Are you being bombarded by questions from parents and students about what to pack for an upcoming school trip?
Fear not. In this guide, we'll cover everything teachers and students need.
Plus, we've created two school trip packing lists, one for teachers and one for students, which you can download for free. Feel free to print copies and share them with your group, or send them a link to this article.
Contents:
- What do you need to pack for a school trip?
- What extras do group leaders need?
- School trip packing checklist
- Downloadable lists for teachers and students
What to pack for a school trip?
Travel documents
If you’re going abroad, it’s obviously really important to make sure that everyone has their passport and any visas required.
We’d also strongly recommend that everyone carries their EHIC/GHIC with them, as this will allow them access to the same rates as locals should they require any medical assistance during your trip. You’ll then be able to claim those costs back through your travel insurance.
Health and hygiene items
Of course, if you require any medication, you must take enough of this with you on your school trip.
However, you will need to check that you can carry your medication with you, as some medication available over the counter in the UK is restricted in other countries – please see our Know Before You Go resource for further information.
You’ll also want to make sure you pack your toiletries too – this includes your toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and soap if your accommodation centre doesn’t provide this. And don’t forget your hairbrush and sanitary products, if required!
Protection from environment
If you’re going somewhere very hot or very cold, you will need to make sure that you pack some essential items to protect you from the environment.
If you’re going somewhere hot, you’ll want to pack your sun cream (waterproof is always a good idea), sunglasses and a cap or sun hat. And, as hot countries often have more biting insects than here in the UK, insect repellent is a good idea too.
If you’re going somewhere cold, you’ll need to about layers when it comes to clothing. Remember to pack a hat, gloves, and scarf, as well as a warm and, potentially, waterproof jacket or coat.
And don’t forget, even when it’s cold, the sun’s rays can cause serious damage, so you may still want to pack that suncream!
Clothes
The clothes you pack for your school trip will largely depend on where you’re going and what you’re doing but, generally, you’ll need to pack comfortable clothes that will allow you to take part in the activities included in your itinerary.
We would recommend taking a jumper, hoodie or sweatshirt with you even if you are going somewhere hot as evenings can be chilly. And a waterproof jacket is never a bad choice!
Of course, you also need to make sure that you pack enough underwear for the trip, including enough pairs of socks! And make sure you pack your pyjamas for nighttime.
You may also want to pack swimwear if your hotel has a pool or you have a swimming session booked into your itinerary.
And make sure you take appropriate footwear. Again, this will be dependent on your itinerary but you will almost certainly be doing a lot of walking, so comfortable shoes, such as trainers, are essential. And if you’re heading out into the countryside, some sturdy walking boots may be required).
Miscellaneous items
Absolutely essential items for a school trip include your mobile phone charger, plug adaptors, spending money, a refillable water bottle, and a backpack.
Other things you may need include a notebook and pen, torch and towel. A bag for your dirty laundry is also a good idea so that this can be kept separately from your clean clothes. And may need to pack a towel too, as some accommodation centres don’t provide these.
We would also recommend that you pack a book or some other form of entertainment for the journey.
What do group leaders need to take on a school trip?
If you're the group leader, there are a few extra things that we recommend packing for your trip.
This includes your final trip pack, which will include the list of emergency contact numbers, boarding passes, visit vouchers and maps.
You’ll also need to make sure you have your mobile phone or other device with the Vamoos travel app downloaded onto it.
We would also recommend that you take a list of all passengers, preferably on school-headed paper. A list of any medical conditions, dietary requirements and allergies is also very useful.
Finally, if you’re travelling by coach, we would recommend taking a bin bag so that you can keep the coach tidy, and some emergency snacks and water, just in case of delays on your journey.
School trip packing list
For your ease, we've put together a list of everything mentioned above below. For both students and staff, we recommend packing the following items for your school trip:
Travel documents
- Passport
- Plus any required visas
- EHIC/GHIC
Health and hygiene items
- Any required medication
- Toiletries, including toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo, soap, sanitary products
Protection from environment
- Waterproof suncream
- Sun hat
- Sunglasses
- Insect repellent
- Waterproof jacket
Clothes
- Underwear (including plenty of socks)
- Pyjamas
- Swimwear
- Comfy clothes that will allow you to take part in the activities on your itinerary
- Sensible shoes for walking (trainers or walking boots if you’ll be going into the countryside)
- Jumper/hoodie/sweatshirt for cool evenings
Miscellaneous
- Spending money
- Mobile phone charger
- Plug adaptors
- Refillable drinks bottle
- Backpack
- Notebook and pen
- Torch
- Towel
- Bag for dirty laundry
- Entertainment for the journey
And for Group Leaders, we recommend packing all of the above, plus the following items:
- Final trip pack
- Mobile phone or other device with Vamoos app downloaded
- List of passengers on school-headed paper
- List of medical conditions, dietary requirements and allergies
- Bin bag to keep coach tidy
- Emergency water and snacks
Downloadable packing checklists
We've created two downloadable school trip packing checklists to make this information easier to share with your group:
Please feel free to share these packing checklists with your group, either as a handout, in an email, or via your school's social media accounts. We hope that you find them useful and they help to ensure no one arrives at your destination missing any of the essentials.
If you are travelling a little further afield, you may be interested to learn that we have specialised packing checklists for several destinations:
Or, if you're away to the mountains, then we have a dedicated school ski trip packing checklist.
If there's anything you think our list is missing, please let us know so we can update it. And if you need any help planning a school trip then get in touch to speak to our tour advisers.