Nothing Went As Planned: 32 Times School Trips Failed So Badly, The Teachers Couldn't Help But Share It Online

"Many teachers fear PE for the same basic reason, which is: not having a safe confined space to teach (as they are used to when they are in a classroom). The extra pressure of trying to impress the parent/carer helpers is another thing that gets in the way of many teachers doing their job too, which is again much more obvious with less experienced teachers," teachers Tom and Jack pointed out some of the challenges that teachers face when going on a school trip.

"Beyond the transitions and dealing with the other adult help, you then have to deal with the many unexpected things that crop up along the way, such as the transport issues, sudden changes of weather, stumbling across a bee's nest (that was Tom in Bushy Park) amongst many other potentials," they said, referring to an incident with the bees that you'll find in detail below.

Preparation and repetition are the keys to having a successful trip. The British teacher duo suggested that you do the trip without kids first if that's possible, in order to get ready. "If that’s not possible then talk to someone else who's done the trip before and/or complete the route via Google street view," they told Bored Panda. "This then informs your plan and your 'risk assessment' which is a document that contains all of the potential hazards and problems that you could incur ranging from walking near dogs on a lead to losing a child at a train station."

Far from everything will always go as planned, however, so you also need a way to calm down and stop panicking when things start going downhill. As a teacher, keeping your composure is paramount. "Planning a trip is one thing, but having backup options if things go wrong is another that requires composure—‘box breathing’ is our ‘go-to’ method if we are stressed and want to calm down. Box breathing is a practice where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold breath for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds and repeat until your heart rate slows down," Tom and Jack said.

Tom and Jack added that teachers need to be aware of how children will cope with a change in their environment. Some environments will naturally be more challenging than others. And some students will act out more when they've got more space, find themselves in new surroundings, or meet new people. So knowing which kids will need their behavior managed more than others is vital.

As a teacher, you should always allocate slightly more time for each step of the school trip than you think is necessary. Educators can also reach out to their colleagues and parent chaperones to hear their experiences going to specific places and with particular students, too. But if you plan to have parents helping out during the trip, make sure that they understand that they'll have to help take care of the entire group, not just their own child. Of course, when briefing parents, try to be as sensitive in how you word advice and instructions as possible. And keep in mind... parents gossip! So being diplomatic with them is incredibly important.

Because a lot of teachers are so busy taking care of everyone else, they can completely forget about their own well-being. So much so that they can even forget to pack a lunch. Getting enough sleep the night before the big trip is essential. As is taking a day or two afterward to unwind. But while on the trip, one item that you probably want as a teacher is a whistle to get everyone's attention when you're outside: you don't want to lose your voice shouting constantly.

And even though you can prepare for the weather, the terrain, and the route, Tom and Jack pointed out that you can't fully prepare for what happens on the day of the school trip. For instance, Tom was on a trip to Bushy Park when suddenly, he and his group heard a loud buzzing noise all above them and saw a cloud of bees descend on them. So he yelled for everyone to grab what they could and run after him. Fortunately, this worked out well for everyone and nobody was stung.

I have a very nostalgic view of school trips because most of them went fantastic for me. Some of my most memorable moments include getting lost in a cornfield for a bit (the stalks went way above my head) and gazing at the most beautiful starry sky I've ever seen while lying on a beach at night.

What's not to love about trips? Your mom packs you a delicious lunch (her sandwiches are always the best), you grab your GameBoy and sit with all the other cool kids at the back of the bus, and you connect to your classmates in a way that you can't when you're just in class.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, beats the sense of adventure that you feel inside of you, somewhere near your solar plexus. It's the same tingling sensation that I get when I board an airplane, bound for some exotic destination. You know that something memorable is going to happen. And while most of my experiences have been great, the teachers over on Reddit have shown that even the best-laid plans can fall apart. All it takes is one tiny mistake.

I'll be honest that I was always one of the ‘good kids' on those trips and I never got in trouble. But my classmates! Oh boy! I remember, one time, a whole bunch of them went sneaking off to have a drink in the woods and then they got caught by the teacher. Imagine how embarrassed they were when they had to call their parents and explain what happened the next morning.

Halsbury Travel had some friendly advice for teachers for when they plan the next school trip. They explain that organization is “absolutely paramount” and that educators ought to have “ten copies of everything” and “check everything a hundred times.”

In other words, even if our plans tend to fall apart, we should still make them. There's nothing dorky about being prepared. In fact, your students (and their parents!) are counting on you to be well-organized and know everything.