This guide is for organizers of school trips to Krakow. You get a ready financial workflow from T-30 days to T+3 days after return, with simple formulas and checklists. It works for grades 1-3, 4-6 and 7-8 with minor program adjustments.
1. Outline plan and preliminary cost estimate T-30 to T-21 days.
2. Permissions and regulations plus verification of funding sources T-20 to T-14.
3. Deposits and service reservations T-14 to T-7.
4. Close the lists and finalize payments T-6 to T-3.
5. Trip day with on-the-move cost control T0.
6. Collect documents and internal accounting T+1 to T+3.
7. Report for the principal and parents T+3 to T+7.
Program items: entrance fees, museum lessons, local guide.
Logistics: local transport or coach, parking, road fees, timed reservations.
Food and water: lunch, boxed lunches, jugs of water, optionally tea in winter.
Insurance if required by the school or the competent authority.
Operational reserve: 5 to 10 percent for unforeseen expenses.
Common costs: printed materials, ID wristbands, activity supplies, bank/transfer fees.
External funds: Parents Council subsidy, sponsor, support programs.
Step 1. Calculate fixed costs: guide, group tickets, reservations. Record gross amounts.
Step 2. Calculate variable per-person costs: transport, student tickets, lunch, insurance.
Step 3. Add operational reserve of 5 to 10 percent.
Step 4. Subtract any subsidies and school-owned funds, if present.
Step 5. Student price = round to nearest 5 PLN to simplify payments.
Example formula: StudentPrice = round_to_5PLN((FixedCosts + VariableCostPerStudent x NumberOfStudents + Reserve - Subsidy) ÷ NumberOfStudents).
Assumptions to replace: 44 students + 4 adults. City program without coach. Two paid entrances. Lunch by pre-order.
Fixed costs: one-day guide, room reservations, game materials.
Variable cost per student: 24-hour city transport ticket (or two 60-min tickets), two reduced-price entrance tickets, school lunch, water.
Operational reserve 7 percent.
Parents Council subsidy entered as a negative amount in the budget.
Student price after rounding to the nearest 5 PLN. Print a version with columns: item, quantity, unit price, value, who pays.
Assumptions to replace: 40 students + 4 adults. Hostel accommodation, breakfast, two lunches, three entrances, local transport, possible suburban coach.
Additional budget fields: accommodation deposit, bedding fee, tourist tax if applicable, breakfast room fee, extra transport reserve.
Rule of two reserves: 7 percent for day 1 and 5 percent for day 2, because uncertainty grows with time.
Sources: parent payments, Parents Council, sponsor, school or municipal funds, support programs.
Practical settlement model used by schools: Parents Council account or a designated school account. Every payment should include a title with class, student name and trip date.
Deposits: ask parents for a deposit at the reservation stage. Remainder due by T-3 days.
Cash only in exceptional cases: if payment must happen on site, prepare envelopes with amounts and a receipt list in advance.
Participant list and payment register with signatures from parents or transfer confirmations.
Invoices and receipts from suppliers; if a printed document is not possible, a short expense description on a signed statement by the supervisors within the school's accepted limit.
Entrance tickets and transaction confirmations from ticketing apps.
Reservation number, cancellation terms, supplier contact persons.
Expense journal for the trip day: date, time, amount, item, who approved it.
Spread shared items evenly among students. Supervisors are usually financed from the trip budget, but do not give them more expensive meals than students.
If someone cancels after T-3 days, apply the rule: refund recoverable costs plus their share of common costs. Describe this in the initial communication to parents.
Round the student price to 5 PLN. This reduces transfer errors and speeds up accounting.
Columns: Item, Quantity, Unit price, Value, Payer, Confirmation, Payment date, Responsible person.
Mandatory rows: guide, entrance fees, reservations, transport, lunch, water, insurance if applicable, reserve, materials, transfer fees.
Control totals: total costs, external funds, total parent payments, student price, surplus or shortfall aiming for 0 PLN at the end.
T-30 to T-21: prepare the program and cost estimate, submit request to the principal, make preliminary reservations.
T-20 to T-14: parental consents, inform about price and refund rules, start collecting payments.
T-13 to T-7: deposits to suppliers, finalize lunch and group tickets.
T-6 to T-3: close lists, chase missing payments, reminders to parents, print payment register.
T-2 to T-1: confirm times and headcount, prepare envelopes and control lists.
T0: have proof of payment at hand, notes of current expenses, collect tickets.
T+1 to T+3: settle with documents, report to the principal, short summary for parents, refund any overpayments.
Collection start: Dear Parents, the student price is [amount]. Please pay a deposit of [amount] by [date] and the balance by [date]. Payment title: Class [x], [FirstName LastName], Krakow [date]. Refund rules: we refund recoverable costs and the proportional share of common costs.
Reminder T-5: We accept final payments until [date]. Please check your entry in the payment table and report any changes.
After settlement: Thank you for your cooperation. The final cost was [x], overpayment [y] will be refunded by [date] or allocated to [purpose], according to arrangements.
Carry a small amount of cash only for minor fees. The rest should be cashless.
Keep receipts and tickets in one envelope with the date. On the back, write a short code of the budget item.
If an unplanned expense appears, use the reserve. Record the reason and the person who approved the expense.
Document package: cost estimate, participant list, payment register, invoices and receipts, tickets, any statements, short program summary.
Aggregate according to the same items as in the cost estimate so parents can see clear mapping.
If you have an overpayment, offer a refund or an agreed class purpose. If there is a shortfall, explain the reason and how it will be covered according to previously agreed rules.
Too small an operational reserve. Allow at least 5 percent, preferably 7 to 10 percent for programs with many entrances.
Lack of a single control table. Keep everything in one sheet with a Confirmation column.
Setting the student price before reservations are secured. Confirm bookings first, then announce the price.
No clear refund rules. Put them in the first message to parents.
Accounting cash without receipts. Every zloty must leave a trace.
Low cost - city on foot: public transport, two short entrances, lunch box. Lowest time-risk.
Standard city: 2 to 3 entrances, guide, lunch in a local venue, 24-hour transport tickets.
Extended with overnight: hostel, 3 to 4 entrances, two lunches, breakfast, evening guided walk.
Cost estimate sheet: item, quantity, unit price, value, payer, confirmation.
Payment list: first and last name, deposit, balance, date received, note.
Invoices and receipts list: supplier, item, gross amount, date, document number.
Parent messages: start of collection, reminder, settlement.
Final report: cost summary, photo of the table, lessons learned for the next outing.
Does the student price include supervisors' costs: yes, but do not increase their meal standard versus the students. Equality builds trust.
What if someone cancels just before departure: we refund recoverable costs and fairly account for the share of common costs. Inform parents about this from the start.
Can you accept cash payments: best to avoid. If necessary, issue receipts and enter them in the payment list the same day.
How to report to parents: one-page PDF with the cost table and a short summary. Transparency shortens debates.
What about subsidies: record them as a separate negative line. Parents will then see the real reduction in the student price.
An experienced guide makes the program predictable for budgeting. You know when to enter sites, how to split groups, where to avoid extra fees and how to match entrance times with lunch. Book a tour with Małgorzata Kasprowicz and you will receive cost estimate templates, parent messages and time control that protects your budget.
Recommended highlights to include in a Krakow school program: Wawel Castle and Cathedral, the Royal Route and Main Market Square (Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Basilica), the historic Kazimierz district, Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory (Schindler's Factory), and MOCAK. These sites are engaging for students and manageable in a school schedule.
Consider group-friendly places near the Old Town and Kazimierz. For a local experience try a milk bar (bar mleczny) for a budget-friendly hot meal. For larger groups, reserve in advance at restaurants or use pre-ordered boxed lunches.
If you want a typical Krakow atmosphere, options often used by school groups include family-style restaurants near Wawel or in Kazimierz. Always check allergy needs and pack bottled water for the whole group.
Good planning, transparent communication and one reliable spreadsheet are the three elements that make a school trip easy to run and easy to reconcile afterwards. If you follow the steps above, you can confidently show parents and the principal that every zloty was accounted for.
