We want to lend a helping hand to ensure you accomplish your travel goals for your upcoming trip in 2025! At STA, we know the start of a new year can feel overwhelming with so many tasks to tackle. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips shared by teachers that are current and former STA group leaders who’ve successfully navigated the process.  

Click here for our printable "Student Travel New Year’s Goals” list to stay on track!  

Tips for the Upcoming Year 

• Promote Trips Early:  Begin now promoting your 2026 or 2027 trips to gain excitement and help prepare the previous grade for their upcoming travel adventure. Many teachers share photos on their teacher's Facebook or Instagram pages to showcase all the fun their groups have had while on tour with us. This is a great way to highlight your personal experience traveling with students and to inspire new travelers and their parents.
• Organize and Schedule Communication:  Using whichever communication method works best for you, start to plan now if you have the time by scheduling reminders for important trip updates. Set reminders in your planner now to ensure you keep parents and students about final payments, appropriate attire based on weather, and mandatory meeting dates.
• Update Meeting Agendas:  If you decide you need to have a parent meeting take the time now to create or update an agenda for the meeting so you can prepare necessary trip information ahead of time and save yourself the stress of doing it at the last minute.
• Leverage the Portal:  Use the STA Portal as an essential tool for communicating with parents. Many group leaders rely on our Portal to share last-minute updates, important dates, and other key information.
• Finalize Rooming Lists:  Prepare your final rooming lists with care. If you can meet with the students ahead of time and get their room placements tentatively in place prior to your rooming meeting, that can help things go more smoothly. One experienced group leader with over 10 years of travel expertise shared this advice: “When the students are happy, the parents are generally happy as well.” Ensuring students are comfortable and excited about their arrangements contributes to a positive travel experience for everyone.
• Plan Fundraisers:  If your group doesn’t depart until the last Spring or Early Summer, this is a great time to organize and finalize any remaining fundraisers to meet upcoming final payment deadlines. A teacher from Oklahoma shared her success with raffling off sports tickets, event passes, and large gifts in January and February to help students reach their fundraising goals prior to her group's final payments. *Pro Tip - After Christmas sales are a great time to snag a few items to raffle off for a successful fundraiser for your travelers any time of year.

Our Goal for You 

We’re here to help you ensure your students have the best experience traveling to new places with STA. Let’s make 2025 a year full of creating traveling memories and experiences that change lives! Let’s Go!