High schools
Teams, tours and the road to college.
High schools travel for more reasons than most people realize: athletics, band and choir, debate, robotics and model UN, educational tours, college visits, and staff at conferences. Each activity has its own fund, coach and calendar. One program keeps it all in view.
This month
At a glance
How high schools usually travel
- Most trips
- Teams and activities
- Groups
- Group travel from 10 attendees upward
- Busiest when
- Tournament and festival season
- Who approves
- Athletic director, principal, district
- Paid from
- Activity and booster funds, grants, families
Who travels
Who travels from a high school
Athletics
Teams at tournaments and championships, often booked at short notice once a team qualifies. See athletics and activities.
Music and performing arts
Band, orchestra, choir and drama at festivals and competitions, with instruments and equipment to move.
Academic competitions
Debate, model UN, robotics, science and academic decathlon teams.
Educational tours
History, language and service trips, at home and abroad. See student trips.
College visits
Counselor-led visits and fairs, and counselors at admissions conferences.
Staff and leaders
Teachers at training, administrators at conferences, coaches at clinics.
Approvals
Each activity, its own approver
The athletic director approves team travel; the principal approves tours; the district approves international trips. Named approvers make that work.
- Coaches and advisers request trips; each has a named approver
- Delegates for set dates, so a request doesn't wait while the approver is away
- Restricted destinations that always need approval, such as international trips
- Approver sees the justification and the price against the cheapest in-policy option
Paying for it
Every activity its own fund
Booster clubs, activity funds and grants each want to know exactly what they paid for. Code it at booking.
| Money | How it is coded |
|---|---|
| The school | Entity |
| Athletics, music, debate, counseling… | Department |
| Team, trip, booster or activity fund | Project |
| Grant (e.g. a STEM or arts grant) | Project |
A typical year
A high school travel year
Summer
Calendar and budgets
- Season schedules and festival dates in
- Ask for early prices for budgets and fundraising
Fall
Fall sports and tours
- Team travel booked as schedules firm up
- Spring tours planned; group space requested
Winter
Competition season
- Teams book quickly once they qualify
- Names and equipment needs sent to the travel team
Spring
Championships and festivals
- Hotels reconfirmed; rooming lists sent
- College visit trips for juniors
End of year
Close out
- Report by activity and fund for boosters and the business office
- Unused ticket credits applied to next season
Who does what
The school and the travel team
| Task | Your school | silentVIP |
|---|---|---|
| Approve the trip | Coach or adviser requests; named approver decides | Checks options against policy |
| Short-notice team travel | Tells us as soon as a team qualifies | Books the group, urgent help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Equipment and instruments | Lists what travels | Books flights and transfers that fit what needs to travel; the school checks airline rules |
| Athletic association rules | Applies them | — |
| Permission, consent and medical forms | Collects and keeps them under school policy | — |
| Chaperones and supervision | Sets ratios, chooses chaperones and runs any background checks | Books chaperones as travelers with the group |
| Insurance, visas and medical care | Arranges them, or asks families to | Makes sure itineraries fit what a visa or entry rule needs |
Questions
Common questions
A team qualified on Saturday and travels on Thursday. Can you help?
Yes. Tell us as soon as the team qualifies. Short-notice group fares and rooms depend on what is available; we send the options we can find.
Can booster clubs pay for their own team's travel?
Yes. Code the trip to the booster fund as its project, and the invoice and reports show exactly what that fund paid for.
Do you run buses or coaches?
No. School buses and charter coaches stay with your district or your usual operator. silentVIP arranges intercity rail, flights, hotels, and car rentals and pre-booked ground transportation for airport transfers and groups.
Can students book themselves?
No. Students travel as guest travelers on trips your staff request. Live self-service search across airline and hotel inventory is not available today. Travelers request a trip and choose from the options our team sends.
Who handles consent forms and chaperone checks?
Your school, under its own policy. silentVIP books the travel for the people your school has approved to go.
More in Education
A travel program your school can stand behind
Tell us about your school, district or institution and how it travels today. A person reads every enquiry and replies.