Trips
Covid-19 update - 1st September 2021
Local trips can now take place, however, please be mindful of external rules on things like public transport and external venues and make sure that you abide by these. International student group travel will not currently be approved. Please make sure that you make us aware of your trip and send us a detailed risk assessment and trip form at least a week before your trip to [email protected]. Please also remember to send us through any contracts before signing anything and make yourselves aware of the SU’s finance processes for paying invoices.
Trips are a great way to keep your members engaged with your society and provide a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a social or educational activity. We encourage all of our societies and clubs to run trips where they can. To make it as easy as possible, we have included some steps below.
Where would you like to go?
Discuss with your club or society about where you would like to go. Research different places depending on the purpose for your trip. Is there anything you would like to achieve? i.e, a certain type of activity or to bring your club or society closer together?
When would you like to go?
Once you have decided on your location, decide on suitable date for your trip, making sure it gives you enough preparation time. We would recommend at least a month.
Who would like to go?
Gather an idea of numbers of people who are interested in your trip. Some travel companies need a minimum number of people you need to pay for and therefore you want to make sure you are able to do this.
How are you going to get there?
Research your transport. If your trip has a small amount of people attending, it is always a good idea to start with public transport such as the bus or train. This way, you are able to tell your attendees which tickets to buy and a time and place to meet.
If you’re travelling as a larger group or going a long way, you may want to look into hiring a coach. We recommend asking for a quote from a few different companies so that you can find the cheapest option. We recommend the following coach companies:
http://www.dolphincoachhire.co.uk/
http://www.marettschariots.co.uk/
If you're travelling in a small group you might be thinking about hiring a minibus. This is a bit of a longer process and you'll need to meet certain criteria due to the higher risks involved in driving.
Sports clubs can hire a minibus from UEA+Sport by contacting Joe Skeet at [email protected].
Societies will need to book their own minibuses. We recommend the following hire companies:
http://www.barfordhire.co.uk/
http://asplandselfdrive.co.uk/
https://www.enterprise.co.uk/en/car-hire.html
If you are travelling in a small group and one of you has a car you're willing to drive, that is absolutely fine. You will need to have a full driving licence and be covered by your own insurance to drive other students on a trip.
We are trying to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible and therefore you are not permitted to fly to your destination if there is another feasible travel method. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to discuss further.
Any hire fees or mileage you pay from your own money for a society or club trip can be claimed back from your subs account. Please contact [email protected] for information on how to do this.
How much will you charge for the trip?
Decide how much you are going to charge for your trip, taking into consideration how much it will cost you to put the trip on. Please be aware that the finance team will not pay any invoices if there are insufficient funds in your subs account. Details on how to arrange with finance to pay an invoice can be found here.
Create an event on the website for people to buy their tickets.
Create an event so that attendees can pay for the trip. Ensure to collect information from attendees before the trip such as if they have any medical conditions, allergies and information of what you should do in case of an emergency. Please also ensure that you ask them for an emergency contact.
For more information on how to upload an event to the website, please click here.
Complete your risk assessment and trip form.
Complete a risk assessment form here and a trip form here. Please send your risk assessment and trip form at least a week before your trip to [email protected] to be approved. Your trip form will then be sent to the security lodge.
You can use the Hazard Mitigation 'Cheat Sheet' here to help you complete your risk assessment.
The Risk Assessment should cover all your activities and consider risks such as:
- Participants getting lost
- Participants becoming ill
- Allergies
- Loss or theft of items
- Transportation
- Accommodation
Your Trip Form should include information such as:
- Whether you have a trip provider organising the trip with you
- Whether you have arranged travel insurance
- Your participant’s names and next of kin details - this is very important
Enjoy your trip!
You should now be all set for a great trip! We hope you enjoy it and make sure you take lots of pictures to share with us.