Tailor-made Trips for Groups

How we work

If you would like a ‘closed group’ (typically one school but can be arranged in conjunction with schools in a trust or neighbouring schools for example), we can provide a tailor-made package.

Examples of our tailor-made packages include:

• Language school and cultural activities
• Work experience abroad for linguists or vocational placements
• City tours with cultural excursions
• Bespoke packages – sports teams / professional travel etc. 
• Turing Scheme projects
• Muti-destination trips
• Flight-only packages

We can provide host family and hotel/hostel accommodation

Below is an outline of the process:

1. Consider dates, the number of students/travellers/staff, type of accommodation and meals basis. (We will provide a Group Leader for every work experience trip so you can keep the cost down by not sending staff or sending fewer staff if you choose.) 
2. We will request some information from you via our trip planning portal, Babel. You can complete the online enquiry form or call us for a discussion first if you prefer.
3. One of our specialists will contact you for further details and preferences or to discuss your ideas before providing a quote if any details need clarifying.
4. Blue Stamp will provide you a tailor-made quote containing a range of prices for various numbers of travellers and free places. We know that the number of students can vary so we will be as flexible as possible.
5. Before you confirm your booking, if requested we can provide you with:
   • Presentation to help promote your trip
   • Posters to promote your trip
   • Sample text for letters to parents
   • A case for Work Experience Abroad for your SLT, or Trust board
   • Support to respond to any questions from students or parents / carers
   • Sample risk assessments in order to support you completing your own risk assessment
   • Other documentation as required
   • Our contact details for students and/or parents us should they require any support
6. When you confirm how many students you would like to book we will send you a form to complete with travellers’ names (as per their passports) and invoice for the first deposit (usually £200 per paying traveller). 
7. We will create accounts on Babel so travellers can submit their data and we can provide them with information about their trip and guidance to assist with planning. 
8. The final balance is due 12 weeks prior to departure. We will invoice you accordingly.
9. In the meantime we ask that students enrol to complete their application online. This reduces any burden of paperwork for schools.
10. We will send a pack of information for each student to school about 6 weeks prior to travel and a teacher pack about 2 weeks prior to departure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ratio of free places provided?

We can provide any ratio of staff to students you request. Prices are adjusted to reflect this. For Work Experience trips DBS chekced, naitve or fluent speaker Group Leader with every work experience trip so there is no need to send a teacher unless you choose to. (You may choose to include our Group Leader in your ratio for risk assessments.)

What type of accommodation should we choose?

If you are looking for a languages trip, a host family can offer great value whilst also helpping students learn about local and national culture. Hotel accommodation allows the group to stay together and socialise and can help when trying to arrange cultural visits. Host families are also available in France and Spain.

How much paperwork is involved?

We aim to remove the burden on teachers by assigning each student an account on Babel where they will manage their trip by communicating with us directly. Teachers have full over-view of this at every step. Check out our Guide to Babel. 

Much of what you will be required to do will depend upon your school’s policy. We will help to reduce this workload as much as possible by providing the necessary documents.

Do students deal with Blue Stamp Travel directly?

We encourage students to be as involved as possible in their trip, developing independence and taking responsibility for their administration and planning. We are happy to speak with students (or parents / guardians) to help them at every stage. If there are questions that are better answered by school staff we will advise accordingly.