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2 MIN READ Dance the World Broadway gives dancers and musical theatre groups the performance experience of a lifetime! We guarantee that your dance school will experience New York like never before including a unique opportunity to perform on a Broadway stage AND the chance to dance under the lights of Times Square with performing arts groups from all around the world. And to help take your performance to the next level, Dance the World includes Disney Theatrical Music and

The rules for groups travelling to the EU changed in 2022. Now that groups are able to travel abroad again, we’ve sifted through the rules to explain how Brexit will impact your school trip to Europe and what actions are required in the short, medium and long term.  Preparing for a trip to Europe in 2023 - top tips for organisers  Everyone in the group needs to

4 MIN READ The team are back from Time To Shine and all the while we're still finding glitter in our pockets we aren't going to shut up about it! Read on to find out how it went and to understand the show-stopping performing arts school trip better. Day 1. Bienvenue en France We spent the first day checking in our groups as they arrived in dribs and drabs from all over the UK. It was great

Student conventions are back! read about our first student event in two years The Gaumont Theatre at Disneyland® Paris was filled once again with British students this March to attend the first Student Conventions at Disneyland Paris since the beginning of the pandemic. Read on to hear all about the return of COGO’s student conventions and what you can expect on your next educational visit to Disneyland Paris.  WHO WENT ON THE TRIP?  A number

Jargon-free guide to insuring your educational trip  It's more important than ever for schools and colleges to ensure that they have the right insurance cover for their educational trips. In this guide we explain the types of protection that schools and colleges should consider when organising their next UK residential or trip overseas.  How to insure your educational trip - top tips for organisers  check

This half term we pulled off the impossible. After a two-year intermission, the stage at Disneyland® Paris’ Videopolis Theatre came to life with the very first Performing Arts school group performances since the beginning of the pandemic and the Time To Shine pre-parade made its triumphant return for what felt more like a victory lap through the park to a crowd of jubilant onlookers. The Performing Arts team are back at COGO HQ and it&rsquo

Does Disneyland® Paris have a train station?  Yes, the Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy train station is located by the front gates of the Disney Village, the Disney parks and hotels. Can you get Eurostar direct to Disneyland Paris? Yes, there are several direct Eurostar trains from London St Pancras to Marne-la-Vallée, the area in which Disneyland Paris is located, each week. This journey takes just 2 hours 49 minutes and it

What are the rules for fully vaccinated travellers to  Disneyland® Paris?  As the world reopens to international visits, France and Disneyland® Paris are now open to fully vaccinated visitors from the UK. Here is everything you need to know to travel to Disneyland® Paris. Pass Sanitaire (Health Pass) while in France All visitors to France require a Pass Sanitaire (Health Pass) to access cultural venues, restaurants, and attractions such as Disneyland®

When is Disneyland® Paris' 30th Birthday? As if you needed any other reason to return to Disneyland® Paris next year, the park is celebrating its 30th anniversary in March! Disney is never one do anything in half measures, so it’s certain to be an unmissable commemoration of 30 magical years, and you get to be part of it. A lot of people have sadly missed out on their chance to visit Disneyland Paris over the

Autumn/Winter 2021 group travel news for Disneyland® Paris The Magic Returns this Autumn! As preferred travel partners to Disneyland® Paris, we are the first to give you the latest group travel news and sneak previews from the parks, hotels, shows, and events.   A group trip to Disneyland Paris promises to be more special than ever. Prepare to be enchanted with new shows and spectaculars to provide some much-needed sparkle, magic, and memory-building moments

UNCOVERING CROATIA'S PAST ON AN EXPERTLY ORGANISED 9-DAY TOUR This week we’re delighted to have our archaeology group from Brighton on a 9-day tour of Croatia, expertly organised by COGO Travel. We worked with the group to fit in as much as possible in their itinerary to make up for not being able to travel last year. This meant organising transfers between cities and towns and booking 4 different hotels dotted around Croatia to maximise

Overseas educational trips given the greenlight The Department for Education (DfE) clarified its overseas travel advice to schools and colleges following a legal challenge from our trade body, the School Travel Forum. The School Travel Forum sent a pre-action protocol letter to the DfE on July 5 challenging its confusing guidance on booking educational trips abroad for 2022. The DfE updated its advice on educational trips abroad two weeks later. The new advice, which

dfe updates advice on booking and taking educational trips The DfE recognises the significant benefits of school trips on pupils' educational development, health and wellbeing and has been working with our trade body, the School Travel Forum, to build a roadmap for the resumption of educational visits including a framework for the safe reintroduction of domestic trips, COVID safe protocols and cancellation insurance. The DfE is taking positive steps towards school and college groups being able to enjoy visits

New timetable for student Conferences at Disneyland Paris

Ready when you are We have updated our group safety and wellbeing protocols so that you can still enjoy an incredible trip, with the same activities and quality learning experiences, but with extra COVID-19 precautions. Follow this link to find out how you can book and travel with confidence. GUIDE FOR GROUPS WITH AN UPCOMING TRIP The guide below explains current travel advice and summarises the options for groups with an upcoming booking. Please note that

A real life account of before and after the 'fall of the berlin wall' and what it was like living in west berlin - by COGO Travel's Sharon  From very early on I have always been interested in Germany. Having grasped the basics of the language at school, a school trip would certainly have given me the incentive to expand my knowledge of the language and explore more of the history in particular berlin, a city I now know

Outdoor Classroom Day celebrates and inspires outdoor learning and play The day involves thousands of schools around the world taking lessons outdoors and prioritising playtime. Last year over 2.3 million children worldwide took part, more than 580,000 of those were in the UK and Ireland. This day recognises the benefits of outdoor learning including: Improving children’s health Engaging them with learning Creating a greater connection with nature Teaching critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and

How does physical activity influence classroom engagement? Get outdoors and into the fresh air!! We sometimes hear people say, "I'll feel better after some fresh air," and guess what...they're right! Fresh air really does leave us feeling more refreshed, relaxed and healthy! That's why we're so determined here at COGO Travel to get as many young people to get active in the great outdoors, in a classroom without walls! So, go on, have a look

From School star to stage star - meet lucy newton - performing arts specialist at cogo travel  At school Lucy realised very early on that her strengths lie in drama, singing and dance. Like many students with dyslexia she struggled with traditional core curriculum subjects but excelled in the performing arts. Lucy’s talent was recognised by her teachers at an early age and she was encouraged to develop her ability, often taking the lead role in school productions. Lucy

When Sammi left school in July 2004 she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do but opted for a BTEC National Diploma in Travel and Tourism at college. As part of the course she attended a 4 day tour - Business-of-Travel-Tourism-Convention in December 2004, which is exclusively run for colleges by COGO Travel (formerly The Travel Adventure). Whilst on this tour a key part of the programme is focused on a morning seminar, featuring

One school trip and that was it!  Following a trip with school to the Science Museum in London, the start of Mark’s future career was born. At the age of just 11 years old, Mark embarked on a school trip to London, prior to this he had always been interested in playing with Meccano and making Airfix models. They were seen very much as toys, something to keep him entertained and fill his spare time. He never

A short weekend trip to the former capital of Poland, Krakow promised a humbling reminder of the atrocities of World War Two; however I discovered much more than I had bargained for. Krakow is an underrated Eastern European gem with a festive city culture and delicious food. Krakow has an unmistakably rich history steeped in war time culture memorials which is evident in the older district of the city Kazimierz. I would very much recommend a walking tour of this

Sophie was on a trip to the World War I Battlefields recently and wrote a really interesting account of her visit which we thought we'd share with you :) Looking back at my family history, I have found that I have four ancestors, whom were brothers, that were all killed during the 1st World War. Sadly, three of them died on the same day, October 12th, 1916, around Flers where the first British tanks were deployed earlier that month. One

ON A TRIP TO SANTANDER, OUR VERY OWN SHARON HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO SPELUNKING! HAVE A READ BELOW, SOUNDS FANTASTIC!! Now, exploring caves is very interesting but try “Spelunking“! So, I went exploring caves in Santander. WOW was that interesting. Amazed at seeing drawings dating back 19,000 years ago and only discovered in 1903 in Cava Covalanas & seeing in Cava Cullalvera the deepest group of rock art in Northern Spain with a series of figures

At COGO Travel we are always looking for new ways to improve our residentials and ensure we are offering high quality experiences linking to the national curriculum. With over 24 years experience in organising educational breaks across the UK and Europe, we pride ourselves in being able to offer brilliant residentials and encourage learning outside the classroom.  At the beginning of the year we asked teachers to share their experiences and opinions on what makes a brilliant residential

‘With half of their time spent at screens, the next generation will be poorly equipped to defend the natural world from harm’. The Guardian states the above in a recent article entitled ‘If children lose contact with nature they won’t fight for it.’ Shockingly, 11 - 15year olds in Britain now spend, on average, half their waking day in front of a screen. With this statistic in mind, The Guardian quite rightly question who will

At COGO Travel we pride ourselves in providing brilliant residential educational breaks for our customers.  Within each of our tailor-made trips we outline the potential learning outcomes, but strongly believe in both teachers and children having a key part to play in creating the right trip for their individual group with us, to ensure they maximise the value and take-homes from their residential. Wherever the destination or style of residential, we aim to benefit children with new

A residential school trip is an experience that the majority of pupils in the UK have or will experience during their schooling years and for many it can be a rite of passage. However, whether you are a teacher organising one for the first time or a parent experiencing sending a child away for the first time on an educational break, the prospect of school activity breaks can be daunting. You’ve heard the stories, you may vividly remember

Mental Health for years has been a hidden topic and only recently discussed openly in relation to young people, with many shying away from considering the importance of psychological health development alongside academic performance. It’s amazing how at school we encourage healthy living through PE lessons, regular sports days and discussions on diet, yet mental health, despite being such a growing phenomenon amongst school age children, is often left to cower in the background.  However, with the

 At COGO Travel we are keen to share and shout about the benefits of school residential trips! We’ve already written about how school residential trips can encourage inspiration and aspiration and how they can improve relationships and social interaction with pupils. This time, we bring to you a piece on how school residential trips can encourage and foster independent pupils.  We had the opportunity to submit a question on the wonderful Monday night primary educational

Alongside our commitment to providing high quality school residential trips full of adventures, activities and fun for all, we actively believe that there are incomparable benefits of school residential trips.  In order to evidence this belief, we have looked into a wide range of quantitative research on the subject.  It is clear that school residential trips can foster improved social interaction and help build classroom relationships.  School residential trips require pupils to take part in residential activities

What are the real benefits to your pupils when you take them on a school residential trip? Here at COGOTravel we’re exploring some of the top results from extensive industry research and reports undertaken and complied over the last decade. This time we are focusing inspiration and aspiration as one of the benefits of school residential trips. Perhaps this benefit is not the most obvious, but as we have discovered, it is one that is highly prevalent and

Whilst much of the purpose of our educational breaks are for children to take part in activities with their peers, let off some steam, learn valuable skills through play and develop personally. Another core part of the school trip is to ensure children get to spend some quality time outdoors. Our experience has shown us how valuable this time is for pupils and the how important spending time outdoors is. Yet, we seem to read all too frequently on

Spending quality time outside is great for all of us, yet it is a particularly wonderful opportunity for families to re-connect, relax and get away from the distractions of home, work and school. However, if you’re thinking of grabbing your wellies and taking the family out for a stroll, we suggest you give it a fun and educational twist…you guessed it, make it into a nature trail! You don’t have to venture

Here at COGO travel, we are focused on adventure and outdoor education and if we’re honest, you couldn’t describe us as technology experts. However, with the increase of technology in today’s society, its use is undoubtedly increasing in schools and the lives of young people. There are of course both positive and negative impacts of this, so it would be extremely amiss to ignore this trend that has such a large impact on

Our Butlin’s centre is based inside the Blue Flag beach resort of Skegness, and provides non-stop school trip fun. Offering a full set of adventure activities in a modern and safe environment, the facilities and activities are exceptional, including Splash Waterworld, a traditional fairground, and an abundance of evening entertainment, such as Aladdin Rocks and disco nights. But what are the education benefits of heading to Butlin’s Skegness on your next school trip

“I’m more interested in arousing enthusiasm in kids than in teaching the facts. The facts may change, but that enthusiasm for exploring the world will remain with them the rest of their lives.” – Simon Seymour How do we create enthusiastic learners? Naturally, this is easier in primary schools than secondary schools; younger children tend to have more inquisitive minds and zest for learning. Untarnished by the pains of adolescence in secondary school.  However, igniting