Can't afford Dd's very expensive school trip

[Wario54]

My DD is 15 and in year 10 at the moment. We live a deprived part of the North of England. She goes to a local, state comprehensive

My DH has had his hours reduced at work in recent months. I work part time in retail (can't get anymore hours unfortunately - I have asked). Like a lot of families, we're financially struggling to keep our heads above water. But we get by (somehow) and I never take the little things for granted (that we have each other, food on the table and a roof over our heads). We've not told our kids about our financial worries - they know there isn't much spare money but not about the extent of our problems.

Dd has come home tonight with a letter and great excitement about another school trip. They had a guest speaker today (external travel company) in assembly today enthusing them about a trip to Borneo of all places. It's 4 weeks long and the cost is £6,500. Currently planned for June/July 2027 (just after her GCSE'S). They are expected to fundraise some of the cost themselves (bake sales, sponsored walks etc) but we will have to pay the majority if she's to go.

She said today that she'll get a Saturday job to cover some of the cost herself. But even with that, taken into account we just can't afford it. It breaks my heart, because I'd love to give her that opportunity but I know we simply can't.

She's full of excitement about trekking through the jungle and cuddling Orangutans. But how do I tell her when she's already set her heart on it? 😢

I just think the school are being completely ridiculous by offering such an expensive trip in a cost of living crisis.

Most won't be going She's old enough to realise that's a very large sum to spend. Yabu

Unless she is best friends with some very rich people, then I suspect this will fizzle out, all the parents will have said the same and no one will go! School trips are very expensive for very poor quality, basic holiday arrangements, explain to her that her and her friends can get the Saturday jobs, start saving and do the trip on their own in a couple of years (maybe after A levels) probably for a fraction of the cost…they will probably decide to swap it for Ibiza when the time comes! 😂

I wouldn’t go into detail about your financial situation to your daughter. Just tell her this is a rip off, a way of these companies making money, getting kids excited to go.

We don’t struggle financially but no way we will spend all that money on a trip for one person. They need to learn the value of things

It’s just a straight up no. Our school does this every year and I don’t know any kids who go. My kids didn’t even ask as they know this is ridiculous. And I mean this kindly, we’re not in a deprived area, I earn really well, but no way am I spending that on one child when we could go on a family holiday instead. The school went on about fundraising etc too but it would still be
a no because if they don’t raise it you lose the deposit

Absolutely crazy.
As a teacher, I'd be questioning why the school thought it appropriate to invite a travel company into school and dangle this trip in front of pupils who could not possibly understand the financial implications of such an eye wateringly expensive trip.

I can understand that with the case of a £400-500 amazing opportunity being offered, I remember potentially not being able to go on such trips (£1-200 back in the 1990:) and the money being raised at the last minute but 6k is on another level. What planet are people on thinking their child is in the slightest bit deprived if they don’t have the spare cash to splash on a trip like this, I’m not of the ilk as some seem to be on MNs that you’re child is lucky to have an orange for Christmas and one trip out to the science museum in the summer, but some people’s expectations for what their children should have are ridiculous on the other end of the scale. No there should never be an expectation for parents to afford such things. Reminds me of a mum on UC on the radio complaining that she could no longer afford to do things like take her kids to the cinema once a week and therefore how deprived her children were, we’re both middle earners and hell we’ve never been able to afford that.

Why on earth would teachers pay to go on a school trip were they are responsible for other people's children 24/7? Don't be bloody stupid!

We had the same here op, skiing in Switzerland-only five out of ds’ year ended up going and they opened it up to the school. Ds asked in a ‘it’s a ridiculous price (was €1500 for the basics for four days) and I told him there really wasn’t a way and the school was ridiculous. He was disappointed for a few days but all of his friends had said they weren’t even asking so he got over it quickly. Sorry you’re in this position, what they actual do they think when they decide this over literally any other location?!

That absolutely ridiculous! 6.5 Grand for 1 person??? I don't think many will sign up to that so it will probably end up being cancelled anyway. I think she's a good age for you to sit her down and explain that it's just not financially viable. You could, however, tell her that you and her could start saving for her to take a gap year where she could go travelling (at a much lower cost). It would encourage her to get some work and be something to look forward to?

I have a friend who went on one of these trips.The amount of work involved before they even went was crazy. Helping kids fundraiser at weekend community events and fairs, running information evenings for parents and pupils, completing a very detailed risk assessment, monitoring fund raising progress etc. Then there is the small matter of leaving their own kids behind for three weeks when they travel half way around the world to be on call 24/7 for the kids. Of course they don’t pay.

I spent months backing through SEA and Aus last year and spent just over 5k, including flights, hostels, food etc. That much money seems crazy for just one month!

Shortsighted and cruel

My eldest went on one of those trips at 4.5k. I told them straight away there was no way I was able to contribute and if they were adamant, they'd have to do all the fundraising themselves. They started out small, with bake sales, Vinted and Go Fund Me, but soon realised just how little they'd get that way. They ended up getting a job part-time, which they kept beyond the trip and are now using it to fund university.

It was a life lesson, that they couldn't rely on parental financial help and how much organisation and responsibility it takes to pay down that amount of money. The trip itself was a once in a lifetime opportunity and taught them how to cope in adverse circumstances (e.g. poor hygiene facilities, unfamiliar food and language etc.) without much of a familiar safety net and they came back a fair bit more grown up, with new friends and a different outlook on their own life, as well as the knowledge that they can do things that they set their mind to.

Yes, it was probably still a rip-off by the company and not the humanitarian mission it was made out to be, but what a wonderful thing to add to their CV and what an amazing, long-lasting work and life experience this has been for them.

As ridiculous as the school is being here (and my eldest's college pulled a similar stunt with sport "scholarships", that parents were expected to fund to the tune of £20k a year)-I would use this as a springboard for a conversation about recognising over selling because all of our children will have to grow up and recognise these hard sell-a-dream strategies as adults, in lots of different industries not just holidays.

I think there are very few parents in any financial bracket that would spend £6.5k on a holiday for one child in school. If I had that spare, I would put it in a savings account for the child.

A gentle conversation is really all that is needed here with your child and I would also be voicing concerns about the tone deaf approach of the school.

I wouldn’t worry about peer pressure or fomo only the quite earnest Duke of Edinburgh type teens were interested in this - none of the cool kids went 😀

Good grief! To present a trip costing £6,500 in school like yours is dreadful. They had something similar in DD’s school (in an affluent area) to Peru one year. Only a very small group went. School tried to help them run events to raise money towards it but in the end I think the parents paid for it.

Sorry, posted too soon. Was going to say that it was fortunately a no from all of DD’s friends’ parents so in the end it wasn’t an issue.

Seriously. £6,500! I can organise a great trip for 4 people for that amount.

OP, we're quite comfortably off and we couldn't afford thie either. Also is this the Camp International trip? I have bery mixed feelings about these sorts of trips anhyway.

I went to school in a town a couple of miles from Glasgow. Our school trips were to places like farms, and once we were taken to a lemonade factory...😆

My daughter came home with a similar thing a few years ago. Her state school is in deprived area although we could have just about afforded it, but she wasn’t interested as she said she wouldn’t be able to handle the insects out there. It turned out that nobody went on the trip from her school. Just gently explain the situation and also say that there’s a chance no one else will be going either

That’s too expensive …. She can do it cheaper later in life with the whole family

So which of the teachers or governors is related to the owners of this external travel company?

My daughter (14) is going on a similar trip Summer 2026 - she is at a state school. There are about 15 people attending.
The trip costs £5500. You get approx two years to fundraise and to date, we have fundraised over £3200 using Easy Fundraising (ask friends to sign up) and Go Fund Me. We also did a quiz night with tombola and that raised £450, with friends generously donating bottles.
Husband said daughter had to achieve something in order to ask people for money, so she did a sponsored climb up Ben Nevis. She was 13 at the time and that raised £1800. We asked local businesses to sponsor and printed their logos on to a cheap t-shirt, make sure you share / promote them on social media.
My daughter's friend sells doughnuts at school. Five pack costs a pound or so, she sells them for £1 each at break time.
Good luck.

Oh no 😟 we were comfortable enough financially when our children were younger but a £6.5K school trip wouldn’t happen in our household .
My children went on the residential trips ( not too far from home really ,maybe up to 2 hours away by coach ) which the school organised at a fairly low cost to parents .
Then one of my children’s schools organised a London residential taking in all the sights and a theatre trip and that was affordable

Surely the intention is to fundraiser? And why can't she raise the amount needed? People raise all sorts of amounts for charity. Does the school have a plan in place to help them raise the money?