There is always decent variety of food available at breakfast. Every morning there is a large basket of fresh rolls, several different types of speciality bread, cheese (sliced and “Dairylea-esque” types), a variety of cold meat and pastes, a big basket of fresh fruit, tinned fruit, yoghurt, cereal (granola, and cornflakes, both plain and chocolate), milk, squash, tea and coffee.

There are cooked items like eggs or toast – there are no staff in the morning to make cooked breakfasts, and toast has too much potential to cause issues with the fire alarms, let alone the fact that the speciality continental bread isn’t really toast-friendly.

None of it is remotely limited in quantity - you can eat as much as you like.

In fact, the students are told they can make extra to take up the slopes with them if they wanted, along with the bottle of drink and a snack-bar of some description that was provided: this was part of the “full board” package.

Obviously, there isn't an unlimited amount of time for breakfast since we have to get up the slopes before they were packed solid, but they always have at least 30-40 minutes. More than enough time to eat as much as would be sensible.

We are fine with students bringing some small variety pack cereals down to breakfast if they can’t face anything apart from familiar UK cereals. We think that’s a reasonable concession, as they really do need to eat a decent breakfast before skiing. Bringing large boxes of cereals that would have to be returned to their rooms and stored though isn’t practical – it would need to be the small 200g-ish “single shot” ones. Provided they are sensible with them, we don’t see a problem.

I completely understand this question. The coach journeys are always the low-points of the trip - long, boring, not especially comfortable and you might have to share a double seat with someone you don’t know. Even with a good coach and great drivers, there’s a limit to how enjoyable they can be made.

So why don’t we fly?

Honestly, we have looked at the possibility in the past, but the negatives far outweigh the one positive of avoiding the two long journeys.

Firstly, there’s the cost and logistics of the flights themselves.

A coach is the same price no matter how full or empty, so there are price breaks for bringing more students. With flying, there is rarely this economy of scale - we’d have to budget the same for every student and member of staff individually. It’s also very difficult to block book potentially 40-50 seats on the same airline when you need fixed dates, especially if you want to use budget airlines to keep the cost to something sensible - and it's still expensive even then. In addition, we have to factor in checked luggage for everyone, which would severely restrict how much anyone could take and anyone bringing their own gear would struggle. The trip is already expensive, and the cost of flying alone would begin to make the cost prohibitive for many more students.

None of that is totally insurmountable however, and if it was purely down to cost of flying I might even consider it.

But…

…it leaves us with no dedicated method of transport once in Austria. And that’s a big issue.

It means hiring a transfer coach to get all of us and our luggage to our hotel, and again to get us back to the airport at the end of the trip.
We would have to hire a local bus to get us to and from the slopes every day, meaning more expense and completely inflexible times of pickup in the morning and afternoon. And no opportunity to “stop off” in Altenmarkt for shopping or to pick up supplies such as items from the Pharmacy, or to swap out/replace equipment.

If we stayed in Altenmarkt itself (which we have done in the past, but with a coach) it’s quite a lot more expensive and we are really limited to one skiing area unless we hire daily transport to the slopes. We would definitely have to hire transport to the Lucky Flitzer which is in Flachau, and even the swimming pool in Altenmarkt is also unlikely to be walking distance unless we got incredibly lucky with the hotel.
Staying in Flachau itself would mean we could forego the daily transport, and we could perhaps walk to the Flitzer depending on which hotel we could book, but again it would limit us to skiing in one area, regardless of the snow conditions and it would be orders of magnitude more expensive, especially over half-term.

So, whilst I really do get how much of a pain the coach journey can be (and after 17 trips I REALLY do!), unfortunately it’s just not economically viable, nor especially practical regardless of budget, for us to fly to a European ski destination.

Sorry.

We do at least split up the journey out with the ferry and a decent breakfast stop, although that’s not practical on the return leg though as we travel through the night and get to the port early

Best bring a pillow and a movie or several I’m afraid.

Ok – I get that some students (and staff too!) love these fast-food outlets and their idea of heaven would be for us to stop at service stations that have them.

However, even ignoring the whole “experience a different culture” aspect of the trip, there is no possibility whatsoever that we can dictate to the drivers which route they take or where they stop, as it’s all down to their legally mandated maximum driving hours and breaks. Even if we could, there’s no guarantee that they would be open. There is actually a Burger King at Munich where we usually stop for breakfast, but it doesn;t usually open until after we were leaving, and hanging around waiting for it just isn’t an option, again due to the constraints of maximum driving hours. There are always plenty of “real” food available, including familiar cooked breakfast items like scrambled/fried eggs etc, and the digital menu/ordering systems are in several languages.

On the journey back, there is no sense in making more than one fairly brief stop in the late evening to use the facilities, before driving through the night. Everyone has eaten just before we board the coach to leave at 6pm, and we have to get to the port in plenty of time for the ferry and before the driver’s hours run out. In 2024 for example, we were at the port at 8am, so making a detour just to eat breakfast would have meant we’d have had to wake everyone up stupidly early, and I’m sure they’d rather have slept. The students all had the opportunity to buy food for the journey the day before and they were on the ferry by 10am with access to the food courts. Being on DFDS meant they even got a free food voucher (can't guarantee that every trip though).

It is a long coach journey and access to some sort of entertainment makes it more bearable.

Although will be playing a selection of DVDs during the day and early evening (probably Chalet Girl. Again!), most students would rather be fed cold sprouts than be without their mobile so you are welcome to bring your phone/media player. However, please bear the following in mind:

• All devices are entirely the student’s responsibility. The school will not accept liability for devices lost, stolen or broken or any bills incurred, regardless of the circumstances.
• You must bring headphones or you will not be allowed to use your device on the coach.
• We reserve the right to remove speakers from students rooms if the noise is unacceptable!
• Students must not use any device when receiving instructions, on or off the slopes.
• Devices can only be used on the slopes when expressly allowed by the group instructor e.g. during breaks to take photos.
• Any device used inappropriately may be confiscated and will only be returned to the student at staff’s discretion.
• Changes to EU Roaming charges mean that you may wish to leave the SIM card in your mobile device. However please check your network’s roaming charging/fair use policy.
• Any charges incurred through using your device are your responsibility and the school will not reimburse you under any circumstances. Please remember that there is no actual need to have such mobile services active.
  • The hotel offers free Wi-Fi access in the communal area.
  • Although we would very strongly advise against students taking their phones during the day, there is free Wi-Fi in most of the cafés on the slopes.

The exact amount is up to you but we have found that somewhere between €120-150 (perhaps with the addition of £10-20 for the outward/return journeys) is more than enough.

Students only need to take enough for lunch (about €10-15 a day), perhaps a couple of hot chocolates if the weather is really cold (€4-5 Euros each), a few treats whilst out and about and some souvenirs/presents. 

There will be only be a limited amount of time for shopping and there really isn't a great variety of stores in resort anyway - the Spar is by far the most popular shop! In all honestly students who have taken large amounts of money in the past have struggled to find sensible things to spend it on - smeone bought a drone on the ferry out in 2024!

Essential for Travel

Passport: hand in when getting on coach - you cannot travel without one!

GHIC Card: All students travelling on the ski trip will require an GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card). You must have a current card in order to go on the trip (please check yours as these do expire!). These are obtainable online and are always free.

Below is a checklist for you to ensure you pack the correct items for skiing:

Must Have Items for Skiing

• Ski helmet. These are obligatory for all staff and students. You will not be allowed to ski without one under any circumstances.
• Googles (you take bring sunglasses as well, but you must bring googles with you onto the slopes every day of skiing)
• Ski jacket - to be worn on the journey
• Sallopettes (ski trousers)
• Thermal top
• Thin fleecy layer
• Thermal bottoms
• 3 pairs ski socks (put 1 pair in your hand luggage for ski fit)
• Thick ski gloves (keep in your hand luggage for ski fit)
• Suntan lotion and lip salve
• Swimming costume

Recommended Items

• Ski hat (i.e. wooly hat)
• Sunglasses
• Small rucksack to carry packed lunch (note: must have two sturdy shoulder straps. Bags that sling over one shoulder are not acceptable - they will swing about as you ski and put you off balance)
• Clothing for evenings e.g. jeans and tops
• Food for the journey out to Austria and for breakfast and lunch the next day (unless you wish to buy something from a service station) 
• Small pillow for the journey
• Pair of sturdy footwear/trainers
• DVDs for the journey (no 15 or 18 cert films!)
• MP3 player and headphones - you will not be allowed to use external speakers on the coach. 
• Money in Euros (in an envelope labelled with name and full amount - hand in when getting on coach) See the FAQ about money.

Any medication currently being taken should be placed in a named bag stating when it is to be taken and given in before getting on the coach

All luggage should be packed in a medium sized suitcase/holdall.

Important: Each student is personally responsible for any valuables they bring on the trip. Neither the school nor staff will be liable for any loss or damage.

If you have any concerns or questions please contact Mr Rowe or Mrs Segura at school

Currently the school uses a system called SchoolComms to send a text messages to all parents/carers e.g. when we arrive at the hotel and to provide updates on our return.

This system uses the mobile phone numbers stored on our school information system (SIMS) so it is vital that you ensure we have your most up to date information or you may miss important messages.

Please see the final itinerary page

During our ski trips we have found that the temperature ranges from minus 5 to minus 11.

Sometimes it's warmer. Don't count on it though!