The Year 6 school excursion to Canberra is a rite of passage for Aussie kids.
Every year, more than 2000 schools travel to Canberra and the National Capital.
Those 160,000 student visitors (plus assorted teachers, carers and parents) can make it tricky to book your school’s Canberra excursion.
When it comes to booking the major Canberra venues and programs, bookings open 2 years and 1 month ahead of time. Now that’s a long lead time.
Term 3 is the most popular time to visit Canberra because teachers want to cover the work units in class AND include a snow trip.
So how can you make booking your Canberra excursion EASY?
1. Book in advance
We’re talking minimum 1 year but realistically 2-3 years ahead, if you can. The larger your group, the earlier you will need to book so you have the widest possible choice with the best options.
2. Say no to snow
If you don’t want to visit the snow, book dates outside of Term 3. In all our years of booking school excursions, we’ve found that Term 1 is generally the quietest time.
3. Book facilitated programs
More valuable for student learning, engagement and enjoyment than self-guided options, facilitated programs also take the pressure off teachers to achieve learning outcomes. The Australian War Memorial program is a great example.
4. Be flexible about dates
If you’re flexible with your travel dates, accommodation and itinerary, we can work closely with all our accommodation and venue providers. And also? We’ve got mates in Canberra, so you get the benefit of our inside industry knowledge and connections.
5. Re-book to avoid the scramble
If your school travels to Canberra every year, book a few years at a time (eg: 2026, 2027 & 2028). This secures a quality itinerary, great accommodation and saves you valuable time when it comes to planning future excursions.
At Macquarie Educational Tours, we know that teachers work incredibly hard and that planning excursions can be a headache you just don’t need. And that’s where we help.
- All logistics: enquiries, planning & bookings
- Expert advice & industry knowledge
- Creative, manageable itineraries
- Friendly, experienced guides so you can relax
- Comprehensive Excursion Kit with everything you need
- Support in case of unforeseen circumstances
- All you need to do is give us a call or shoot through an email.
Just tell us:
Where you want to go?
This one is simple! Once we know where you want to go, we’ll begin planning an itinerary that includes the best that region has to offer.
When you want to travel?
Please let us know the school term you want to travel in. If you have specific dates in mind, let us know. We know that occasionally we need to meet specific dates due to other events in your school calendar. But if you’re flexible in regard to the actual dates of travel, we have more options to choose from which means you get the best deals.
How many days/nights?
A good estimate of the amount of time you want to be away helps us with accommodation allocation. It also lets us know the number of days available for programs & visits.
The size of your group?
We know this might change. If you can give us an approximate number of students and teachers who will be attending your trip, we can choose the best accommodation options to suit.
Reason for trip
What work units are you hoping to cover as part of your excursion? This helps us prioritise venues and programs to fulfill that criteria.
We’re here to help
We’re open and taking enquiries right up until 20 December and we re-open after the Christmas break on 23 January 2025.