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Original poster

expensive school trips - worth it?

82 replies

gramercy · 24/04/2012 12:40

Ds has just bought home a school trip form. It's a history trip and the cost is Shock ... £980 for 5 days!!!!!

On this occasion the answer is no. But some of his friends are going and ds looked a bit crestfallen. (Although it says if you are on a low income you may qualify to go.. grrrrr... but that's another thread.)

Anyway, I have said that if any more expensive (but less expensive than £980!) GCSE trips come up, I will not dismiss them out of hand.

So, what trips have you considered worthwhile and are they that beneficial?

OP posts:
Original poster
gramercy · 24/04/2012 14:09

Trip to Washington DC.

I agree with Ja9 that some trips we could not do as a family as would be way too expensive but would be affordable for one. But otoh I can't drop a grand here and a grand there without being certain that the trip is worthwhile.

OP posts:
pigsinmud · 24/04/2012 14:02

Where is the trip? So far school trips for us have been about £330 - 4 nights in Germany or France - so £980 seems rather a lot!

Ja9 · 24/04/2012 13:48

Our local high school recently ran a trip to China. 10 days. £1600. A lot of money. I was [shocked] at such an ambitious trip. However, I was very impressed by the jam packed itinerary visiting 3 big cities and their own tour guide with them the whole time. Clearly a trip of a lifetime. This is not the kind of holiday we could afford for the family to go on, but I would definitely be up for paying for each of my children to go.... it opens up an opportunity we would not be able to give them otherwise.

MiladyGardenia · 24/04/2012 13:40

DS1 went on a trip to Auschwitz and Berlin recently. It was around £650 from Friday 3 a.m to Tuesday evening. It tied in with his GCSE History work.

Originally we said no because it seemed a vast sum for a few days but he was very keen to go so we reconsidered.

He had a whale of a time. They managed to get a booking to see round the Reichstag (I think it was there anyway!) and had a talk from an Auschwitz survivor, amongst other things. They also had some 'free time' away from teachers for some part of most days, which was good for them (having to find and order own lunch etc). Some of the things they did, they wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity to do again.

All in all, worth the money.

This time.

Grin
Original poster
gramercy · 24/04/2012 13:36

Ds went on a WW1 battlefields trip last year and loved it. He said the guide was brilliant. That trip was about £90 I think and worth every penny as ds was very enthusiastic about it.

OP posts:
Piggychunk · 24/04/2012 13:25

Actually I think it was more like £300

Piggychunk · 24/04/2012 13:24

Where was the trip too? That seems so £££ I know we couldn't afford that.

DD has a school trip to WW1 and 2 battlefields in France . I think the cost was around £250 Thurs 1am to Saturday evening.

She hated it she said the food was awful and the fact they had to go to about 4 sites on the thursday even though they had been on and off awake since 1 am meant she really didn't feel engaged.

Next time I will request a schedule before agreeing as they didn't give these out before requesting money.

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