Why should your school travel with Steppes Schools?

Experiential learning – taking the classroom outdoors.

Our experiential approach to learning is designed to inspire, stimulate and nurture keen minds. Our tours provide a high level of active participation, ensuring that each student returns with an individually personalised insight into the country they visited and a deeper understanding of the culture and communities who live there.

Quality local support fulfilling all your community liaison needs

The quality of your guide can make the difference between a good trip and an outstanding one:

The guides we use have been selected by us and are chosen to suit you and your group. We like to think that they are the best in their area of expertise. They provide more than just dates or names; they strive to offer a real insight into their country and region. Some may even welcome you into their home and many Steppes clients do keep in contact long after they return home.

We are confident our school journeys will offer education through experience because we exclusively tailor them to suit your needs. Your students will enjoy a high degree of community and local student interaction on a journey which is designed to go beyond conventional educationAll Steppes School trips will offer you the opportunity to meet the local schools or Communities and to get involved. We will offer support and ideas for any fundraising initiatives you may like to embark on.

We strive in all our trips to fulfil all the current government objectives of;

• Every Child Matters
• SEAL
• Learning outside of the classroom

Our Expertise – Your trip

Steppes Travel was founded in 1989 with the objective of creating a travel company where service and knowledge are the highest priorities. We aim to design itineraries, which, while including the highlights of any country, additionally take travellers off the beaten track to see lesser known, but equally interesting places not frequented by large numbers of tourists.

With more than 42 specialist staff who have travelled, lived and worked in their chosen area of expertise, our team is the key to the success of any tour. We are supported by a network of local and regional guides, agents, researchers and experts, whose beliefs and ethos reflect our own professional approach to travel. This strong working relationship, developed over many years, provides a breadth and depth of knowledge that you can draw on when planning your tour, allowing you to book with total confidence.

Our Service

For many people, finding time to plan any journey is difficult. With this in mind, we will be delighted to come to you and discuss your own specific requirements face to face. If you are planning a meeting of teachers, students or parents, our experts can provide a full briefing and presentation on the tour in question. This support is continued through your journey as we only work alongside the most experienced local operators in each country, whose beliefs and ethos reflect our own approach to travel. We also provide a full tour dossier for all teachers and parents alike.

Our Flexibility

Whether you are looking to arrange a cultural excursion in Russia, a Crusader trip through Syria, a geography tour in Iceland or a biology trip across the Serengeti, we are completely flexible and able to provide a tour that suits your own requirements both in terms of curriculum and budget. Let us know the subject areas and topics you want to focus on and we can provide the tour that covers them.

Financial Protection

Steppes Travel is a fully bonded tour operator that complies with the Civil Aviation Authority bonding conditions of the UK, fully guaranteeing your money in the unlikely event of us going out of business before you depart on holiday. Our ATOL license number is 6945.

In addition all accommodation only bookings (hotels, lodges, boats) are financially protected with payments held in a separate trust account, in accordance with the Package Travel Regulations Act 1992.

Steppes Schools is currently looking to complete the BS8848.

Your Safety & Security

Safety is our top priority. Given the pressures on schools and teachers when organising such tours, we do everything we can to ensure that the tours run to a strict code of practice. Steppes Schools will offer you a risk assessment service with each trip, from the original idea through to the final itinerary.

Inspection visits

In order that you can travel on the school trip with confidence we are able to arrange inspection visits. This firsthand experience allows you not only to share the enthusiasm of the local guides; it also highlights the uniqueness of each area and enhances your own professional development.

24 hour Emergency Service

We have a 24 hour emergency service which gives you, our valued clients, added security and peace of mind. In the unlikely event of an emergency we are contactable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Safety and Travel Insurance

During our tours the safety of the group is paramount.  We only use the most qualified and suitable staff. Our agents on the ground (with whom we have worked for a number of years) take every necessary safety precaution and risk-assess every venture.

Campbell Irvine is an independent firm of registered insurance brokers who, for the past 38 years, have specialised in arranging travel insurance for groups travelling to some of the more remote corners of the world. Their travel insurance is backed by Axa Insurance UK plc, the UK’s largest travel insurance provider, and will cover all necessary medical expenses incurred while travelling overseas anywhere in the world. The cover also extends to include all medical emergency repatriation costs. It also covers pre-departure cancellation costs incurred due to unforeseen medical reasons. The services of Speciality Assistance, one of the UK’s leading 24 hour medical emergency assistance providers, are also included.

It is these little extras and personal touches that will make your school trip with Steppes Schools distinctive and successful in terms of both educational and personal development.

The next step

Please call and speak to one of our experienced staff on ++ 44 1285 643 333 or send an e-mail with your requirements to enquiry@steppesschools.co.uk for a personalised itinerary.  Alternatively, we will be happy to arrange a visit to your school to discuss things in person.