Trip Planning Resources
We aim to make booking and taking a trip as easy as possible for teachers.
If what you are looking for is not available on this page, please contact us.
Further Recommended Reading
There are numerous sources of best practice from which we draw our practices. You may wish to consult some of the following for your own peace of mind:
Learning Outside the Classroom (LotC)
Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP)
School Travel Forum
GOV.UK Foreign Travel Check List
GOV.UK Passport Checking Website
It is each traveller’s responsibility to ensure that they are travelling with a valid passport and that you have the passport with you when you travel (on both outward and return journeys). We strongly advise reading our further guidance on Passports, Visas, ETIAS and GHIC/EHIC.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Guidance on young workers including work experience can be found on the HSE website.
GOV.UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Travel Advice
Health and Safety
Insurance
Travel insurance is provided for individuals who take Work and Study packages or Work Experience Abroad (mixed school trips).Typically, school group bookings opt to use their own insurance cover for trips.Individuals travelling with us for Intensive Language Courses are able to purchase insurance as part of their package if they choose. Blue Stamp Travel are not a broker, nor do we provide information about cover other than the policy which we provide. Cover is provided by Guard.Me.
Gender Questioning Children
The linked Non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England. Provides guidance for schools and colleges which includes guidance for when students are staying over-night sharing rooms.Page 15 Article 6.43 in particular addresses this situation.Please note that this is a draft publication for consultation published in December 2023. You should seek to find the most current guidance if necessary.
Health and Safety Guide
This document is provided to students to help make them aware of the risks associated with their trip and how to avoid them.
A Guide to Work Placements
This document is provided to students to help them prepare for their work placement. It outlines what to expect and how to make the placement a success!
Safety Management System
This Safety Management System is provided to reassure customers that the systems in place are designed to reduce risk and manage incidents should the need arise. This is designed to complement any strategies that school implement in addition to those from Blue Stamp Travel.
Covid Risk Assessment
This document is a supplement to the generic risk assessment.
Risk Assessment
The following risk assessment should be considered in conjunction with the Safety Management System that is in place to prevent risk to students, employers, school staff, language school staff, suppliers, agents of and employees of Blue Stamp Travel.
Promoting Your Trip
Business Categories
When we arrange placements for students, we aim to give them the best experience possible. This starts with matching one of our placements to the student’s interests, career aspirations, hobbies and experience. We ask for this information when students enrol.
School Travel Forum – Benefits of School Trips
At Blue Stamp we recognise the value in school trips – it is why we do what we do. Our team of ex-teachers have seen the challenges of organising trips along side a full time job of teaching lessons, planning and marking. We aim to remove the administration burden (highlighted by the STF poll) from teachers with online applications for students.
Benefits of Work Experience
Asked about the main problem they encountered when hiring young people, more than one in three of these business decision makers (39%) said most applying for jobs have little or no experience in the workplace.Work Experience can change all of this!
Rationale for Head of Department / SLT / Trustees / Governors
We know that school leaders want to ensure that every trip is worthwhile and beneficial to their students. With this in mind, we have provided some supporting evidence for Work Experience trips that language teachers may like to share with their leadership.
Letter to Parents – template text for tailor made trips
This text is provided to be used or edited for a letter from the school to introduce the trips to students and their parents/guardians. This text applies to tailor made packages for school groups.
Letter to Parents – template text for mixed school group trips
This text is provided to be used or edited for a letter from the school to introduce the trips to students and their parents/guardians. This text applies to mixed school group trips that take place in the school holidays.
Host Accommodation Presentation
This presentation is provided to support teachers promoting Host Accommodation to students. Teachers are welcome to copy the link to this presentation to distribute to students / carers.
Presentation for Students
This presentation is provided to support teachers promoting Work Experience Trips to students. Teachers are welcome to copy the link to this presentation to distribute to students / parents.
Timeline for Booking Group Trips
Booking a group trip starts with an idea and over a few months can be turned into a great experience for you and your students. This timeline gives you an idea of how we work with you to plan your trip.
A5 Flyer – Online Courses
We are happy to post you copies of this poster. Please contact us to request copies for your classrooms and corridors. Just let us know how many you would like and where to send them!
A5 Flyer – Au Pair and Study in Spain, Host Family Accommodation and Internships
We are happy to post you copies of this poster. Please contact us to request copies for your classrooms and corridors. Just let us know how many you would like and where to send them!
Folded A5 flyers
We are happy to post you copies of these flyers to hand out to students and parents/carers. Please contact us to request your copies. Just let us know how many you would like and where to send them!
A3 Poster for your classroom and corridors
We are happy to post you copies of this poster. Please contact us to request copies for your classrooms and corridors. Just let us know how many you would like and where to send them!
Protecting your Finance
ABTA
For further information about our ABTA accreditation please see our About Us page.
ATOL
For further information about our ATOL accreditation please see our About Us page.
ABTA
For further information about our ABTA accreditation please see our About Us page.
ATOL
For further information about our ATOL accreditation please see our About Us page.
Useful Documents
Packing Checklist
All students will be issued with their own copy of the packing checklist in the final mailing. It is also available under the Resources menu of the website.
Exemplar Travel Itinerary
Travel itineraries are uploaded to travellers’ Babel account and posted either to schools or to travellers directly prior to travel.
Exemplar Travel Plan
Students are provided a description of their journey from their accommodation to their work placement. Sometimes this is a short walk illustrated on Google Maps, other times knowledge of local transport is helpful and information is provided. Depending on the schedule for your trip, time can be allowed to practise the route prior to the first day at work.
Host Accommodation Guide
Students are provided with a Host Accommodation Guide in order to help them understand what it means to stay with a host family and what to expect.
