What about safety – can I rely on GHT to put the right arrangements in place?
Yes you can!
At Further & Higher Travel, we are absolutely committed to every aspect of safety on your educational trip and we hold all the trade body licences including: ATOL, ABTA, STF and LOtC so you can be confident your group study trip is safe in our hands.
Our latest audit was in July 2019 with Argent and for the 5th year running, we have had NO RECOMMENDATIONS to help improve the way we control our safety management and quality provision.
Our chairman, David Craven, was instrumental in setting up the School Travel Forum to raise standards in educational visits – it is now recognised as the safety & quality standard mark you can trust. As a full member of the School Travel Forum, GHT adhere to a rigorous Code of Practice and Safety Management Standards that meet the requirements of DCSF guidelines and are externally verified each year.
With more than 110 years combined experience in the educational travel industry, the team here at GHT are proud of our safety conscious environment and proactively review and improve our safety procedures. We also have the experience and knowledge to recommend the most suitable accommodation and transport providers for your age of students and your learning objectives.
What happens if I have a problem on tour?
Very few of our study tours have problems because every effort is made and checks put in place to ensure your tour plan is flawless. However, if an issue does arise, we are here to help. At Further & Higher Travel our team of experienced tour consultants will be on hand during office hours to support you whilst on tour (08:00 – 17:30 hrs) AND outside of office hours, we have 24 hour emergency response cover for issues that need to be addressed urgently.
Our emergency duty officers are fully briefed on all groups that are travelling and have access to all of your tour planning details, which means you have complete peace of mind whilst on tour, should the need arise to call us.
What about health care in Europe?
If you are a UK resident you are entitled to medical treatment that may become necessary. This will be at reduced costs, or sometimes free, when temporarily visiting a European Union (EU) country: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Only treatment provided under the state scheme is covered. However, to obtain treatment you will need to take a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you. Please note: Not all UK residents are covered in Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Click this link for further information: https://www.ehic.org.uk/
Further information regarding healthcare abroad can also be found at:
http://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcareabroad/pages/Healthcareabroad.aspx
Accommodation
All properties used by Further & Higher Travel will have undergone a safety audit prior to its first use and thereafter, every 3 years. In some cases there will be hotels or hostels that will conform to local regulations, but that we feel do not meet our standards and we will not include them in our tour programmes.
Coach Safety
At Further & Higher Travel safe travel is our priority, our policies include keeping overnight journeys to a minimum, and ensuring coach drivers are fully rested and fit to drive before any journey is taken by providing them with single room accommodation. All coach companies that we work with, both in the UK and overseas, will have completed our standard audit.
FAQ’s – Visits and the threat from terrorism
The current global situation means that the possibility of being close to, or caught up in, a terrorist attack is a risk faced by us all. Like all risks, this needs to be kept in perspective and managed in a thoughtful and proportionate way. Please see the latest advice from the Outdoor Education Advisory Panel regarding foreign travel and questions around terrorism.
http://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/6k-faqs-visits-and-the-threat-from-terrorism/
We also advise you to visit the FCO website www.fco.gov.uk
Useful Links
ABTA: www.abta.com
ATOL: www.atol.org.uk
LOtC: www.lotc.org.uk
STF: www.schooltravelforum.com