Planning Field Trip Transportation

For any child or student, a field trip tends to be a lot of fun and creates memories that last a really long time. Then it is suddenly time to do it again, except this time you are a chaperoning parent or a teacher, thus making the whole process a lot more tedious than before.

Once you determine the destination, you have to outline field trip transportation. You have to sort through businesses that offer a minibus rental or that provide buses and coaches that cater to different trips that people are taking. But planning a field trip is not that difficult if you keep certain things in mind from the get go:

Choose the educational tour/destination

It can be a famous museum of historical artifacts, an art gallery of a contemporary artist or even a science themed park. The latter one would be something new and unique, something that everyone is sure to enjoy.

Choose your chaperones wisely

In case you are a teacher looking for parent chaperones, choose wisely. Talk to the parents a week before the trip begins and only make a decision after that.

Make a list of what things to carry

Be precise and travel light. Only carry things that are necessary, including flash lights, medical kits, an extra set of clothes, rain ponchos, etcetera. Don’t forget your identification, small notebooks or some paper to make notes and document the data learned.

Lodging

When you are booking ahead of the trip, make sure you make reservations at a place that provides comfort along with affordable prices. Since you probably won’t be visiting for more than a week, and will be staying out most of the time, you probably only need a place to wash up and sleep. Manage some recommendations from experienced teachers to know if they have a list of places that they prefer while on field trips.

Transportation

A road trip with excited children, some adults, and a worried teacher? You need the proper transportation to actually have even a semblance of a smooth and easy journey. So, it falls upon you to choose a proper bus or coach for the trip.

Following is a guide on how you can choose a bus:

It depends on how many people are traveling together, how many hours you will be on the road, whether you require advanced facilities like WiFi or air conditioning or restrooms. If it is a small journey of two hours for a small class, you can choose a minibus. The seats are comfortable and there are usually plug point for your cell phones. Some minibuses also have WiFi in them. Minibuses are more favorable for field trip transportation within the city itself. In case you are going a little farther and/or on off tracks for camping and hikes, a classic bus is a good option. They have loads of luggage space for keeping all the hiking and camping gear and equipment. However, if you are choosing a city that is more than four hours away from your own city, you definitely need to book a coach bus. Coach buses are large and can accommodate a large number of people. They have reclining seats in case anyone needs to lie back for a while. They provide WiFi and air conditioning facilities so that you can complete your journey in comfort.

Small details are often overlooked while planning for a trip for kids. You should take your time when planning for a trip like this, inform the principal of the school where you plan to take them and why, book the lodging in advance and keep in contact with the driver of your would-be bus and map out a list of places you can choose for emergencies or as pit stops so that the driver gets to stretch his legs for a while and you can replenish your snacks and water supplies.