Iceland trip - worth it?

[LoftyPeachEagle]

DS has asked us if he can go on the school trip to Iceland next year. He will be 17 but will travel.with Yr 7s upwards. It's expensive at over £1000, and I was shocked to find out it was 4 days long and that's including flight days. I'm amazed at how much the school is claiming to cover in so little time. Just wondered if anyone's kids have done a similar trip - was it worth it?
Thanks in advanced...

I’d be tempted to look at what it would cost for you and him to go as the two of you.

Yes! Worth every penny IMO. Phenomenal country, with all the big attractions all located close to each other on the Reykanes peninsula. They'll see a lot.

I went in November with my daughter for 4 nights. It's a phenomenal place, full of beauty, nature, and fabulous people. However it in no way cost us £1000 each - i second pp who suggested you look to go with him. On the other hand, school trips like this are what memories are made of!

Paid around the same for DC1 5 years ago with school.

They absolutely loved it. We don't travel abroad much as a family though so it was a great experience for them.

And I don't know about your teen, but mine would much rather go with friends than their old Mum.

We went as a family of 4 in Nov 2023 and stayed 5 nights in central Reykavik, with excursions every day. Cost £4500 for 4, including flights, accommodation and excursions but not food. £1000 for 4 days sounds about right, if those are actual days, not 2 days with half a day in either end.

The quoted price will include food - which is very expensive in Reykjavik.

Sounds good value. My Dd is going with the school this Autumn and it’s £1700 for 5 days/4nights.

Iceland is expensive. And wonderful!

We are not a poor family but £1000 (+pocketmoney) spend on a secondary school trip would mean no family holiday for us that year so the answer would be no.
For a lot of ordinary families in 2025 around £1200 is a lot of money.

I really think state school should stop these expensive trips.

Oh course, I'd forgotten that @titchy. Food is expensive in Reykavik. £1000 found more than reasonable to include food,

Has he done any other of the schools abroad trips? If so, I'd more likely say no to this one. I hate it when schools offer the trip to all yesr groups - as a mum of a 12yo I've said no to residential school trips that also include the 16/17 yo students. I have said yes to the y7/8 trips

Probably a lot more than £1k. We spent that on accommodation and flights alone for two of us when we went for 4 days a couple of years ago and that was mid range pricing - could have spent a lot more but it would have been hard to get it much cheaper.

Then there was food and excursions on top, which probably at least doubled the cost.

But to answer the OPs question, yes it definitely is worth it and you can pack a lot in 4 days.

We arrived early on day 1 and spent the day wandering around Reykjavik, on day 2 we did the Golden Circle tour, day 3 visited a few museums in Reykjavik and went swimming in one of the many geothermally heated outdoor pools, which had slides and hot tubs, day 4 we went whale watching and then we flew home.

Would definitely go again, at different times of year too - we went in September, but would also like to go in winter for the northern lights and long dark nights and also like to go in mid summer. And spend some time travelling around more.

But at 17, unless it's something you can easily afford, I'd expect him to contribute around half the cost, either from any money he has saved, in lieu of Christmas/birthday presents or by him working.

Y11 DD went last half term and had an amazing time. They packed a lot in.

It was £1600 for 4 nights, which certainly isn't small change for us, but she had missed out on having any other overseas school trips due to Covid (Y6 trip to France was cancelled, then her secondary was very slow to get going with them again once things opened up). It was a great opportunity for her, and it really boosted her independence and confidence.

@LoftyPeachEagle Is this a geography trip? Is he studying geography? My DDs school did a trip and, although she wasn’t doing geography GCSE, she went to ensure the trip ran! Absolutely worth it. School trips are all inclusive and Iceland is fantastic for geographers and everyone else! DD hiked to a waterfall and saw lots of geothermal activity. A broader education is wonderful and an important addition to any school. It’s great teachers still bother. £1000 doesn’t buy a family holiday but a good school trip is definitely worth it.

I’m slightly unsure why it’s 6th form and y7 dc though? Has he got his own friends going? That might make a huge difference. DD went with her age group, not y7s.

I used to organise school trips and Iceland was £900 almost a decade ago. I always price up what it would cost me and DD to go instead and do the same things and the school trip always works out cheaper when that total for both of us is halved.

The question is whether you can afford it and how you get him to contribute towards it either financially, via paid work or voluntary work in somewhere like a charity shop where you 'pay' him in trip payments.

What is the itinerary? I have been to Iceland and it is extortionate. I had the absolute best time and packed loads into the trip and I would 100% go again!

Not Iceland but my DS went on a school trip to New York several years ago. It was bloody expensive but they packed so much in and he had an absolute ball!
I'd consider it if you can afford it. I'd love to go to Iceland!

DD went last year (year 9), it was 4 nights and £1200. She had a blast, it really was a packed itinerary. We could afford it & she’d missed out on a trip the year before so we didn’t mind paying.

My DS went a few months ago, he's in Year 11. It was around £900 and about the same duration and I think it was worth it for him as he's into Geography and wants to do it for A/Ls too. He had a great time and experienced a lot.
There was a £2K America trip offered for DD for History and it was too much for us. Around £1K is about what we can justify.

£1000 for a 4 day trip to Iceland is really inexpensive. If you can afford it, I’d try to make it happen for him. You can work together to get him a job so he has extra spending money. Ask grandparents or uncles/aunties, etc. for contributions. An extra £10 or £20 here and there adds up.

Is it a jolly, or related to him doing e.g. Geography A level?

Also school trips have to cover staff costs too. It’s not really possible to compare with a family trip. With all meals included it’s not a bad price. Yes, you could spend less on 2 adults going but adding in trips or car hire and meals does add up. Plus if his friends are going, it’s fun!

Iceland comes up on cheapy holiday sites like LuckyTrip - one of my kids went in feb last year for four nights for a few hundred quid. included flights at ok times and ok accommodation. They were very lucky with the weather. They paid for excursions including all day ones which was not cheap but not too bad. They kept food costs down by shopping at supermarkets - they didn't go for the food
You could get awful weather at that time of year (or at any time of year TBH)
I went on a week long self drive holiday and loved every second. It's an amazing country especially if you love geology and geography.

DD went to Iceland with sixth form (geography A level) yes it was expensive (similar sort of price tbh and that was six years ago). She enjoyed it so so much and still talks about it. In fact she would love to go and live there.

If your DC is keen and you can find the money then yes I would go for it.

Me too. They are getting ridiculous. Educationally and socially, what will the kids get out of a trip to Iceland that they wouldn't get from a trip to somewhere in the UK?
Schools bang on about inclusivity (quite rightly), but what's inclusive about a trip to Iceland?
Your £1000 will also be covering the cost of the teachers' holiday trip.