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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not want to pay £5k for a school trip?

455 replies

Lincspeeps · 08/10/2019 14:54

In short, DD's school are running a trip to South Africa in 2021 - safari, time in Madagascar, trekking, social responsibility work etc.

Problem is, its £4.5k plus spends and optional extras - the safari being one. So, with insurance, visas, inoculations etc it'll be five grand and more.

DD's three best friends are all going and we, at a massive stretch, could probably afford it BUT in reading where they stay etc it just seems like such a rip off. I want her to do something exciting but £5k just seems a ridiculous amount.

She's not spoiled and completely understands the value of money but she'll be devastated if she can't go and I'll feel like a demon by preventing her (she's 15 now, will be almost 17 when trip takes place). I just feel that £5k could be spent in a much better way where travel is concerned - I'm sure you can buy a round the world plane tickets for a couple of grand, for example!!

Help...…..

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 08/10/2019 17:11

The bigger risk is the competence of the trip
Leaders in assessing difficult conditions. See attached.

These trips can easily be replicated at far less cost. For two weeks even? I do not see why it’ amazing. You can trek in SA, go to Madagascar and volunteer on a holiday if you wish at any age. It doesn’t have to be done just after GCSEs. It has no bearing on her future at all.

AIBU to not want to pay £5k for a school trip?
Skinnychip · 08/10/2019 17:12

I'm sure my Dds school do World Challenge our local fb page is full of local students offering to babysit/gardening etc to raise money. All their (state) school trips are pretty expensive, but because we live in a fairly affluent area most parents barely bat an eyelid. I think it will be a no from us but my kids are used to being in a different household income bracket to many of their friends so I'm fairly sure they would either not ask, or be prepared for a no!!

Doyoureallyneedtoask · 08/10/2019 17:12

YANBU. She will not be devastated; she wil be disappointed, that is all. You could all have a fantastic family holiday for that money that may make up for the disappointment.

This.

When she is in uni there will be lots of time for her to travel with friends doing summer work abroad. When she has finished uni, there will be lots of time for her to travel the world.

seaweedandmarchingbands · 08/10/2019 17:13

A state school - that is absolutely shocking and I would say no on principle. Not just the money, but the sheer time a trip like this would take to arrange is coming directly out of the directed time budget meant to cater for everyone, including less privileged children. Weeks and weeks of organisation. Ridiculous!

Jellybeansincognito · 08/10/2019 17:13

Nope. She’d get more out of spending 5k on travelling to many different countries when older.
I wouldn’t waste money like this.

Glittertwins · 08/10/2019 17:14

Good God, that's an expensive family holiday. Are there expectations of self- fundraising? Our school does this sort of thing and the pupils are expected to raise money themselves over the 2 year period

Lemonlady22 · 08/10/2019 17:16

plus, going for a month to do this sort of thing is a complete waste of time and money....if she wants to do anything like this volunteer for the red cross and spend 6 months to a year actually helping instead of this, do they not think locals who live in these conditions are completely stupid and cannot build a place to live in but some teenager the UK can

Walnutwhipster · 08/10/2019 17:18

You're not expected to pay. Your child is given two years to fundraise for these trips. They aren't compulsory.

Skinnychip · 08/10/2019 17:18

is this one of these 'rich kids' go to tell poor people how to build a toilet...waste of time and a con....your entire family could go on a safari in Kenya for £5,000 and stay in an AI hotel without preaching to locals who do not give a shit for your opinion!

Im skeptical about these kinds of trips from a) schools and b) churches i have been to where volunteers go off to "build a school" for example. I'm always intrigued how useful a bunch of middle class school kids and teachers/office workers are going to be in terms of practical and construction work.

LittleDancers · 08/10/2019 17:18

That would surely pay for an enormous chunk towards driving lessons and maybe a little second hand car.

stucknoue · 08/10/2019 17:20

For £5k I could arrange all of that for you and your dc! I mean for 2 people!

Loveoddthings · 08/10/2019 17:21

Her response will be very telling
Tantrums moodiness etc - then you don’t think about organising anything as a substitute

Takes it on the chin and accepts that awful lot of family money - then I would promise her a post GCSE holiday

MrsWobble3 · 08/10/2019 17:23

My dd did a world challenge trip. I was very disappointed with it. It was their first time to this particular location and a lot of things didn’t work out so if I were you I would check references from a school that has done the exact trip proposed.

stucknoue · 08/10/2019 17:23

My dd was offered a 2 week trip to Borneo for £4k needless to say she didn't go

badgermushrooms · 08/10/2019 17:30

Im skeptical about these kinds of trips from a) schools and b) churches i have been to where volunteers go off to "build a school" for example. I'm always intrigued how useful a bunch of middle class school kids and teachers/office workers are going to be in terms of practical and construction work.

Exactly that. Can you imagine the papers if people in this country were expected to send their children to schools built by inexperienced, unqualified teenagers on a jolly? Aside from the fact that paying or even properly training some competent locals would actually be useful to the economy.

midsomermurderess · 08/10/2019 17:34

Where I went to school they ran trips that most of us didn't have a chance of going on. It was both galling and unifying.

poppycity · 08/10/2019 17:46

@OP whether I could afford it or not wouldn't be the question for me, for me it's another way children from low income families are left behind. There's no way I'd support that.

ExecutiveFiat · 08/10/2019 17:47

These trips should be banned. They’re nothing but poverty porn!
On a separate note SA is really unsafe. Your dd’s school is completely irresponsible.

Linning · 08/10/2019 17:52

To everyone who says someone needs to spend £5000 to have a life-changing travel experience, this is ridiculous. I have been and lived all around the world and never have I ever spent 5k on any of my trips yet I have had plenty of life changing travel experiences (most likely because none of my trip costed 5k so I did have a rougher traveling experience much closer to local lifestyle!)

When I was 15, aka a few years —a decade— ago, there was a similar trip (though much cheaper!) organized by my high school to the US, only a few ended up going. My family simply couldn’t afford it and while 15 yo me was disappointed 24 years old me is currently seating writing this from no other place than sunny California, where I currently live.

I am here because 10 years ago I was taught a lesson that if I want to go on trips I need to find a way to make it happen and not expect people to fork out ridiculous amounts for me to go on a holiday with my friends.

This lesson has been way more valuable and life-changing than going on the US trip at 15 because it taught me that if I want something I need to budget and work for it. Thanks to not going on the ridiculously overpriced trip (I see that now!) I have learned to become 100% financially independent from my parents and to find ways to make the things I want happen without relying on others.

( I have never fundraised for a trip because the average citizen doesn’t go on an holiday abroad and it always seemed of bad taste to ask strangers to fund my holidays as a result).

Aside from the safety issues in both SA and Madagascar that I have already talked about. You would be doing your daughter a disservice by teaching her that asking people for 5k for a trip is a reasonable request (regardless of backgrounds I don’t think it ever is). Tell her she can find the entirety of the money herself or I would encourage her to plane a (cheaper) trip with her friends. I spent a months in Seychelles and South Africa and it costed me around 2k (all included). She will probably learn way more backpacking or roughing it up with her friends than going on a school trip.

OrchidInTheSun · 08/10/2019 17:53

World Challenge reported just over a million quid profit last September with an average revenue of £2,900 per passenger.

If you'd like to be lining these guys' pockets go ahead.

Otherwise I'm sure you could find a better use of £5k. I know I could.

Villanellebelle · 08/10/2019 17:54

You couldn't pay me to let my children go to South Africa Shock

Thegullfromhull · 08/10/2019 17:54

And honestly all it says on a CV
Is that you have rich parents .

TooManyPaws · 08/10/2019 17:58

Most employers know World Challenge is for rich kids only (Kate and William) so tend to discount it as being meaningful.

Kate and William both did Operation Raleigh which is completely different.

applesandacorns · 08/10/2019 17:58

That's insane. I'd say no, but offer her a token amount towards a mates holiday next summer instead (let's be honest, even if it was 1k it'd be 5x cheaper than this trip anyway).

Ylvamoon · 08/10/2019 18:00

I gave my DD once a break down of our family holiday when asked to "sponsor" an expensive school trip - 2weeks Camping in Europe for 4 people & dog kennel -
That settled the issue! But then, DD is a very sensible girl and understands the value of money and family time!