The scariest part of putting a trip together for the first time is the fact that we teachers have to step so far out of our comfort zone. We are used to wearing many additional hats in our jobs – counsellor, cheerleader, life coach – but travel agent is not one of them! In fact, our research showed that dealing with aspects of trip management (such as itineraries, budgets, and logistics) were the part of FSA that stressed out new facilitators the most. “I can muddle my way through the pedagogy, but if I forget to buy plane tickets the whole trip is off!” one teacher worried. Some teachers have an international office to provide checklists and help with (if not take over!) many logistical elements, whereas other teachers are left completely to their own devices to organize all aspects of FSA.
This next section is mostly geared for the novice facilitator who is still trying on this new travel agent hat. Here are the basics of trip management in simple terms with a few tools to help get you started.
Why trip management matters
Teachers’ college does not prepare us for trip management, yet without this skill your FSA won’t get off the ground.