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The Keys to Planning Your ‘Tour Team’ (aka Chaperones)

Everything’s important when you’re planning a student tour, but all pales in comparison to the crucial selection of chaperones.

When word trickles out into the school-o-sphere that you’re planning a tour, you’ll quickly discover that you’re suddenly the most popular teacher in the land.  Colleagues and parents will come out of the woodwork to volunteer.

But potential chaperones are not all made of the right stuff to be effective supports for touring students.  That’s why we’re offering in this post the keys to planning your ‘tour team’ (aka chaperones).

Check on policy

If you’re new to touring with your students, it’s important that you check with administration concerning policies around chaperones.  What’s the ratio to the number of students?  Add an extra chaperone to that number.

If one of your students comes down with a bug while you’re traveling, you’ll still have the required number of chaperones, as one cares for the sick traveler.

Also, check to see if administration requires a staff member to travel with the group.  Not all school districts practice this policy, but make sure before taking another step.  One position may have already been filled.

Who are your volunteers?

As we’ve intimated above, many are called, but few are chosen.  You’re looking for specific attributes to assemble your team of chaperones.

A key box to check off in your search for appropriate chaperones is their standing in the school community.  Are your candidates well-known by the student body? Do they regularly step up to help with school events?  Are they leaders?

You’re looking for adults that your students look up to and who have some experience of travelling with groups of young people.  You’ll also need to have at least one chaperone with CPR training, in the event of an emergency.

Once you’ve assembled a tour team, you’ll need to discern which of the team are obvious choices for the role of team leads.  There should be two of these – one female and one male.  These two chaperones should epitomize all the qualities you seek in the general group.

Finally, consider taking along a “rookie”, so that you have a chaperone in training on board.  It’s always a good idea to foster resources like tour team members.

Thorough preparation

Whoever’s on your team, it’s important that they’re in the loop about everything concerning the tour, from itinerary to room assignments to roles and duties of chaperones.

The tour team is also a resource to assist with tour needs like collecting paperwork and organizing and mounting fundraisers for the tour.  While on tour, each chaperone should be aware of your expectations and what you expect of them, personally.

Check in with your group at regular get togethers to share information and new details about the tour.  This creates unity of purpose and a tour community which supports the success of your adventure.

Peak Performance Tours

Peak’s been taking students on extraordinary educational adventures for more than 20 years.  When you go with Peak, you go with the best.  Contact us.