How to Arrange your Trip
Teachers and group leaders are very welcome to arrange their own trip and book direct with Troll. Although this is the cheapest method of organising a trip, it may take up quite a lot of your time and you should be aware of this before you make this decision.
If you decide that you do not have enough time to arrange your trip, you can still travel to Great Britain with Troll, but you will have to contact a travel agent in your country and request that they make the arrangements for your group on your behalf. Provide the local agent with the URL (http://trolleeebus.co.uk) and details of how to contact Troll, so they will be able to correspond with me. Scroll down for more!
If you decide to arrange your own trip, the following steps will assist you. These guidelines are not exhaustive and you may have to do some additional tasks according to your particular circumstances. Ensure you start arranging the trip as early as possible – it is suggested that you allow a minimum of three months before you intend to travel.
1. The first thing to do is to decide which programme you would like to do in Great Britain. You may wish to ask one or more other teachers / group leaders to assist you, according to the expected number of participants in the group.
2. Once you have one or two ideas for programmes, you should arrange a meeting with the possible participants of the group to discuss your ideas with them and make the final decision. You will need to contact Troll to get prices and answers to any questions you might have before you have your first meeting. Please ensure you read the programme carefully and note which attractions are included and which are not included in the price of your programme. If you wish to make any changes, you must contact Troll immediately. If you are unclear about any aspect of the programme, the price or what is included in the programme price, please contact Troll.
3. Promoting the trip is very important. The larger the group, the cheaper it is for each participant, so it is better to gather as many participants as you can. There are a number of ways to promote your trip:
- Word-of-mouth is often very effective – tell as many people as you can about the trip and ask them to tell others. If you are arranging a trip at a school, you may consider travelling with another school or a language school in your town – contact a teacher and tell them your idea.
- You can ‘advertise’ your trip by putting up posters in suitable places (notice boards, libraries, community centres, teachers’ resource centres, etc.).
- Give everyone an information page about the trip, including the programme itinerary, the dates you intend to travel and the URL (http://trolleeebus.co.uk) so they can find out more about Troll themselves.
- Sometimes local newspapers and school / club newsletters will give you free advertising – make use of this.
- If you have access to school / company mailing lists, you might send out an email or a letter about the trip. Once again remember to include all the details, such as the programme itinerary, the dates you intend to travel and the URL (http://trolleeebus.co.uk).
- Keep reminding people about the trip and encourage them to ‘spread the word’ to ensure you gather a large enough group and get the best price!
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4. At this stage you will have a good idea of the number of people in your group and you will need to contact Troll again to inform him of this and confirm your intended dates – click here.
5. Some groups prefer to collect the money for the trip from each participant in instalments. This might be something you consider and specific dates should be set for collection. In any case, you will need to collect a 10% deposit from each participant to confirm your booking.
6. It is also at this stage that you might consider approaching large companies and other funding bodies for sponsorship. A number of organisations are willing to give money towards the cost of such a trip, but they may demand that the trip has an educational purpose. It is always worth contacting a few organisations to find out if funds are available even for part of the trip.
7. As early as you can, you should make arrangements for transport to Great Britain. If you are intending to travel by air, this will mean booking flights. There are one or two ways to do this:
• In the past, some group leaders have requested that each participant book their own flight and, therefore, takes on the risk of any cancellation. This can, however, be problematic as you must ensure that all the participants book the same flight.
• The alternative is to make a group booking with an airline. Visit the website of your chosen carrier and look for a link to ‘group travel’ on their homepage. There are, of course, a number of carriers, each with their own prices and conditions and it is best to spend some time ‘shopping around’ before you book.
If you have chosen a programme by coach, (usually for a bigger European group), you should contact a reliable coach company in your country. If you are able to find a company on recommendation from someone, that may be the best option. In any case, you must ensure:
• The coach company is fully aware of what is involved in the programme, including the distance to Great Britain (south-west London), journeys to and from excursions (usually into London, but also to other places according to specific programmes)
• The coach company has all the necessary permits to drive in other European countries and in Great Britain and that the drivers must obtain visas if required.
• The coach company and the vehicle meet the required safety standards and hold the necessary insurances.
• The drivers have experience of driving in other countries, including, if possible, driving on the left (for Great Britain).
• The coach company understands that they will be responsible for any fines and charges incurred during the whole trip, but will not be expected to pay for the return ferry crossing (France to Great Britain), parking in Great Britain during excursions and the drivers’ full-board accommodation, as these expenses are included in the price of the programme. Entrances for coach drivers are not included in the free places offered.
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8. If your group is travelling from outside the European Union, you may need to obtain visas for Great Britain and for any other countries you will be passing through (by coach). You will need to contact the embassies / consulates of these countries to find out what is required to obtain your visas. As all the programmes offered by Troll are short-stay trips, you are only required to apply for a tourist visa. Even if your trip includes a language course, you do not need to apply for student or study visas, which are intended for students staying in Great Britain for a longer period. You may be required to provide a letter of invitation and we will be pleased to provide you with this once we have all the necessary details of your group.
Although, if successful, you will be issued with a six month ‘leave of entry to the United Kingdom’, Troll and Thames Language & Culture cannot be responsible for participants who leave the group with the intention of staying in Britain to work. British immigration rules have recently changed and there are strict penalties for anyone working illegally or over-staying their visa. Teachers and group leaders should take care not to accept anyone to the group who they suspect intends to do this.
9. When you are satisfied that you have the correct number in your group and have arranged your transport, you should contact Troll to confirm your booking. You will be sent a ‘booking pack’ with all the details we will require from you about the group and all the information you will need to proceed with your payment.
10. If, at any time, you need assistance or advice about how to proceed, please contact Troll – click here.
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