How do you feel about expensive foreign school trips?

lostinrates

FBaby wrote: »

I totally agree, it does depend on the costs and what you get from it. Some experience could not be shared with family and/or certainly not at the price offered. I would definitely be happy with an exchange trip with another school at under £150. This is totally different to a ski trip abroad, with little education to be gained from it more than what you could get doing the same with family, at 10 times the price.

I suppose it depends how you view skiing. E.g. Armed forces approach is to consider it valuable and wort paying for.

loobylou2

Both of my older children went on the year 6 outward bound trip just before they moved up to secondary school but I noticed that the price increased by £20 for the same trip in just 2 years!!! It cost £180 when DS went and £200 when DD1 went. Last year DD1 also went to Germany with the school and that cost £400, this year she is going on another outward bound at a cost of £200 again although it is to a different centre than the one she's been to previously. DS also had the opportunity to go to Germany and on an Outward Bound and this year (he's in year 10) he had the opportunity to go to Iceland to try and see the Northern lights at a cost of £700!!! I would have loved to have gone on that one and with all the trips I would have managed to find the money somehow if he'd wanted to go on any of them but unlike his sister he just didn't want to go even though he knew he could and that we would find the money for him to go if he wanted to.

I think the value of the trip is very much dependent on the nature and personality of the child and that each child is different. There are only 22 months between my two eldest but you'd struggle to know that they have the exact same parents they are so different in personality.

silvercar

Seems to be 2 schools of thought:

1. Can't afford it/ don't value it= child doesn't go

2. Amazing experience= pays up and child goes.

So given that schools still run these trips, there must be sufficient numbers that do think it is worth doing. If there was no value, word would soon get out and parents would no longer support it. So those that go are gaining from the experience.

sillygoose

Well thanks! you have all depressed me!

I have 2 kids 10 and 8. The 10 is up for a school trip next year to France, not too bad for nearly a week @ £400 with good educational content in it.

But when he/they go to secondary school £1000+? no way!!! bloomin heck!

When I was at school in the Jurassic era school trips were a day out to see a stately house and that was your lot.. Skiing was something James Bond did!

No way, we all go or no one goes!

valk_scot

Best value trips are the ones the Scouts (and presumably the Guides) run. A three night away weekend locally is usually about £20-£30, outward bound activities included. DD went for seven days to the Scout centre at Keilder and spent it sailing and canoeing, that one cost £100. There are also Scout centres abroad and DS's lot regularly go to one near Amsterdam for a week, that's about £200 though it will be less for him this year because he's going as a young leader and gets a subsidy. Scouts do a lot of physical stuff on trips of course but they're not averse to a theme park, museum trip or bit of sightseeing. And at least they get to mix with Scouts from other counties, DS has a worryingly good knowledge of Dutch lagers now courtesy of a Dutch pack that was camped next section over last year.

Some people may say that the downside of Scout trips is that they usually camp, of course. My kids (and I) regard the camping as the cherry on top of the cake.

Spendless

silvercar wrote: »

Was the trip insured? You should be able to claim.

Who insures a school trip? School or are you meant to do so yourself? Last year my friend's son had the same experience as pukkamum's son only he never even got as far as the destination. Feeling ill him and a school teacher were left at a service station and boy's Dad had to drive to pick him up. My friend never got any money back.

silvercar

Spendless wrote: »

Who insures a school trip? School or are you meant to do so yourself? Last year my friend's son had the same experience as pukkamum's son only he never even got as far as the destination. Feeling ill him and a school teacher were left at a service station and boy's Dad had to drive to pick him up. My friend never got any money back.

We were offered insurance as part of all school overseas trips. As it happened we had our own multi-trip annual insurance that offered better cover so we declined the school insurance.

I can't believe a school would take children overseas without insurance; what would they do if there was a medical emergency?

Even with the UK it would be worth considering. I know annual insurance often includes UK trips where accommodaton has been booked for at least 2 nights.

Spendless

silvercar wrote: »

We were offered insurance as part of all school overseas trips. As it happened we had our own multi-trip annual insurance that offered better cover so we declined the school insurance.

I can't believe a school would take children overseas without insurance; what would they do if there was a medical emergency?

Even with the UK it would be worth considering. I know annual insurance often includes UK trips where accommodaton has been booked for at least 2 nights.

The trip that friend's son was ill on was in the UK, even though he never got further than part way down the motorway. When my son went on holiday to France earlier this year with school we weren't offered insurance in the same way you describe, it wasn't mentioned at all. No idea if insurance was inclusive in the cost. They asked for each child to have their EHIC.

Poppy9

I paid just over £1200 for DD to go to the US for a week's skiing and 3 days in NY earlier this year. It co-incided with her 18th so it was her present effectively. Her spending money was her Xmas present! It was her last ever school trip.

I talked to family and friends before going mad with kitting DD out for Skiing and went to an outlet and TKmax so kitted her out for well under £200. The jacket, thermals and socks have all been worn since to 6th form!!

Prior to this she had only done the odd day trip, two overnight theatre trips to London, D of E and a weekend in Eurodisney with the school. All cost less than £200.

I do think schools should offer a variety of trips but there should be no hard sell. I do think that trips that are pushed by language teachers should be low cost as it's tough if a child is studying a language and cannot afford the school trip.

I however would have no issue with explaining to DD if I couldn't afford a trip. I never asked to go on school trips as I knew my parents couldn't afford them. I didn't feel deprived. I would have liked dance lessons as a child, but again there was no money for them so I threw myself into other, cheaper activities like Brownies and a marching band!!!!:o

faith2009uk

When I was at school we didn't really have expensive trips away just the usual UK ones. It's only after working at a school that I realised how expensive it has become.

We have residential trip in yr 7 where they are encouraged to go to bond with their year, 1 wk in Poland, 8 days Ski Trip US, 1wk in Iceland plus loads of day trips to london attractions etc. including a random Harry Potter Trip.

What really makes me laugh are the house point reward trips where the top 50 students with the most HPs are asked to then PAY for their reward!