How to Plan a School Trip to China: A 12-Month Timeline

1. About 12 months before. Purpose and dates. Decide what the trip is for (a course, a language goal, a cultural programme), the age group, the likely group size and the weeks that work with the school calendar. The Russian language school in the case study travels in early May each year.
2. 9 to 12 months. Brief and draft route. Send the brief through the proposal request. PreeChina replies with a draft route, with the tight days and the optional parts marked. The sample itinerary shows the pattern.
3. 6 to 9 months. Priced itinerary and approval. Once the arrival flight and the checks are settled, a priced itinerary and an invoice are issued, with the service fee on its own line (see cost). The deposit holds the dates. Parents are given the programme and the budget.
4. 4 to 6 months. Flights, passports and visas. The school or agency books the flights. Each traveller's nationality is checked against the current entry rules (see visa and entry).
5. 2 to 4 months. Lists and forms. Final names, passport details, dietary and medical needs, rooming lists, consent forms and the risk assessment. PreeChina confirms the hotels, the group bookings and the rail seats in writing.
6. 2 to 4 weeks. Briefing. A briefing for students and parents covers the daily rhythm, what to carry, payment apps and the emergency contacts. The First Time China guides cover arrival and payments.
7. The trip. Daily checks. Travel days are kept light, groups are placed on one hotel floor, and changes on the day are made on the day (see safety).
8. After the trip. Logs and reflections are collected for the course or for CAS, and the school tells PreeChina which parts to repeat.

• The dates, or the weeks that work.
• The group size, the ages and the number of adults.
• The arrival city and flight, if known.
• Any dietary needs.
• The course or the interests the trip should support.
• Any place the group wants to see, and any it wants to avoid.

How far ahead should a school trip to China be planned?

A year is comfortable. The route can be drawn in a few weeks, but flights, rail seats for a whole group, venue bookings and parents' decisions all take longer.

Who books the flights?

The school or the agency books the international flights. PreeChina plans and coordinates everything inside China from airport pickup to drop-off.

Who writes the risk assessment?

The school does, through its educational visits coordinator or equivalent. PreeChina supplies the route, the venue confirmations and the transport detail that the assessment needs.