely to get discounts!
Safety Implications?
Tours can often involve a fair amount of walking, so make sure your group is properly supervised to ensure nobody sits down for a break/wanders off!
Truly bespoke educational travel.
Every school trip we operate is designed to match your curriculum and meet your learning objectives – once we have taken the time to understand your requirements we will work together to build a trip that best suits your group's objectives and budget.
NST is the UK's leading school tours, school trips and educational travel company for primary schools, secondary schools and colleges.
Since 1967 we've been creating expertly planned school tours - helping groups get more from their time away... Take a Learning Journey.
Curriculum-linked school trips
Hellene Travel, is an educational travel company with a difference. We specialise in classical tours, concentrating primarily on Greek, Roman, Turkish and Croatian archeological and cultural sites.
Haven holidays are Britain's largest provider of domestic holidays with family holiday parks around the UK all offering a full programme of activities, kids' clubs and entertainment at no extra cost to holidaymakers. With comfortable accommodation and a great range of leisure activities our holiday parks are the perfect escape! And we've kept our 2014 UK holidays as affordable as ever.
With over 25 years of experience in operating tours for school/youth groups, IBT Travel prides itself in delivering both a quality product and an exceptional standard of customer care.
Our company offers tailor made itineraries for both educational and snow-sport tours for groups travelling to the UK, Europe and USA.
FHT Travel Ltd provides a knowledgeable and professional student group travel services, with bespoke visits based on each institute’s subject specialism needs and offering great value for money. Whilst away, a full and varied programme can be arranged, giving students the ideal opportunity to enhance their studies away from the institute.
ABTA and ATOL Bonded
European Study Tours is part of the Education Division of Holidaybreak, the education and activity travel group, alongside PGL and NST. We have 30 years' experience in operating student tours and conferences in Europe and worldwide. We have dedicated teams who deal with Tailor-made tours and Conferences.
Edwin Doran Sports Tours are the market leaders in sports travel with over 40 years experience operating quality sports tours throughout the world. Renowned for our experience, expertise and extra touches, it is no surprise that we have taken more teams on tour than any other sports tour operator; +11, 000 at the last count.
Gullivers Sports Travel's Sports Tours and Festivals department is a leading specialist in the provider of playing tours for school children from primary and prep school age up to leavers and beyond.
Equity are specialists who will work with you to deliver fantastic learning experiences for young people that inspire them in the classroom and everyday life. We have been providing groups with inspiring school trips for over 80 years, which is why we are the best at what we do.
Regional Travel Advisors
Galloway School Tours provides tailored educational tours of the highest quality to destinations within Europe and the UK.
One of the longest established school tour operators, the company has its own modern fleet of first class vehicles, driven by experienced drivers, which transport the majority of its groups.
Diverse School Travel is a passionate and vibrant business, offering schools & colleges wonderful and exciting educational and cultural tours throughout the UK, Europe, and beyond.
With over 30 years’ experience, Club Europe are industry leaders in group travel for both UK and international students.
Anglia Tours Ltd specialises in high quality fully guided tours to a range of locations in the UK and across Europe, particularly battlefields and historic sites. Each tour is led by a highly experienced guide, selected not only for their expertise but also their ability to engage with audiences and to share their enthusiasm for the sites we visit.
ABTA & ATOL bonded
Adaptable Travel provides innovative educational tours for thousands of passengers each academic year from schools, colleges and universities. We pride ourselves on offering unique, safe and low-cost school trips and study tours.
ACFEA Tour Consultants arrange tailor-made concert tours throughout the world. With over 50 years of experience and a worldwide network of accomplished musicians and travel experts, we open doors to the best venues and performance opportunities available to choirs, orchestras and bands.
Halsbury Travel will work with you to create a tailor made trip that will inspire your pupils and bring your subject to life.
Established in 1986, Halsbury Travel is a friendly, family-run school tour operator. With several former teachers in our midst, we understand from first-hand experience the pressures on teachers when organising school trips.
With a wealth of specialist experience, our friendly team has been helping school groups to enjoy sports, ski, educational and special interest trips since 1992 under our former STI School Travel, Sports Travel and STI Skiwise brands.
Although School Trips Ltd. is a new name in school travel, we have been organising school and group trips for over 20 years.
Encounters Europe offers high quality bespoke tours and The School Travel Company has innovative ‘off the shelf’ trips. Together with the exotic excitement of our Indian trips, we can provide a wide range of educational visits.
Rondo Travel has been providing bespoke and tailored tours for schools for over 25 years. Our commitment to providing a quality service is unparalleled, with our personal hotel audits going way beyond the minimum requirements set. Our robust Safety Management System is further enhanced by the LOtC Quality Badge.
Xplore is a dynamic, motivated and growing company run by people with valuable industry knowledge and expertise. For nearly 30 years we have been providing top class, tailor made packages for groups of young people.
Holts Tours is the leading battlefield and history tours company.
MasterClass Sports Tours are the market leaders in school sports coaching and tournament tours. In addition to our range of European coaching and tournament courses, we also offer tailor-made sports tours to a wide range of other destinations worldwide, including South Africa and the Caribbean.
Voyager School Travel is the Educational Tours arm of a group of very successful school tours companies. Schools choose Voyager because of our People, who without exception have years of experience in school travel. That experience brings with it a wealth of product knowledge and expertise, as well as a deep understanding of what party leaders require.
Wyvern Schooltours was founded by teachers in 1979. We specialise in humanities and arts tours, with particular focus on MFL, history tours and day trips to a diverse and extensive selection of European destinations. We also have a specialist set of tours for Primary Schools.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.