Crucial Items to Pack for an Overnight Trip with your Students

By Beth Hedrick

When taking your students on a trip, especially overnight, there are the usual items you need to take, such as your wallet, and specific items you “should” take…just in case of anything unexpected. That's the thing about traveling with students that I've learned – to expect the unexpected! Here is what you should put on your list of things to take, in addition to those obvious supplies.

Backpack
Carry one. Not a sling bag, not a purse, but an actual backpack. I'll never forget the time I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. and thought I would be cool and carry a cross body sling bag. It was nice and roomy…and very, very cumbersome flopping around on my side as I walked the hills of Arlington Cemetery.

A backpack allows for much more room while providing an even balance of weight across your body. When walking long distances, which many trips have on the itinerary, a good-quality backpack is ideal for carrying everything you need while providing hands-free movement and comfort.

Necessities
The backpack must contain necessities that you may not think you need for a trip with students. However, you should think outside the box and consider your students' needs while packing for your day out with them. Things you may not have thought of that you may want to include in your large, roomy, backpack include:

hand sanitizer
medications for students who take them on a regular basis
headache or pain reliever (for you)
gum
cough drops
water bottle.
Oh! And don’t forget a battery-operated phone charger!

Emergency Items
Emergency items should also be carried in your backpack.

One large Ziploc baggie of gauze pads and medical tape
Band-aids
A brace or wrap
Wound-care gel
Sanitary napkins

These items are a great start to the perfect emergency kit because chances are, you will need it! A random nose bleed (gusher!) happened to one of my groups while walking through the middle of Washington D.C. Think of your student's individual needs as well. Since a student’s glasses came unhinged in the middle of a production at a theater, I have learned to pack tape and a glasses mini-kit.

Phone Numbers
While you may be leery about giving parents your cell phone number, if you have parent chaperones it really is a must that they have it. Any adult that goes on the trip should have your number and vice-versa. One suggestion is to make one “group” text, so everyone is included and knows what's going on, especially with that small group that may be a little behind the others, or if a child becomes ill. However, the very, very important thing is to have a paper copy of the phone list of the chaperoning parents as well as the parents of the students who are with you.

Weather-Related Items   
How accurate is your local weatherman? There is a very good chance (and I am going off my experiences) that the weather will be a little “off” one day. That sudden rain shower may make for a soggy experience, so be prepared with a mini pop-up umbrella or a poncho. These items will easily fit in your backpack. If a non-bulky pair of shoes will fit, along with an extra pair of socks, that would be ideal. A hat or gloves may be something you wish to add if the weather is colder. Sunscreen is needed if it is a nice, warm day, and if you are like me and get bitten by bugs at every chance they get, bug spray may be a necessity for you.

Paper Documents
Medication documents, permission slips, picking-up children contracts, and other paper documents pertaining to a student need to be carried at all times, just in case. This is really just for your protection. You can put all of them in a manila envelope and slide them into a backpack pocket, or you can just leave them in your hotel room in a safe spot.

The more experienced you are at going on overnight trips with your students, the easier it is to think of things you may need. This is because experience brings wisdom, and if you have “seen it all” then you know it can really happen! Field trips are really the epitome of teaching, the students learn so much by exploring and really “doing” different activities. Field trips are ways your students can experience excellence in education by the integration of all five senses, and not only do they leave feeling full of knowledge, but also full of timeless memories.

Beth Hedrick has been educating students for 22 years. She teaches in a rural southwest Virginia community that values the education of every student. She is the mother of two boys, Aaron and Landon, and is married to Todd.

She is an advocate for Autism Awareness, as her son Landon has Asperger’s Syndrome. She has served on her community and school system’s autism support team. Beth enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her Basset Hound, Lenny. She also likes to read, write, blog, and travel in the summer months.