When it comes to the planning and organizing of a new faculty-led program, you have a laundry list of steps to take and approvals to obtain before you're even able to market your program to potential students. That's where tour operators with experience in educational group travel like us come in.
Faculty and study abroad staff have their plates full with their day to day responsibilities and tasks, which is why tour operators who specialize in planning and operating group travel are the perfect solution to a smooth experience abroad.
Have we peaked your interest? Read on for the five biggest benefits that working with a tour operator can have on you and your faculty-led program.
1) Time-savings
We know as well as you do that our most valuable resource is the ever elusive time! By partnering with a tour operator you can work directly with an experienced organization who can not only provide recommendations for your program's itinerary, but also handle all of the details that go into planning educational group travel abroad.
By handing over all the responsibility for planning and executing your program, you save yourself time and energy by simply providing feedback, approvals and then showing up on the day your program begins.
Time = saved. Stress = relieved.
2) Destination expertise
Even if faculty or staff has traveled to a destination before, who knows the best kept local secrets and optimal way to organize an itinerary better than a travel expert with a tour operator. It is quite literally their job to have destination expertise to share with you and produce the best program experience possible.
If you're planning a faculty-led program to a new destination, this is even more valuable insight as it can be very different planning a program to a new location based off of internet research, versus learnings that a tour operator would have from real world experience.
3) Cost savings
In case you didn't know, tour operators are able to leverage their group buying power and years of relationships with valued partners to ensure the best possible rates for your group, thus resulting in valuable cost savings for you and your students.
Inexperience in travel planning, especially for groups, can lead to unnecessary costs and make study abroad unaffordable for students. By working with a tour operator you can feel confident that you are not overpaying for a high-quality experience that is well planned and executed seamlessly.
4) Onsite staff
Once you've gone through the planning process and are leading your faculty-led program, onsite staff provided by a tour operator can provide you with the right amount of assistance that you desire for your specific needs. Onsite staff is great for helping with group management, keeping your itinerary and travel plans on schedule, and general assistance throughout your program.
5) Emergency support
Another benefit of having onsite staff, is the emergency support that a tour operator can provide on location should any emergency situation arise. A tour operator should include 24/7 support via a provided emergency telephone number that gives both the faculty members and program participants emergency support at all times.
Emergency support gives peace of mind to parents, the home university or organization, as well as student participants by having support services available to them throughout the duration of their time abroad.
Interested in speaking with a tour operator about your faculty-led program needs? Contact us and we can speak about the support we can provide you.