World Challenge for Teachers

Q: How much work is involved for teachers?

You are partnered with one main point of contact and are joining a programme designed to take the pressure off you, so you can choose how involved you want to be. Your School Account Manager will take you through from launch to departure and is there to get to know you, your school and how best to get things done. To help students get ready for their trip (and life beyond!), we have a range of Global Citizenship, Personal Growth, and Wellbeing sessions for you to run prior to departure. These have been designed so that there’s no work for you to do before each session other than arranging an appropriate space and time to meet. You just need to bring the session you want to run up on a screen, and away you go! The slides do the work for you and include all the instructions for activities, you might want to oversee clicking through the slides at the right time and pace. There are some activities where you’ll need to facilitate the discussion by encouraging students to follow the guidance on the screen and share their thoughts with the wider group, but that’s it.

Q: Who answers parent questions and concerns?

Parents are encouraged to talk directly to our dedicated support team. They can get in touch by phone or email, and we’re here to help them every step of the way. We handle all queries and concerns, and are responsible for keeping them updated as the programme develops. Please don’t be shy about directing them to us.

Q: Do I need to get it signed off by Senior leaders?

It is important that senior leaders in the school are aware of what’s involved, and we’d love to support you through this bit. We are here to make sure everyone is comfortable with what is involved and would love the opportunity to come in and speak to Principals, Coordinators and Boards. It’s important that we’re all on the same page.

Q: How many adults travel with each group?

We aim to take away between 12 and 18 students in a team, working on a minimum ratio of 1:8 adults to students. A qualified leader or local leader will always be matched with your group, and we will fully fund each school leader/adult place required on top of the leader/guide to meet this ratio. We believe teachers are such an integral part of the leadership team, we’ll often fund more places than required.

Q: What if there is a major incident in our destination before we travel?

Rest assured that we are proactively monitoring your destination closely in the build-up to your departure. If an incident was to occur and government advice deemed travel unsafe, we would work in partnership with you and the school to arrange an alternative destination at no extra cost to the school or families. We’ve got 40 years of experience dealing with diversions, and nothing has stopped us yet.

Turning an idea into a school expedition

Most teachers arrive here somewhere between an idea and a plan, often while choosing a school trips company.

A World Challenge Expedition is designed around personal development, with challenge, responsibility and learning built in from the start. Your students come back more confident, more independent and with a stronger sense of what they’re capable of.

This page covers what to expect, what we handle, what an expedition asks of you, how we keep your school group safe and what your students gain. Then when you’re ready, we can start planning.

Request a quote

WHAT TO EXPECT

Supported every step of the way

Two decisions are yours: whether your students are ready and where they go. We’ll help with the second.

From there, we do the heavy lifting on flights, safety planning, risk management, insurance arrangements and expedition support. That means less for your school to manage and we’ll be clear about what stays with you.

We provide structured preparation and training to help you and your students get ready. It’s consistently one of the areas schools value from us the most.

On the expedition, your students take real responsibility, with a trained Expedition Leader alongside them. And you get to watch students you thought you knew surprise you.

Plan your trip

Days-16-19-Head-into-the-countryside-on-school-trip-to-Annapurna-Nepal

40 years of school expedition experience

How does World Challenge keep students safe?

Our safety and operational systems have been built and refined by a team that has spent decades running school expeditions around the world. Every World Challenge expedition is designed to meet the requirements of BS 8848, the British Standard for organised ventures outside the UK, alongside our own established procedures.

Each team travels with a trained Expedition Leader, carries a satellite tracker and has more than one way to reach us. Our 24/7 Operations Centre follows their progress, draws on government and private security advice, and helps teams adapt plans if something changes.

Trip safety

Who looks after your group?

You’ll have a School Account Manager through the build-up to departure, and again when you return.

Your group travels with a trained Expedition Leader who stays with you throughout your school expedition. They manage safety and logistics, and know when to step in or when to let students work something out for themselves. So you travel as a teacher, not a tour manager.

Supporting them on the ground are teams who live and work in the countries we travel to. Behind them is a 24/7 Operations Centre with staff trained to respond. Expert medical advice is available at any hour.

How we support

Have you done this before?

Absolutely. In 40 years, we’ve run more than 12,000 World Challenge school trips and supported over 150,000 young people. We’ve refined our approach over this time, and it means the plan for almost any situation was written long before your group leaves. There’s very little we haven’t seen.

About World Challenge

How does World Challenge keep students safe?

Trip safety

Who looks after your group?

You’ll have a School Account Manager through the build-up to departure, and again when you return.

How we support

Days-16-19-Support-a-community-on-school-trip-to-Annapurna-Nepal

Have you done this before?

About World Challenge

Students exploring a city on an overseas school trip

What students come back able to do

Development you can show, not just describe.

Your students develop confidence, teamwork, responsibility and perspective. They do this by making decisions, sharing the work, handling the unfamiliar and taking their turn to lead.

Young people come home able to talk about what they did and what it taught them. That gives them something real to use in personal statements, interviews and applications. And it gives you a stronger case for your senior leadership team.

Students’ skills and outcomes

“As a graduate recruiter, I look for candidates who have gone above and beyond academic and sporting achievements, those who have dealt with real people, taken on responsibility or had experiences that make them stand out. From every angle, as a pupil, a leader and now an employer, I can say that a World Challenge Expedition genuinely sets young people apart from the crowd.”

Tim Shaw – Investment Director

the evidence

After every expedition, we invite students and schools to share their experience, and we publish the results. Here’s what some of our students said:

used self-care strategies to maintain wellbeing

came home more confident

will keep challenging themselves at home

took action to be more sustainable

In the same survey, 99% of students told us they developed leadership skills, stepped out of their comfort zone and used initiative to handle unexpected situations. There’s a great deal more of this, and the stories behind the figures, in our latest Impact Report.

These are young people’s own answers in the weeks after they get home. Parents and teachers often tell us the bigger changes show up later.

Source: World Challenge Impact Report 2026, based on 801 survey responses from students returning from their 2025 Expedition.

Read our Impact Report

OUR ACCREDITATIONS

Peace of mind for schools and parents.

We hold all of these accreditations. For schools, the Department of Education (DFE) recommends using a travel provider with the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge, and holding it means less risk assessment paperwork for you. For parents, the ABTA and ATOL logos mean every payment is protected.

Our World Challenge expedition to Morocco was genuinely one of the most rewarding school trips I’ve been part of. Seeing our students grow in confidence, independence and resilience as the expedition unfolded was incredibly special. From finding our way through Marrakech and working alongside a local community, to challenging ourselves in the Atlas Mountains, we shared experiences and created memories that I know will stay with us for years. World Challenge gave our students the opportunity to discover what they’re capable of. A huge thank you to everyone at World Challenge and in particular Jess, our Expedition Leader!

Teacher, Saint Felix School, Morocco school expedition

The World Challenge model offered our pupils an exceptional experience. The planning of the trip is handled by experts, the communication with our parents has been regular and informative, and the organisation has been seamless. Our pupils have been suitably challenged in unique and inspiring locations, and unlike other school trips, the pupils are all expected to take on leadership roles throughout the trip. Would highly recommend.

Teacher, Shiplake College, Borneo school expedition

World Challenge is an outstanding provider of challenging and exciting experiences for young people. The expeditions are well organised and offer a variety of experiences from challenging treks to valuable and worthwhile initiatives. Be prepared for an immersive and eye opening journey outside of your comfort zone.

Teacher, Vandyke Upper School, Vietnam school expedition

World Challenge trips inspire personal growth by giving students meaningful opportunities to explore the world, broaden their perspectives, and better understand their place within a global community.

Teacher, Woodward Academy, Eswatini school expedition

Having the opportunity to support students on the World Challenge expedition to Norway was an incredibly rewarding experience. Throughout the expedition, I watched the group grow in confidence, resilience, and independence as they embraced every challenge with enthusiasm and determination.

Teacher, Emmanuel College, Norway expedition

Four friends laughing together on a rock

Plan your school expedition

Plan your expedition with people who know schools

Tell us about your group, your aims and what you want students to come back able to do. We will build your expedition around that and handle the parts that would otherwise land on your desk.

A named contact and support from day one
Destinations chosen for what they ask of students
We present the trip to students and parents
Clear information to support school approval

Everything you need, clearly laid out

For teachers, most of the admin that would normally be your responsibility sits with us instead, from first enquiry to final debrief, including:

Flights, logistics and itineraries
Student details and paperwork
Risk management documentation
Parent payments handled for you (UK only)

Support you can rely on, wherever you are

For 40 years, World Challenge has supported schools on expeditions worldwide, whatever the time difference.

We provide:

Trained Expedition Leaders
24/7 Operations Centre
Support teams on the ground
Expert medical advice when needed

Latest news and insights

Article

School Trips to France: Where Learning Meets Culture

From Normandy to Paris, school trips to France offer the perfect blend of learning and culture. Explore how World Challenge turns travel into education with purpose.

Article

Educational Trip Ideas That Go Beyond the Classroom

Looking for educational trip ideas that inspire learning and build life skills? From hands-on science in Singapore to history tours in Greece, World Challenge offers transformative school travel experiences that go far beyond the classroom.

Exploring a coastal landscape in Norway for educational trip ideas

Article

5 Adventure-Packed Educational Trip Ideas Students Will Never Forget

Discover five unforgettable educational trip ideas for 2027, designed to combine adventure, culture and personal growth. From canoeing in Norway to ocean conservation in Mozambique, these educational trips for schools develop resilience, teamwork and a lifelong respect for the outdoors.

See all insights