How to plan a university field trip abroad: a step-by-step timeline

What does the 12-month timeline look like?

The table below is a working timeline for a taught-programme field trip of roughly one to two weeks. Shorter trips to low-risk destinations can compress it. Trips to higher-risk destinations, or research involving permits, often need more time, so start earlier.

Which approvals do you need, and in what order?

Every university has its own process, but most follow the same logic: academic approval, then risk assessment approval, then insurance, then bookings. Booking before approval risks paying for a trip you cannot run.

Real examples show how firm these gates are. The University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science tells students they may not travel for research or study until their travel risk assessment is approved, that insurance can only be applied for after approval, and that anyone travelling without approval is not covered by the university's travel insurance. Oxford's Faculty of Law requires assessments for travel where the FCDO advises against travel to be reviewed by the University Safety Office and approved by the head of department.

• Find your university's fieldwork or overseas travel policy and the name of the departmental safety contact.
• Check how far ahead the insurance office needs applications. Some insurers refer higher-risk destinations for individual decisions, which adds time.
• Many UK universities base their procedures on the Universities Safety and Health Association's Higher Education Sector Guidance on Health and Safety in Fieldwork and Travel (2018), which is a good reference if your local policy is thin.

How should you build the budget and funding plan?

Cost the whole trip before you set any student contribution. Prices change, so get current quotes rather than relying on last year's figures.

• Fixed costs: flights, accommodation, coaches or vehicle hire, site entry fees, guides, permits and insurance premiums.
• Per-person costs: meals, local transport, visa fees where the university covers them.
• Staff costs: staff travel and subsistence, and any cover needed at home.
• Contingency: an agreed amount for disruption, medical escort or early return of a student.
• Funding sources: departmental budget, student contributions, hardship funds and any external grants. Make sure students with financial need know what support exists before they commit.

Agree the payment schedule with finance so deposits to suppliers line up with funds received. For a fuller structure, see our group travel budget guide and group travel calculator.

What should the fieldwork risk assessment cover?

The risk assessment should cover the destination, the travel, the accommodation and every activity, including free time. University forms typically tier the level of detail by risk. For example, Oxford's Law Faculty requires its full form for all fieldwork and for travel to medium or high-risk destinations.

• Destination: FCDO travel advice (check it and sign up for email alerts), local security, health risks, climate and natural hazards.
• Activities: fieldwork environments such as coasts, rivers, mountains or urban sites; working near water or at height; lone or small-group working.
• People: student numbers, staffing levels, first aid cover, medical conditions and accessibility needs.
• Travel and accommodation: transfers, night travel, vehicle hire and drivers, fire safety at accommodation.
• Emergencies: how you will reach emergency services, the insurer's assistance line, and the university's out-of-hours contact.

Do you need permits or permissions in the host country?

It depends on what the students will do. A sightseeing-based study tour rarely needs special permission, but fieldwork often does. Requirements are set by the host country and sometimes by the landowner or site manager, so check them for each trip rather than assuming.

• Protected areas and private land: national parks, nature reserves, archaeological sites and private land may require advance permission, a fee or a licensed guide.
• Collecting samples: collecting plants, animals, soil or water, and taking them out of the country, can need host-country permits. If the work uses genetic resources from a country that is party to the Nagoya Protocol, UK users have due diligence obligations under the UK access and benefit sharing regulations.
• Research with people: interviews, surveys or observation may need university ethics approval and, in some countries, local research approval.
• Equipment: drones, scientific instruments and some sampling equipment can be subject to local rules or customs procedures.
• Visa category: check whether the planned activity fits the entry category students will use. Some countries treat research or fieldwork differently from tourism.

Ask colleagues who have worked in the country, the host institution if there is one, and the relevant embassy. Permit applications can take months, which is why they start 8 to 10 months out in the timeline.

When should you book flights and accommodation?

Request group flight quotes 10 to 12 months ahead for peak dates and confirm once approvals are in place. Many airlines open schedules around 11 months before departure, and group fares usually come with set deadlines for deposits, names and final payment. Our group flights guide explains how those deadlines work.

For accommodation, check room configuration (shared rooms, single-sex arrangements, accessible rooms), fire safety, location relative to field sites and whether staff can be close to students. Build in time for the coach or minibus transfers, including driver hours where you are hiring drivers.

What documents do students need, especially international students?

Collect passport details and nationality for every student at the 4 to 6 month mark, and do not assume everyone holds a British passport. Entry rules depend on nationality, not on the university.

• Destination visas: some students may need a visa, such as a Schengen visa, where British citizens do not. Allow for appointment waiting times and processing.
• Return to the UK: students with UK immigration permission should check their status will still be valid on return. GOV.UK says you can travel with an eVisa once your passport or travel document details are added to your UKVI account, so students should update their account if they have a new passport.
• Passport validity: check the destination's rules on validity and issue date for every passport, including non-UK passports.
• EU border systems: the EU's Entry/Exit System affects non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area. See our EES and ETIAS guide.

Point students to your university's international student advice team rather than giving immigration advice yourself. Our travel document checklist can help you track who has what.

How do you make the trip inclusive and accessible?

Under the Equality Act 2010, universities must make reasonable adjustments for disabled students, and field trips are part of the course. Ask for needs early and confidentially, and involve the disability service. Plan the adjustment first, then decide whether any element genuinely cannot be adapted, and if so offer an equivalent way to meet the learning outcome.

• Check terrain, walking distances and step-free access at field sites and accommodation.
• Consider medication, dietary needs, religious observance and quiet space.
• Think about cost as a barrier and how hardship support applies.
• Consider how the destination's laws and attitudes might affect LGBTQ+ students or students of particular faiths or nationalities, using the laws and cultural differences information in FCDO travel advice, and brief them privately where appropriate.

What goes into briefings, emergency planning and the post-trip review?

Hold a compulsory pre-departure briefing 4 to 8 weeks out and issue a written pack. Cover the itinerary, code of conduct, field safety, local laws and customs, health precautions (check TravelHealthPro for vaccines), money, insurance and how to get help.

• Give every student and staff member a contact card with staff mobile numbers, the accommodation address, the insurer's assistance line and the local emergency number.
• Agree how staff will check in with the department, and who is the out-of-hours contact at home.
• Set out what happens if a student is ill, injured, missing or arrested, and who decides on early return.
• Make sure staffing still works if one staff member has to accompany a student to hospital.

See our group travel emergency plan guide and the free emergency contacts tool.

After the trip, within a few weeks of return, record any incidents, accidents and near misses through your university's reporting system, gather student and staff feedback, and note what to change. Update the risk assessment so next year's trip starts from what actually happened, and close the budget against actual spend.

How Roamly can help

Roamly books group flights and coordinates accommodation and ground logistics for university departments, and can provide the booking, supplier and contact details your risk assessment and insurance office ask for. You can sketch your plan with the free trip timeline builder. University approvals and risk assessments stay with your institution. Contact us to discuss your field trip.