The WST Experience

An Award Winning Partner You Can Trust

The experienced award-winning team at WST are ready and here to help you to start planning new experiences giving your students memories to last a lifetime.

Our expert team will work with you to build the perfect trip for your students that will enable you to build their confidence and develop passion for their subject alongside fulfilling that all important goal of meeting learning objectives.

Now is the time to start planning.

We remember that you're all unique

One size doesn’t fit all. We will adapt our methods to suit your objectives, your students and how you like to work.

It is very clear you know your stuff! School trips these days take up so much school staff time and WST make all of that so much easier and the whole process went smoothly from start to finish. Thank you!
Huntcliff School

You can talk to us however you like

In today’s digital age it’s easy for us all to work online so we can move fast and get more done. We can do that for you with regular email contact and our wide range of online tools. But it’s also good to talk. We want to be with you every step of the way. Our experienced team want to be part of your team, so that we can arrange the right trip for you, your students and your parents.

One thing that stood out was the fact that we had a student drop out for quite a serious issue, and Rachel arranged with her manager to refund the cost. It does show that there really is a personal touch, and a heart to WST.
Stuart Bathurst High School

We'll always be by your side

You choose a Tour Operator so that you can focus on what is important; your students. Nobody can control unexpected weather, strikes and disruptions. But we will support you so that you can focus on your students at a time when they need you the most.

Susan Regnart took her students by rail to London when the rail strikes began. Read about her experience with WST and how we made her life easier.

How WST Supported Me

You'll build a relationship for life

When you choose WST, we want to develop a long term partnership. We promise respect, recognition, good value and honesty. Our aim is to listen to you, so that we can keep getting it right for you, but also so that your experience gets better and better each year.

I wouldn’t change a thing. I left another company a couple of years ago and have never looked back. So pleased I discovered WST – my only regret is that it wasn’t sooner. Nichola is more like a friend than a travel agent.
St. Georges School

Honesty is the best policy

Good communication is the way we achieve the best trip for you. Not only are we up front with our pricing from the first quote, if we don’t think something is right for you, we’ll tell you. If you ask us about a hotel that’s not up to standard, we’ll offer you alternatives. If your visit choices make your tour price too high, we’ll talk to you about what you could replace. If you ask us to provide something that isn’t possible/doesn’t exist, we’ll point this out to you and explain why. At the end of the day it’s your decision but if you don’t have all the options, then you don’t have choices.

WST offer such a personal and friendly service. I always feel very reassured knowing that our tour has been planned in details with WST and that I can contact them with questions and alterations – nothing is too much trouble. Communication is clear and frequent and all the tours we have booked have offered impressive value for money for our students and families. Venues, visits and accommodation are very good quality and I have no hesitation in recommending them to other MFL departments wishing to run a trip abroad.
St Augustines RC High School

Are you getting the best deal for your students?

We'll always strive to be the best

Anyone can say they are the best, but we ask people to judge us, to prove to you and to ourselves that it’s not just words.

Great on-site CSE assessment yesterday at WST Travel in Blackpool. What an amazing, passionate and dedicated team - determined to do the very best to exceed their customers' expectations. Keep up the excellent work!”
Richard Hamilton, Customer Service Excellence Assessor

Our awards and accreditations

We'll do all the hard work

Our team of educational travel experts has over 400 years’ experience. That’s an average of 11 years per person. We’ve seen a lot in educational travel over the years, which means we know cutting corners doesn’t work. From the first time we speak to you, we are here to make life easier for you. You know you will be speaking with people who have detailed knowledge of your destination. We will give you access to a whole range of information, tools and experiences that will answer not just your questions but those of your SLT, parents and students.

I am so glad that we took the advice from the manager of a French accommodation to choose WST for our next school trip. After so many issues with numerous school tour operators, it was a huge relief to go on a trip this year without having to worry about administrative errors made by the tour company. Everything this year was so well organised and so I am definitely going to be using and recommending WST in the future, many thanks to Elleanor who has been a pleasure to work with.
Corpus Christi High School

The WST team extends beyond the walls of our offices

We have been working with our suppliers and destination partners for a long time, so they know the high standards we expect. We respect their experience, knowledge and advice and in return we get a top class service and they are always there when we need them. We don’t always work with the cheapest suppliers but we do work with those who provide the best value in service.

Our expert support

Teach the best lessons with WST

We promise to help you teach the #BestLessons. Lessons like confidence, independence, curiosity and creativity.

Life lessons which don’t just help your students through their school career, but which set them up to take on all of life’s challenges.

Watch our video to find out how we can work with you to make your lessons unforgettable.

Company Background

WST Travel was founded as Wirral Schools Travel in 1991 and was bought by a team of educational travel specialists in 2010 – who are the people that make up the board of WST:

David Craven, Non Executive Chairman - David has over 40 years experience in educational travel with over 25 years experience as an MD of one of the UK’s leading educational travel companies.

Deborah Beckett, Founder and Corporate Development Director - Deborah has over 30 years travel industry experience including operating at Director level with a major travel PLC.

Maria Whiteman, Managing Director - Maria has 29 years experience in the travel industry with senior and MD roles with well known travel brands before joining educational travel.

Dave Finch, Financial Director - Dave has been a commercial accountant for over 30 years. His role is to provide strategic financial and management direction for the business.

Sian Belfield, People and Customer Experience Director - Sian has worked in the travel industry for over 28 years, spending 25 of those in educational travel.

Sarah Foden, Non Executive Director - Sarah has 31 years experience in educational travel as a senior manager and director – as well as developing innovative products in the performing and creative arts areas of learning.

Since 2010 our team has gone from strength to strength with 40 members of staff with over 400 years combined experience. The key to our success is having a dedicated and experienced team who are committed to delivering high quality educational travel experiences that are teamed with outstanding personal customer service.

A customer journey explained by the WST team

At WST the customer is at the heart of everything we do. A strong set of values runs right from the core of our business. We believe that this is what makes us stand out from the crowd.

Here is a video of the WST staff explaining the customer journey.