Checklist before you go for student groups

  A school trip naturally carries an element of risk. Keep your group safe through any adventure with the below tips.

· Research the places you are visiting. Find out if there are any cultural protocols that you and your students will need to adhere to.

·         Make sure there are no current security issues in the country or surrounding areas of the place you are visiting. Avoid unstable areas if they pose an unnecessary risk for your group.

·         Create an emergency procedure plan for your group. Make sure everyone knows what to do if someone gets separated from the group, or what to do if something happens to you or one of the chaperones, etc.

·         Get emergency contact information from all of your travellers so that you can reach their family members or guardians in the event of an emergency.

·         Register your group with the Department of Foreign Affairs. If there is an emergency in the place you are travelling, the government will know that your group is there and can help get you to safety.

·         Get a copy of important documents for all your travellers, such as passports, prescriptions, and any important medical information. Keep extra copies of these documents at a central location (school or office), where they can be sent to you if you need them.

·         Get appropriate travel health insurance for your students. You may be able to get a group rate by going through an insurance brokerage. Brokers like Ingle International can shop around to find you the right coverage for your needs at the best rate possible.

·         Arrange for trip cancellation and interruption insurance, to protect your group from unexpected problems on the trip.

·         Find out any relevant medical information about your travellers, including allergies, illnesses, and prescriptions.

·         Make an emergency phone list, including the emergency assistance numbers for your travel insurance, the local emergency numbers for all your destinations, and emergency contact numbers for your organization and group members. Give this list to all of your group leaders, in case something happens to one or more members of your travel group.