I Want To Plan A Team Trip, Where Do I Start?

Making the choice to travel with your team is a big decision and finding your way here shows you are already on the right track to traveling with ease! You want to provide the experience of a lifetime to your students but don’t know where to start planning? Let us help! To start, download our planning timeline- here.

1) Decide on a purpose
Let’s start with one easy question that will help guide the direction of your whole trip. What is your ultimate purpose for traveling? Are you looking to compete or simply to expose your students through taking classes? Or maybe you are looking to integrate a grand performance opportunity into an even more grand trip of a lifetime? Once you decide which is best to fit the needs of you and your team, you will be able to narrow down destinations that match exactly what you had in mind!
 
2) Pick a destination
Now that you have picked the purpose of the trip you are looking to book, it will help to provide a focus when looking at destinations. There are many wonderful places around the world and right here in the United States that will open your students’ eyes to learning about the world around them. We provide trips that are full of educational learning opportunities that will complement the curriculum for both dance and other academics.
 
3) Partner With Summit for Help
At this stage you may now become torn between two locations or you may know exactly where you want to go but want to know more about things to do. When you partner with Summit we will provide you with excellent sample itineraries for you to get a better idea of the location or we can create a custom itinerary to accommodate you and your school. Look forward to having a knowledgeable Summit staff member ready to walk you through the rest of your trip, from the continuation of planning to the time you arrive back home, we are excited about providing you with the trip of a lifetime.
 
4) Gain Approval
You now have a focused purpose for travel, the perfect destination, and have enlisted us for support. You are ready to start the approval process! We recommend allowing yourself plenty of time for this process as this can be the most crucial step. We are here to help support you with the resources you will need to feel prepared when approaching your administration. You will have a detailed destination flyer that outlines trip highlights and the connected applicable TEKS, along with a quoted trip cost, and many other resources like this Tips for Travel file that can help ease administrators fears of student travel.
 
5) Cover the Basics
Review your sample itinerary and make sure all your goals for the trip have been met. We will strive to accommodate all the key features you have in mind within your budgeted price point. Along with basic outlines for trip inclusions we will start finalizing specific dates of travel, meaning flights and hotel arrangements. This will include finalizing total number of travelers (students & parents) and if you are flying, collecting legal names and dates of birth for ticketing. If you are traveling out of the country, we recommend starting to verify passports for all travelers as renewals or applying for new passports may take some time.
 
6) Get a fundraising plan
Along with taking on the additional time and effort of planning a trip, taking on the associated finances for a trip big or small can seem daunting. Use your parents and/or Booster Club to help set up additional fundraisers that can be used specifically towards trip costs. We have also put together tips for fundraising that we have found to be useful when financially planning for a trip.
 
7) Organize the Details
As the trip quickly approaches, it is time to start thinking about the details. Placing students into smaller travel groups with an assigned parent chaperone will make gathering/communicating individual specific travel needs much easier and will also be helpful for safety during the trip. We also recommend putting together information packets that you can easily share with students and their parents. This should contain, up to date itineraries, required packing lists (uniforms or costumes), emergency contact information, and a signed behavioral agreement that students will return.
 
8) Take off & Have fun!
A trained Summit travel host will accompany you for the duration of your trip to help with all logistical aspects during your stay. Now all you have left to do is document your once in a lifetime trip with your team and enjoy!