The April school holidays are always a busy period for Tour Time, with school groups travelling across the globe, and this year was no exception, despite some disruption on the international stage.
A small number of groups due to travel via the Middle East were unfortunately affected by cancellations. Tour Time moved quickly to support schools and families, with all recoverable land and airfare monies refunded in cash, and the balance covered through Tour Time’s exclusive travel insurance policy, designed specifically for school and group travel.
This outcome highlights the value of travelling with a TAANZ financially bonded operator offering an exclusive travel insurance policy arranged specifically for school and group travel, rather than relying on a standard retail travel insurance policy. At a time when dozens of school groups were left exposed, Tour Time’s clients had the confidence of knowing there was a clear financial protection pathway in place. When the unexpected happened, Tour Time was able to support and refund affected groups, providing a level of protection that sets it apart in the school travel market.
Outside of those impacted by Middle East disruptions, Tour Time groups travelled successfully during the April holidays. These included visual arts and performing arts tours to New York, Washington and Los Angeles; a music tour to China; hockey in Europe; multi-sport tours in Singapore and Malaysia; and football and rugby tours to Australia, to name just a few.
Among them, Westlake Girls’ and Westlake Boys’ High Schools combined for a large-scale music tour to China involving 84 students across multiple ensembles, including symphony orchestra, string orchestra, concert band and big band. Warwick Robinson, Head of Music at Westlake Boys’ High School, reflected: “Once again, Tour Time have organised an overseas music tour which our students will remember for a lifetime. Our two-week tour to China was a wonderful experience -the musicians were proud of their performances, thrilled by the tourist activities, and safely looked after at all times.”
Christ’s College 1st XV and Development XV also enjoyed a successful tour to Australia. Director of Sport Benn McBrearty commented: “We had such a great trip, and it’s all thanks to the amazing organisation behind it. Everything was planned perfectly, which meant we could just relax and enjoy ourselves. It made a huge difference having everything taken care of. We would definitely use Tour Time again.”
In school travel, experience matters, but so does financial protection. Tour Time’s ability to support and refund affected groups demonstrates the value of working with a specialist operator built for the realities of group travel.
Tour Time is actively planning tours for educational, sports and music groups for 2027-28 and beyond with schools across New Zealand. Independent schools interested in exploring future group travel opportunities, both domestically and internationally, are encouraged to get in touch and enquire about the exciting possibilities ahead.
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