 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone organised a ski trip for their students / school without the use of a tour operator (saving ££'s)
or perhaps you know of someone who has?
I'd like to know experiences, successful, problems arisen etc as I shall be doing this for 2011
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| 1969jma wrote: |
| I shall be doing this for 2011 |
Why ?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've calculated I can save each student £165.00
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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1969jma, and be personally at risk? Watch out that you don't yourself become a tour operator, unknowingly.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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1969jma, I did this for several years but I would not recommend it unless you really have lots of experience and good contacts in the resort you chose. There are way too many hurdles to jump through these days to be honest
It is a hell of a lot more complicated than you think. In the end I had my list of requirements and let the specialist school tour operators bid for my trade (which was considerable both in terms of the numbers I took and the position I held within in our county organisation). We always went to the same resort, used the same ski school, hotel and coach operator. Ski school organised our ski hire and lift tickets, but I have a very good and close relationship with them that goes back over 20 odd years.
If you are interested in any of the details please PM me
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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1969jma, run your idea by the LEA. There should be someone in charge of extra curricular trips. Once they sign on the dotted line confirming they give you permission much of the liability passes to them. Make sure you have been on an SCO course too. This will also cover much of the liabilty.
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1969jma,
I see you deleted you last post. ??
Being an ex-rep does not give you the experience, knowledge, organisational and logistic capabilities or financial backing that is required to run a bonded ski trip. An LEA will required Bonding (and so will the parents)
This just sounds dodgy.
Sorry if it's not but it really does appear that you are not thinking about this in the spirit that it's meant to be.
School ski holiday are meant to to be part of the educational process. There are so many professional organisations (TO's) out there specifically dealing with school ski trips (we are not one of them BTW) that your attitude seems to lead to the assumption that you are looking at this as something other than an educational experience.
| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
| I have a very good and close relationship with them that goes back over 20 odd years.. |
Maybe you should ask some of the parents to look at other possibilities. I simply can not believe that your chosen close relationship has proved to be the best option for the children that you are purchasing on the behalf of, for the whole of the past 20 years. May be wrong though but ….
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Wayne, yes you are wrong!
But then you would have to say that wouldn't you, as you are a Tour Operator aren't you
Read my post - my situation was unique to my circumstances and I did have the LEA's approval. The situation arose in the early 1990s when all the main school travel agents started going belly up.
I advised the OP NOT to try it, especially in the current climate in education and economy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sadly I agree with those who say go with a TO. My wife is amazed I take trips at all in the current climate, and when you think of all that could go wrong I can see why (losing a grandmother in Venice is one hazard you may not have thought of !!). But - I've run trips for nearly 40 years and the kids get so much out of them. No matter how much experience you have you just don't have the back up available to TOs when things go wrong, and the potential on a ski trip is probably greater than with most.
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| Quote: |
I've calculated I can save each student £165.00
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However .....
Say for example you go by train. On the way home there's an accident on the road out of resort and consequently you miss the TGV to Paris. You have to upgrade to First Class to get on the next one. By the time you get to Paris, you have missed the Eurostar connection, and have to pay for another ticket for each member of the party. You finally get back to the UK at 02:00. (This happened to my friends in February, cost them over £500 extra).
You're confident that in such circumstances there would be enough seats on the next train for a group of 30+? You'd have enough to pay for it all? You fancy dealing with being stuck overnight if not? And do you really want to deal with 30 irate parents who have had to wait until idiot in the morning to pick up their children, only to be told that the whole thing will cost them a pile more than the £165 they saved in the first place? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
You have to upgrade to First Class
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Does that happen?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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jonm, no, I just said it for a laugh.
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1969jma, Dont even think of it, you may be lucky but if like Lizzard, says if something goes wrong, you are responsible! Let them spend the extra £165 and have a peaceful holiday!
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You know it makes sense.
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Interesting thoughts!
I wrote the ski risk assessments for the LEA used by all secondary schools
Have LEA Approval to go independently
Repped for good companies
Qualified Instructor
Have organised residentials independently before
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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1969jma, If you've repped for schools you will know well that things can go TU in short order, and you will have seen how stressed party leaders get even when everything is being done for them. God knows what state they'd be in if they had to deal with it all themselves.
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Poster: A snowHead
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True, however its usually the poor organisation of TO's that have caused the issue
Dont get me wrong, ive not had a bad experience either as a leader or rep, this is purely a financial cause for a school in a deprived area
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I met a group last year in resort who had done their own trip, taking their own instructors with them. The coach turned up to collect them at the school, and had one seat less that they'd booked for. Instead of having a relaxing journey out to resort, keeping an eye out for the kids, he was then having to try and sort out alternative travel arrangements for a member of his staff.
It can be done, and if everything goes to plan, then it may save you a few £ - but it will be a lot of hard work, time, effort and stress on your part, even if everything goes swimmingly.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
its usually the poor organisation of TO's that have caused the issue
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Oh yes? Some more situations you might not want to cope with on your own:
- Sledging accident the night before leaving resort, three kids and a member of staff under observation in hospital with suspected neck and back injuries, transfer has to leave now or you'll miss the flight.
- Coach slides off the road in a snowstorm on the col following an electrical fault, party of 40 kids stranded by the roadside miles from anywhere in blizzard conditions.
- Coach slides on black ice, hits overhanging rocks, party leader thrown through windscreen, carted off to hospital with serious head injuries.
- Group brings gastro virus to resort, just shakes it off by the end of the week, kids start going down with it again the day before you have to leave. Prospect of 30 hour coach journey with kids dropping like flies all the way and only one onboard toilet.
In all those cases, the TO arrived at a solution, pronto. Could you, with no local contacts amongst coach companies, hoteliers etc? You speak the local language fluently enough to organise all the necessary on the phone? Bearing in mind that in scenario II you're in hospital and not guaranteed to survive the rest of the day.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I think the OP is foolish to even think such a thing. It is not like organising the same size group of friends. Brave to do it for a small saving!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| 1969jma wrote: |
| I've calculated I can save each student £165.00 |
Better idea would be to select a trip that costs £165 less than the original.
DIY for you and your family/mates is one thing. For a group of school kids it's a totally different mater. And don’t forget that as soon as someone (or their parents) pays you to provide a trip the whole relationship changes.
The parents will be fine – until something goes wrong – then you’ll be expected to have the same experience, financial backing, logistic support and abilities as a TO who has local contacts, can speak the local language and the experience to be able to deal with problems as and when they arise. If you don’t then you may find that the friendly parents who were happy to save £165 now are not so nice and …..
Oh and not touting for business as we are not a school operator (any more)
Good luck to you if you do decide to go ahead, but I would suggest you don't.
| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
| But then you would have to say that wouldn't you, as you are a Tour Operator aren't you |
Yep 
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