You know what an impact your trip will have on your students’ lives. But unless they—and their parents—understand that, too, you won’t be taking them anywhere. After you’ve chosen your destination and put together an itinerary with the help of a tour consultant, it’s time to spread the word about your tour, get your students excited and encourage them to sign up. Here are three fun ways to do just that!

1. Throw a destination-themed party.

Going to Spain? Replace your typical school dance with a fiesta in the school gym, complete with music, decorations and Spanish-inspired food. Going to Costa Rica? Hang “vines” from the ceiling of your classroom, play a soundtrack of rainforest sounds and do a volcano-type science experiment with your students. How about organizing a mini winter carnaval—with a snowman contest and maple taffy—in your school’s yard to promote an upcoming trip to Quebec City? These are just a few ideas. Whatever your destination and whatever your reason for planning an educational tour, you can find a way to give students a fun preview of things to come.

2. Make a travel brochure.

Have your students make a travel brochure for the destination you are going to visit. If you’re a foreign language teacher, you can even ask your students to write the brochure in the language they’re learning! The great thing about this project is that the students will be doing some serious preparation work before they travel. They’ll have to research the destination, pick out its most intriguing attractions and present their research in an engaging way. When they take their brochures home, they’ll be ready to sell the trip to their parents in an informed and organized way.

3. Hold an informational meeting with Prométour via Skype.

There’s perhaps no better way for students and their parents to hear all about the amazing benefits of travel, and specifically of the educational tour you have planned, than by hearing it from the source! Here at Prométour, we like to make this part of the planning process as easy as possible for teachers, and so we offer to be “present” at your informational meetings via Skype. We can help you get your students excited about traveling and put their parents’ minds at ease by answering all of their questions.

Of course, there are so many other ways to drum up excitement for your educational tour. Present a theme of travel in your classroom, print and display one of our destination-specific posters, or organize some fundraisers that bring your traveling students together to work toward a common goal. Not only will these things encourage more students to sign up for your trip, but they will also make your trip known throughout the school and in the community.

So, forget the traditional announcements and slips of paper sent home. Use these and other new, fun ideas for promoting your educational tour. Have an idea you’d like to share with our community of traveling teachers? Make sure to visit our Facebook page and leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!