Make That Senior Trip a Time to Remember

Fun is Fun but Safety is most important.

The end of a senior year is an exciting time for graduates – the completion of high school, graduation ceremonies and, of course, senior trips.

Senior trip is usually taken either before or right after graduation. The reasoning is for everyone to bond together one last time before each person ventures off away from home to attend college. Although most senior classes take the trip together as a group, many smaller subgroups or “cliques” decide to splinter off and arrange their own trip.

Better Business Bureau Serving Metro Atlanta, Athens & Northeast Georgia reminds parents and their graduates to take their time and consider all the options when it comes to senior trips, whether it be with the entire class or only a group of close friends.

Cost is always a major factor, but planning is also crucial for a fun, safe and enjoyable vacation to celebrate the end of high school rather than headache and frustration trying to plan and implement a special trip for young adults.

BBB offers the following tips when planning a high school senior trip:

• Be active in the planning of the trip and include the other parents too. Find a time and place to all meet together to decide the safest way to proceed with the senior trip. Start With Trust®. BBB accredited travel agencies can be found by clicking here.
• Be sure the hotel where your student is planning to stay accepts reservations from people under 21 years old. This may be a good reason for mom and dad to get in on the action too.
• Know the name, address and phone number of the place where your teen will be staying. Be sure to have them get in touch as soon as they arrive at the hotel.
• Insist that your child text or call you every morning and every night. As a parent, this lets you know they are OK and they are where they are supposed to be. Tracking their phones may also be a good idea.
• Get contact names and numbers of everyone your child is with. That way, you’ll have others to call if you can’t get through to your child.
• Know your child and his or her friends. If your student tends to find trouble locally, be aware the trend could continue on the trip. Be active in their trip planning and decide whether or not you will chaperone accordingly.
• It is critical for groups of students to stay together at all times. Whether they are visiting the beach, slopes or clubs in the U.S. or abroad, there is always safety in numbers. Warn them never to leave with people that are not part of their travel group.
• Monitor your child’s social media for a real sense of what is going on during spring break.
• Never let strangers buy you a drink or, for that matter, leave a drink unattended. Always talk to your student about drinking and the possibility of someone with bad intentions adding drugs to them. Always get your own drinks, watch the bartender make it and never set it down. It is a good lesson for them to take to college and the real world as well.
• Don’t carry around debit or credit cards nor passports. Keep everything locked in your hotel safe. Carry only the money you need for what you are doing that day.

Senior trips can be one of the best times of your teen’s life. However, safety issues will always be more important, especially when your child could be in another country. Making sure the trip is legitimate and understanding laws in foreign countries is a must. Most teens don’t want to be bothered when they are on their senior trip. Impress the importance of checking in and calling for help when needed. Let’s work together to make senior trips ones that will be remembered for the right reasons.

For more information please visit bbb.org/atlanta.