Stressed About School Trips? Here's How Equity Supports Teachers at Every Step

​​School trips remain one of the most impactful experiences a young person can have, but for many teachers, organising them now feels more daunting than ever.

At a recent Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLoTC) conference, our account managers spoke with other educational suppliers about the recent CLoTC research studying the regional variations of school travel, as well as the reasons why fewer trips are running up and down the country. The same themes seemed to come up again and again: time pressures, rising costs, lack of experience, and, most significantly, anxiety.

The good news? With a good school trip organiser, it doesn't have to be this way.

In this blog, we address these findings, and share how Equity School Travel actively guides teachers, parents, and students throughout the entire school trip process. Read on to find out more about how we reassure and support party leaders when you book a school trip with us.

“I don’t have the experience to run a trip”

One of the most common concerns raised by teachers was a lack of experienced staff to run a school trip. Many newly qualified teachers have never run a school trip before, and even experienced staff can feel apprehensive if they have not organised travel recently.

At Equity, we recognise that no teacher should feel they are expected to know everything from day one – and we don't expect you to. Our role is to guide you through the process step by step, from the earliest planning stages to the point where your group returns home safe and sound. We support with timelines, documentation, risk assessment information, and practical advice, our team sharing decades of experience running school trips of all types.

For teachers who would feel better with some extra reassurance, we can also arrange inspection visits for your chosen trip, allowing you to familiarise yourself with destinations, accommodation, and logistics all before travelling with your students.

“What if something goes wrong – am I liable?”

Anxiety around responsibility is another theme that our account managers often hear, particularly concerns about accountability if something goes wrong. While teachers are, of course, responsible for their students, many risks can be significantly reduced through proper planning and robust systems.

Equity holds comprehensive accreditations, insurance, and safeguarding procedures, and our operations and support teams are available 24 hours a day while you are travelling. Because of this, you can rest assured that we never leave teachers to manage situations alone. If an issue arises, there is always an experienced team member at the end of the phone who knows how to respond.

This shared responsibility is central to how we work at Equity. While teachers remain in control of their groups, they are fully supported by professionals who have seen and managed almost every scenario before (we've been doing this since 1933, don't forget!).

“I don’t have the time to manage parents’ questions as well”

We know parent anxiety is another significant factor impacting teachers right now, especially when trips involve overseas travel or a child’s first time away from home. Answering repeated questions about safety, insurance, medical provision, and spending money can add considerable pressure to what is already a demanding role.

That's why our account managers aim to take the pressure off of you, by attending parent evenings, assemblies, or virtual meetings alongside the party leader. We can help explain the trip clearly, answer detailed questions, and provide reassurance directly to parents, reducing the administrative and emotional load on school staff.

We've found this approach helps build trust and eases parent anxiety, as they can see that the trip is supported by a dedicated, experienced organisation, not just an individual teacher working alone.

“Increased costs feel prohibitive – how can I ask this of families I know are cutting costs at home?”

Rising costs remain a reality for schools and families, but they do not have to be a barrier to meaningful educational opportunities. At Equity, we work closely with teachers to explore a wide range of trip options, including alternative destinations and shorter or UK-based programmes that offer strong curriculum value at a lower overall cost.

We can help identify more affordable locations that still deliver rich educational outcomes, whether that means adjusting the destination, the duration of the trip, or the balance between guided excursions and independent exploration. These alternatives often allow schools to maintain high-quality learning experiences while keeping costs more accessible for families.

Alongside this, Equity supports schools through flexible payment plans, early planning timelines, and realistic budgeting advice, allowing families more time to spread costs. If numbers are lower than expected, we work with schools to reassess and adapt plans where possible, rather than cancelling trips outright. Our priority is ensuring that students who have committed to a trip are not disappointed unnecessarily, while helping schools run trips that feel achievable and inclusive.

“It feels like too much on top of my day job”

Perhaps the most important theme to emerge among party leaders was simply workload. We recognise teachers are constantly spinning many plates, and organising a trip can feel like an additional job entirely.

Rest assured that our account managers work closely with schools to take on as much of the logistical burden as possible. Whether that means Teams calls instead of in-person meetings, clear checklists, help with internal approvals, or simply being available to talk things through, the aim is to make school travel feel manageable again.

Over time, this support becomes a partnership. Many teachers work with the same account manager year after year, building trust and confidence that allows trips to run more smoothly and with less stress as they familiarise themselves with that teacher's specific and unique requirements.

Reassurance through experience

Across Equity, our team has spent years working alongside schools, with many of us inspired to join the industry by great memories of own school trips. This experience means we understand first-hand both the educational value of travel, as well as the pressures teachers face in making it happen.

If you are feeling uncertain about running a school trip, know you are not alone. At Equity, our role is to listen, guide, and support, so that you can focus on what matters most: giving students the opportunity to explore, learn, and grow beyond the classroom.

If you would like to talk through an idea, a concern, or a first draft of a trip, our team is always happy to help. Get in touch by calling us on 01273 961834, or filling out our webform, and our school trip experts will get back to you as soon as we can.