Cheat Sheet: Lead Your Best Student Tour Ever
Lead your best school trip ever.
Your trip has been okay. Your students enjoy themselves fine. But you want it to be better, way better. Stop settling for meh. Why not lead your best student trip ever this year?
You've seen it before. Most school trips are placed on the conveyor belt itinerary following the same path as all the other school groups with very little enthusiasm or inspiration. You know that leading a trip could be so much more exciting than being herded with the masses. You and your students deserve to take a unique memory-making school trip.
One of the top questions our trip leaders ask is how to make their trip better. How do you avoid leading a trip that goes through the motions and just meets the status quo? Here's how you create your best trip ever. We've outlined some essential tips for how to lead your most impactful trip. You want a grade-level-appropriate trip that is fun.
Follow this guide to create the best school tour with your students.
TIP 1 - Leverage apps to keep your students and their parents connected. No need to wait until after the school field trip is over to share the fun. Memories can be shared in real-time via social media platforms and photo-sharing apps, so no one has to miss a thing. Pro Tip: Share information on your apps before departure to save time and be more present on your trip. Here are some of our faves:
-Remind: The Remind app gives you the power to send messages like meetup times to the entire group. Maximize your time by scheduling all of your meetup times from breakfast to lights out. Remind is also a great tool to post questions while on tour. https://www.remind.com/teachers
-Photo Circle: Students can share all their photos with the entire group on the Photo Circle App. It's fast, private, and simple. https://www.photocircleapp.com/
-Social Media Pages: Creating a social media page (a group page on Facebook, a unique Instagram hashtag, or a school-based media page) for your trip is an easy way to engage your students on a tour and their families back home. Families love following the day's events back at home. Your trip will provide happiness for years to come as your students will reminisce about their amazing trip.
-A Blog: This is a big one to set your trip apart. Creating a Blog (that you'll write 90% before your trip and populate a few sentences each night) is a permanent record of your trip. After a few years, you could have hundreds, if not over a thousand subscribers to your blog. Powerful stuff.
TIP 2 - Be in the moment! See the trip destinations with new eyes, and your students will feel your enthusiasm. Connect with your tour group and share in the memory-making moments.
Whether it's your first time leading a trip or your twentieth, allow yourself to marvel at the inspiring sites and experiences through the eyes of your learners. Be in the moment with your students. Your optimism and energy will be contagious, and your students will mirror you. Watch as your students connect your classroom lesson plans with your trip learning environment. Your students will never forget this truly life-changing experience that you've shared with them.
TIP 3 - Take care of yourself. Your mental and physical health is the key to having fun and enjoying your best trip. We recommend drinking lots of water. You will likely need more water than you think-- remember, warm weather and extra physical exertion can dry you out fast!
Don't wait until you feel thirsty to drink. Pack a water bottle and take sips throughout the day.
Keep your energy level up by keeping a healthy snack handy. Don't rely on sugary treats-- although it might provide an instant boost, it will likely be followed by a crash in energy. Granola bars, dried fruit/jerky, and trail mix are easy to carry and can ward off hunger-induced anger (hanger). Follow the advice you'll give your students, take care of yourself by staying hydrated and nourished. Optimize your comfort while traveling by dressing in light layers and wear comfortable shoes (you'll be walking a lot)! If you need time to unwind, make sure you find time to read or take a few minutes of quiet time to yourself. If you workout at home, sneak away to the hotel gym or do a Youtube workout in your hotel room. If you're a coffee drinker, and can't find the real thing, bring a few Starbucks Via packets to avoid the dreaded caffeine headache. athome.starbucks.com/coffees-by-format/starbucks-via-instant
TIP 4 - Meet with your tour guides and fellow chaperones to preview or recap a day. A quick check-in keeps everyone informed and keeps things running smoothly. These meetings are a valuable way to recap a day or make adjustments to the next day's itinerary. This is a great opportunity for adults to share feedback on their observations and share what they hear from students. At this meeting, remember to keep the trip frame positive and in line with your goal of leading a memory-making trip for your students. Use the talking points from these meetings at your daily preview and recap meetings with your students.
TIP 5 - Preview and Recap with your students. Hold quick meetings with your students to preview or recap a day. Frontload the day's activities in a quick pre-departure meeting (typically held just after breakfast). Review what they should bring with them and what they should wear for the day.
After a day of touring, you'll recap the day, set the expectations for tomorrow, and recognize students for being great travelers. These meetings are a great opportunity to celebrate student achievements on tour. We have seen teachers make a huge impact on their students by rewarding good behavior with gummy worms. Yes, gummy worms. I know it sounds silly but, these are your students! The more creative, the better. Students love these "awards," small pieces of candy, or anything that recognizes and reinforces the good you see in your students.
With the risk of sounding redundant. At this meeting, you will keep the trip frame positive and in line with your goal of leading a memory-making trip for your students.
TIP 6 - Have fun with your students! This is a friendly reminder. You'll get busy leading a trip. Make sure to have fun! Set the tone of light-hearted fun and positivity with your daily preview, while recap meetings will set your standards and expectations with students. During the day of touring, you can set an example of having fun within acceptable behavioral parameters. So sing, dance, tell corny jokes--and laugh with your students. Your students will appreciate that you are having some fun while following the rules. See each activity with new eyes each day. This will likely be the first time your students will have a travel experience like your trip provides. Check-in with each student a few times a day to make a connection. Ask your students questions about their favorite hobbies or interests. Travel is an opportunity to learn and grow. You and your students deserve a memory-making trip. Inspire their hidden genius, ask questions, connect and have fun!
You've done it! You've followed these tips and led your students on an amazing educational trip.
Imagine this. It's the last day of your trip, and your students are sad that the fun is ending so soon. You've made it a point to connect with each student daily, and you've got the satisfaction of knowing you got all the juice out of your day. Your chaperones and tour guides are already asking about next year's trip.
The Bottom Line of leading your best educational trip
You became an educator to inspire and have fun with your students. Your amazing trip is a lifetime memory for your middle school or high school students. When your students look back, these trips will be one of their fondest school-age memories. Your students and your fellow chaperones will be grateful that you built this amazing trip.
Your cheat sheet:
1) Utilize sharing apps like Remind, Photo Circle, or set up a social media group. Consider starting a blog to keep families at home in the loop and create a real-world record of your trip legacy. This is a great way to reach out to families back at home.
2) Be in the moment - Take in the activities as if you're a first-time group leader on an educational trip. Your students will never forget this truly life-changing experience that you've shared with them.
3) Take Care of Yourself- Follow the advice you'll give your students. Take care of yourself by staying hydrated and nourished. If you're a coffee drinker, workout daily, or need space to unwind, we've got a plan for you.
4) Meet with your trip chaperones and Tour Guide - These meetings are valuable to recap a day or make adjustments to the next day's itinerary.
5) Preview and Recap - At the beginning and end of each day, make a few announcements and recognize students for good behavior. At this meeting, you will keep the trip frame positive and in line with your goal of leading a memory-making trip for your students.
6) Have fun! - This is your chance to help students experience a trip they will never forget. Students have been excited about this learning experience the entire school year. You want to be remembered as the teacher who led an amazing experience and had fun along the way!
You've done it! You've said your goodbyes to your students and chaperones. You arrive home after leading your best trip ever. You created trip magic for your students. Your trip was organized and fun. You've led a school trip that your students will never forget. Where will you plan your next trip? Washington DC, New York, a National Park?
If you want to dig deeper on leading your best trip ever, we can definitely help. We'll have a conversation about your goals and create a plan that will build your dream trip. If you want to learn more about planning a premium trip that you and your students will love, click the let's talk button to schedule a call.