The Value of a BRT Travel Experience

The journey of planning a student travel experience is almost as exciting as the trip itself. We’ve talked about how to choose a travel company and the questions you should be asking as you narrow down your options. It’s just as important to fully understand the value of the experiences travel companies offer – because not all experiences are created equal.

The Price

It may seem most obvious to consider price as a deciding factor, but that’s only possible when you’re comparing apples to apples. You may be reviewing two identical trip quotes from two separate travel companies but the differences are all in the details and it’s up to you to compare. 

Is the hotel the same quality in each option?

Are the students dining in fun, interesting restaurants or picking up fast food for the duration of the trip?

What kinds of clinics are included in each, if at all?

Are you visiting the same attractions, and is the type of admission the same?

Are you looking at an “all-in” price or are some things (like transportation and performances) listed as a separate price? 

Just because two quotes may seem very similar doesn’t mean they offer the same value. 

The Experience

We’ve been planning student travel for over 35 years and we’ve noticed that there seem to be two kinds of trip offerings in our industry. The most common is “The Tourist Experience” in which students visit a destination, tour around and come home with plenty of selfies next to famous attractions.

We offer a “Guided Experience,” packed with handpicked attractions, experiences, dining options and performance opportunities that are anything but touristy. Our group-specific itineraries allow directors to focus on the music, while we handle the rest. We care about every detail of the trip and how the itinerary choices we make can help students learn to be travelers, not tourists.    

The Opportunities

Some of our vendor partners have been working with us for more than 35 years. For our clients, this means we have access to the best travel dates, hotel rooms and performance slots, as well as access to exclusive experiences that our competitors simply can’t offer. These vendor relationships open doors that may be closed to other travel companies.

We encourage every potential client to do their due diligence in exploring their travel company options – because feeling confident and comfortable in your choice of travel provider lays a strong foundation for the trip planning process. 

The Technology

Making travel seamless for directors has always been our focus. One way we do that is by leveraging technology and providing tools for our customers that make planning, paying and communicating simple and fun. Three of those tools are: 

Individual Payment System (IPS) – A system that allows each family to pay for their student’s trip and provides reminders for payment deadlines, giving directors less to manage and track.

Moments that Matter App – One part messaging tool, one part memory sharing platform, and one part traveler tracking tool, our app allows everyone on the ground to stay on the same page throughout the tour. 

It’s important to know HOW to compare travel companies so you and your students don’t miss a thing. For sample itineraries, trip quotes or just research-gathering questions, we’d love to hear from you. Happy planning!