Organising your tour

This section has been designed to provide you with the information you will require when completing all the necessary paperwork so that your the tour will be approved & will progress effectively.  If you cannot find the information you need, please do not hesitate to contact a Tour Administrator & they will be happy to help.

Group Sizes

Galina study tours are designed for groups ranging from a maximum of 44 students to a viable minimum number of 12 students. We can look to source smaller 'midi coaches' instead of our usual 49 seat executive coaches to help to make tours for smaller groups (of between 18 & 25) more viable. We also can provide a quotation for groups who want to use their own minibus (12 to 17 passengers with up to 2 free staff places). All Galina quotations contain a sliding scale of prices for various group sizes.  This allows tour leaders to calculate the price they will need to charge students for the tour.

The price bands are :

26 to 27 students with 3 free staff places

28 to 29 students with 3 free staff places

30 to 31 students with 4 free staff places

32 to 34 students with 4 free staff places

35 to 37 students with 4 free staff places

38 to 40 students with 5 free staff places

41 to 43 students with 5 free staff places

44 students with 5 free staff places

Small Groups

Galina can look to provide a smaller, midi-coach or mini-bus which will help to keep the costs down. Although these vehicles will not have an on-board toilet or continental door, the midi-coaches we use will have a DVD player, PA system & air-conditioning. Contact us with your group details on 0800 801 560 or e-mail us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

It is often possible to combine with another department to increase your group size & so help reduce the cost per student.  We can offer a range of cross-curricular experiences for Key Stage 3 groups in France, Belgium & the Netherlands to facilitate this.  If you have a small GCSE or AS/A2 group you may also want to consider a joint tour with a neighbouring school or college (as part of a 'consolidation' tour) that is offering the same specification.

Pre-Inspection Visits

If you need to carry out an inspection visit prior to departure with your group Galina are happy to provide up to two nights' free accommodation on a B&B basis for up to two people once you have booked your tour.  We can also advise on travel arrangements & venue details if required (travel expenses & entrance fees are not provided).

Risk Assessment

Galina only use venues & accommodation that have been risk-assessed.  We will supply you with a Risk Assessment Pack which can be used to complete a specific risk assessment for your tour.  In addition, the pack also contains information about our Public Liability Insurance (£10,000,000).

For more details on our risk assessment & health & safety procedures visit our Safety Management section.

Passports

Most schools now travel on individual passports.  This is not a problem but we do urge tour leaders to check the validity of each traveller's passport because if it expires by the time the group travels then this will mean disappointment for the owner!  Non-EU passports must be declared at the time that you supply us with your group lists.  Please ensure that those people travelling on passports from outside the EU have the relevant documentation required to allow them to travel to other EU countries.  Galina takes no responsibility for the organisation & checking of passports as this is the sole responsibility of the tour leader.

For more information on passports, contact the UK Identity & Passport Office.

Parents’ Meetings

Prior to departure, it is standard good practice to convene a meeting of the parents/guardian, staff & students.  The main purpose of such a meeting is to explain the final details of the tour; itinerary, timings, contact numbers, emergency procedures, curriculum content & behavioural expectations.  Galina can assist with the organisation of such a meeting by providing a Powerpoint presentation. This will give a broad structure to your meeting & provide information about the company, risk assessment & the tour itself.  Please ask you Tour Administrator about this service.

We also provide Powerpoint presentations that can be used at launch meetings & assemblies with parents & students.  Examples of these can be found in the 'Promoting Your Tour' section.  For presentations for other Galina study tours, please ask one of our Tour Administrators.

Accessibility & Equal Opportunities

Galina International Study Tours Ltd (Galina) believes in equal opportunity and is keen for disabled passengers to take part in its study tours. We will always endeavour to accommodate the needs of disabled passengers provided we are given all relevant information by the Tour Leader and we are able to source suitable wheelchair-adapted transport and accommodation on your group’s travel dates.

Please note that Galina:

• Has no control over disabled/wheelchair access to venues and that, because most of them are selected for their educational value and relevance to the curriculum, an alternative may not be possible.
• Relies on local regulations for the suitability of disabled accommodation/provision. We will be happy to forward any queries or special requests to hoteliers/venues on behalf of the client.

Before booking your tour with Galina, the Tour Leader should inform us at the earliest opportunity of any disabled person who may be taking part in the tour and read the document entitled ‘Wheelchair-bound passengers’ for any additional information. Read more.