How to Book
The organisation of a school tour can be a daunting task, it’s up to us to make this as stress-free as possible for you. The following stages apply:
- Contact us
- Choose a destination
- Decide on dates
- Confirm a booking
- Collect deposits
- Pre-tour organisation
- It’s time to go!
1 – Contact Us
We can be contacted by phone, email or via the online contact form.
Top Tip – Start the process as far in advance as possible! By booking 9 to 12 months in advance of your departure date, it helps to avail of the lowest available flight prices, as well as sourcing the widest range of accommodation options.
2 – Choose a Destination
Each destination has pros and cons!
- The Camino: A unique tour idea, the tour experience that goes far beyond simply travelling abroad.
- Barcelona: Possibly the best all-round city tour in terms of things to do, price, access from different Irish airports (and decent weather usually).
- Madrid: Barcelona’s Spanish cousin, it offers much of what Barcelona has to offer but also with a distinctly Spanish feel.
- Krakow: A city that will live on in your mind for its beauty and its challenging history – good access from Irish airports too.
- Transylvania: For the school that is looking something a little bit different, a hidden gem!
- London: The easiest city to reach from Ireland but the trade-off is the cost of the attractions and accommodation.
- Alton Towers: An option for a day trip or 1-nighter, thrills and fun guaranteed!
3 – Decide on dates
Keep in mind – the earlier you book, the better!
There can be other considerations to factor in as well: the weather, attractions being open or closed, your school calendar, etc. But we will talk through these with you so that you are making an informed decision.
Top Tip – If you can avoid the main school holidays – February mid-term, Easter (especially Easter weekend) and October mid-term – it usually makes flight bookings cheaper.
4 – Confirm a booking
Bookings are confirmed upon receipt of a first deposit.
At this stage, we require a full list of students and teachers travelling and we provide you with an easy to complete template for this. Upon receipt of same, we take out your travel insurance policy so that your group has this level of protection from the word go.
5 – Collect deposits
Schools have two ways of paying their 1st (and subsequent) deposits; through our DPS (Direct Payment System) or by direct payment from the school.
DPS allows the organising teacher to:
- Pass the burden of collecting payment – students pay directly through the online system.
- See at a glance the amount that students have paid as well as when they paid.
- Once we have the names, we set up the entire system for you including unique access codes for students and a separate access code for the organiser so that he/she sees the overall payment history of the group.
If the school makes their payments directly to us, it reduces our workload – so we offer a discount to the student price in recognition of that.
6 – Pre-tour organisation
Passports and Visas
You will need to provide passport details for each person travelling. Making sure that passports (and travel visas if applicable) are valid for the time of travel is the responsibility of the individual – now is the time to get to work on this. We can provide you with a Visa Assist letter if required.
Every person travelling should also bring a EHIC card.
Special needs and requests
Any such request must be made at the time of booking. Depending on the request, it may or may not be possible to accommodate.
Changes to the booking
Changes to the booking are covered by our Booking Terms and Conditions.
Name changes may be possible if one student can be replaced by another – this will depend on the airline’s own conditions.
Late itinerary changes can be considered if the opportunity arises and that the changes are practical from an organisational point of view – for example, the opportunity of cheap tickets for a West End Show in London.
7 – It’s time to go!
Enjoy our school tour with Sonas – happiness every step of the way!
- We will provide you with your full travel pack at least 2 weeks before you travel.
- Top Tip – Teachers usually carry a small Contingency Fund for the unexpected items that crop up. We can help you with this by factoring it into your payment plan.
- We are available 24/7 for emergency support while you’re away.
- Bain taitneamh agus Sonas as!
