Tour Leader Support Centre

Accommodation and Transport

At Galina we recognise the need to feel comfortable and safe in any learning scenario. Without these 2 key elements students will not learn effectively and are likely to ‘switch off’. We therefore endeavour to provide good quality in these areas and will try and accommodate all of your groups needs.

Transport

We only use coach providers that share our vision of what our study tours are all about. Our minimum standard is Executive 49 seater coaches with toilets and DVD / Video facilities and seat belts. We can provide smaller mini coaches on request but these are subject to availability.

All of our Coach Drivers are CRB checked and will follow your chosen study tour itinerary to ensure that all of the learning objectives are met. Your coach drivers details will be sent to you a few days prior to departure along with information about the coaches on board facilities to provide peace of mind in the busy period leading up to your departure. The coach will pick you up at the main school or college gates (unless otherwise requested) and from that point on will be with your group until you return. The cross channel transport we use are from recognised cross Channel and North Sea carriers, such as P&O Ferries Ltd , SeaFrance Ltd and Eurotunnel. The port of departure will be stated in your Final Tour Details and is dependant on your school’s / college’s location and your chosen itinerary. Coach groups need to check in at least 1 hour prior to the stated departure time so this is taken into account when calculating your departure from school / college on the outward journey, and from your hotel or final venue on the return.

Accommodation

Galina use 2* accommodation as standard. However, we do have a range of different accommodation types that can be requested and are subject to availability. The accommodation type offered to you is stated in your requested quotation pack but it is only when we receive your deposit that we can confirm the details of the specific hotel / hostel.

The majority of our accommodation in France, Belgium and Holland is owned and run by the Louvre Hotel chain (Campanile and Kyriad Hotels). We also use some independently owned hotels. Other providers include Stayokay Hostels and Balladins Hotels. All of our accommodation is suitable for groups and a Risk Assessment Summary for each of the hotels / hostels used can be provided on request. Cheaper accommodation can be sourced if requested, for those groups on a strict budget.

Galina Risk Assessment

We at Galina pride ourselves on providing tours with itineraries that have been carefully risk assessed to ensure a safe and secure outdoor learning experience. To assist Tour Leaders we have produced our own Risk Assessment Pack that has been checked by an LEA EVC to ensure that it covers all elements of our tours. The pack is structured in such a way that it allows Tour Leaders to complete their school / college / LEA documentation when seeking approval for the tour. All of our accommodation is risk assessed and a copy of the relevant risk assessment form can be provided once we have allocated you with named accommodation. In the pack there is also a copy of our Public Liability Insurance (£5,000,000) and details of our Escrow Bonded status.
Galina will assist in the completion of relevant sections of LEA Risk Assessment forms. Please discuss this with your Tour Administrator and school / college EVC.

Passports

Galina refund you the cost of a group passport should you wish to organise one for your group (see your quotation pack). Groups may wish to travel on individual passports. This is not a problem but we do urge Tour leaders to carefully check the validity of each travellers passport for the dates of travel as if the passport has expired 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 relevant documentation required that allows travel to other EU countries. Galina takes no responsibility for the organisation and checking of passports, group or individual, as this is the sole responsibility of the Tour Leader.

 

Group Sizes

Galina Study Tours are designed for groups with a minimum size of 23. This allows us to obtain very favourable group rates from our suppliers, thus keeping our prices competitive. All Galina Quotations contain 8 prices which equate to 8 different group sizes. This allows Tour Leaders to accurately calculate the price they will need to charge for the tour.
The price bands are :
23 to 25 students with 3 free staff places
26 to 28 students with 3 free staff places
29 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

What if I Only Have a Small Group ?

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

Parents’ Meetings

Prior to departure it is standard good practice to convene a meeting of the parents, students and staff who are involved in the tour. The main purpose of such a meeting is to run through the final details of the tour – itinerary, timings, contact numbers, emergency procedures, curriculum content and behavioural expectations. Galina can assist with the organisation of such a meeting by providing a Parental Presentation Powerpoint. This will give a broad structure to your meeting and gives information about Galina and risk assessment. Please ask you Tour Administrator about this service.

Curriculum Consultation

At Galina we have a team of Subject Tour Consultants who are specialist in their areas and have a wide range of teaching and examining experience. If you would like advice or clarification regarding the curriculum content or specification relevance of your itinerary then you can contact us and we will ‘ask the expert’ and get back to you with an answer. We pride ourselves in having several Principal Examiners who we can consult with in a range of subject areas.