The Wheels On The Bus...

Opportunities for students to travel are everywhere. There are educational school trips, scouting adventures, band and choir performance trips, high school senior trips, sporting events... Our kids are on the move, or at least have the chance to be, no matter where their interests lie.

Allowing our children to see the world outside of our homes and communities is a truly enriching experience. I know for my son, who is interested in drama, visiting New York to see two Broadway shows exposed him to more in the way of theater than nine months of an "intro to theater" class would. For him, seeing a theatrical performance not only punctuates and enhances the text he had studied in the classroom, it provided him with memories that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Hotels play a large part in the planning of these events. I've worked extensively with tournament housing bureaus, tour operators, and school faculty members, and know that they work hard to negotiate the best deal possible to see that your child not only has an affordable experience, but is also safe, and well fed!

Generally, the groups are well-chaperoned, and the hotel is in contact with the chaperones throughout their stay, heads are counted before "lights out," and schedules are reviewed for wake-up calls and bus departures. If the group requires additional security, it's possible for the hotel to arrange for unarmed guards to patrol the floors occupied by the group to insure that not only are the students safe, but that they are not disrupting the stay of other hotel guests.

There's great information available from the Student and Youth Travel Association (SYTA), an organization that both represents and promotes youth travel. On their website are tips on how to avoid travel problems and ways in which you can address any safety concerns you may have. In fact, a copy of the SYTA Safety Tips can be viewed here.

The SYTA Youth Foundation, is SYTA's philanthropic sister organization, offering travel scholarship opportunities to deserving North American youths, and is--in my opinion--well worth supporting.

If you are interested in a hotel's commitment to the student and youth travel market, you might want to ask if they are members of SYTA. An active membership is a strong indication that they've done enough homework to take good care of your young traveler.

I am working on another post to assist those of you who have, for one reason or another, been elected to arrange the accommodations for your child's cheerleading or sports team. If you have been tasked with this project, feel free to leave a comment to let me know what specific questions you may have about this process.

Until then, bon voyage!