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T he last few years have been… interesting for those of us working within the school travel industry, thanks in no small part to Brexit, followed swiftly by the Covid-19 pandemic. But as we come out the other side of Covid, schools have been quick to return to travelling abroad, to make up for the incredible educational experiences students missed out on during the pandemic. There are some lasting changes to travel, but nothing that should put you off your next trip. With a little forward planning, you can look forward to a smooth school trip experience. So, let’s take you through what you need to know before your next excursion... 1 Things have changed at the borders If you haven’t been abroad since Brexit, you'll notice differences at EU borders. On arrival, you’ll need to join the ‘third-country’ or ‘non-EU’ line, which moves noticeably slower than the EU citizens’ queue. Brits are now subject to more checks on arrival in the EU, so border guards will need to look at your passport to make sure you haven’t overstayed your visa-free allowance in the EU already. They may also want to check you have a return ticket, accommodation and enough money to support yourself while there. These checks The whole wide world awaits... Chris Stacey shares 10 things you should know before going abroad TOOTHBRUSH! Don’t forget your have slowed down the process a bit, so specialist school tour operators like Halsbury build enough time into itineraries so planned activities aren't missed. 2 You shouldn’t need a visa to enter the EU... British citizens can stay in the EU for up to 90 days within a 180-day window without requiring a visa, which should be more than sufficient for your school trip. Later this year the EU is planning to introduce a new visa waiver scheme called ETIAS; you’ll be able to apply online and it’s expected to cost just €7 for three years of cover. If you have any non-British citizens in your group, they'll need to check with their consulate to see if they need a visa. It’s recommended they start this process as soon as they know they're intending to join the trip, although they'll usually need to wait until everything is booked and confirmed before they can apply for the visa. If you have any EU citizens in your group by the way, they should check the Home Office has the most up-to-date travel document linked to their right-to-remain status, to avoid any issues when coming back into the UK. 3 ...but you need to make sure your passport is stamped You’ll now need to have your passport stamped on entry and exit from the EU. Border guards will check this to make sure you haven’t overstayed your visa-free limit, so it’s definitely recommended that you double check it's stamped each time you pass through the border so that there aren’t any complications next time! 4 You can’t take packed lunches into the EU Back in the day, we’d recommend groups visiting Europe by coach take a packed lunch, making sure that the seemingly permanently hungry kids don’t starve on the way to your destination. However, another consequence of Brexit is that Brits are no longer permitted to take goods containing meat or milk, so you need to eat or bin that ham and cheese sandwich before you cross the border. 5 There are new rules on passport validity Now, these are catching a few people out; we’ve even had group leaders realise their passports aren’t valid for trips to EU countries just before they’re due to travel. Please do check this as early as possible, as arranging a new passport isn’t always quick. So, what do you need to know? Firstly, your passport must be less than 10 years old on the date you enter the EU country. It must then be valid “We’ve even had group leaders realise their passports aren’t valid for trips to EU countries just before they’re due to travel!” 54 | www.teachwire.net/school-trips