How To Sell A Ski Trip To Your School, Parents & Pupils

One of the toughest things about organising a school ski trip is promoting it. Getting pupils, parents and even the school itself to buy into your trip can be difficult – especially when there are other things to be taken care of.

In this guide, we use our 30 years of experience to show you how to sell your school ski trip to all parties.

How to promote your ski trip

1. Choose the right trip

Selling your trip is much easier if you choose the right trip in  the first place.

Working with a  reputable tour organiser to build an itinerary that is right for your group can make the selling and promotion of your trip much more straightforward.

Whether you have an idea of the type of trip you want to book, or you are open to suggestions, browsing our website should help you get a feel for what you need to
consider. The ski trip you choose should be tailored for the group and your learning
goals for the trip.

Some things you may wish to consider include:

• What is the skiing ability of my group?
• Will the pupils engage with the activities?
• Are there enough evening activities to keep my group entertained?
• Are the pupils better suited to a quiet or busy resort?
• Can the pupils be trusted to visit a local town?
• Will the pupils have the opportunity to use foreign language skills?
• Will the trip broaden the pupil’s understanding of other cultures?
• Will the trip improve the confidence of pupils?
• Can the itinerary better integrate groups of pupils and improve social skills?
• Will the trip encourage better behaviour and responsibility?
• Will the trip encourage pupils to push themselves out of their comfort zone?
• Will the trip encourage enjoyment of physical exercise?

This list is not exhaustive, and there are many other things that might be important
to you. But, it at least gives you a starting point.

2. Check your school’s trip guidelines

First, you’ll need the relevant permissions for the trip to go ahead. Each school has its own process, so check what’s required and follow each step carefully.

You may need to win over key decision-makers, so be ready to answer questions and explain the benefits for both the school and students.

3. Start your trip planning early

We cannot stress enough the importance of starting early when it comes to planning. Most teachers begin more than a year in advance — and some schools plan and book trips up to two years ahead.

Early planning can help with getting buy-in, too. Here’s how:

• It helps school scheduling: the school can plan around dates when a large group may be away.
• It reduces “fear of missing out” issues: with time to plan, conflicts are easier to avoid.
• It makes the trip more affordable: parents have more time to pay in instalments.
• It supports inclusion: more time and better planning can make trips accessible to more pupils.
• It creates space for fundraising: which can benefit pupil development and school morale.

4. Promote the trip to pupils

Arguably, pupils are the easiest to sell to. Going on a school trip is exciting. Spending time away from home with friends, learning new skills and the opportunity to socialise with new people is very attractive to the majority of pupils.

Even so, here are our top promotional tips you may wish to consider:

Tailor your message

Many pupils will never have skied before or been away from home without parents. Reassure them that there is plenty of opportunity for novice skiers, and that they’ll be supported by friends and trusted staff.

Use school assemblies

Assemblies are a great opportunity to build excitement — but for maximum impact, don’t just tell pupils about the trip: show them.

Use photos and videos to demonstrate what the trip is like. A simple presentation can generate real buzz among pupils and staff.

Create flyers pupils can take home

Flyers are useful because pupils can take away and digest some of the information they heard at the assembly, and also pass on this information to their parents.

When you plan a trip with IBT, we provide an initial proposal document before you book, which can help you with the creation of these flyers. Be sure to include the following:

• The trip location
• Trip length and dates
• How you will travel
• Examples of what pupils will be doing
• The cost of the trip
• Proposed payment instalment dates
• Benefits of the trip
• How to register interest or book
• A link to your tour operator’s website for further information

Use social media (if your school has it)

If your school uses social media, share trip details there to help pupils share it with each other online and build momentum.

You can also share links to your tour operator’s site so pupils and parents can explore what’s involved and how to prepare.

4. Promote the trip to parents

There are several factors which affect whether parents will be willing to send their child on a ski trip. While many of these will be personal to each family, common factors include cost and safety.

There are ways to mitigate these factors and make sure as many parents as possible are in favour of the trip.