Group Travel Planning Toolkit

This toolkit supports Monash staff and students who are planning, coordinating, or leading Monash-related group travel programs. It outlines the key steps you can take to demonstrate to your faculty or portfolio leadership, partners, and funding bodies that you have prioritised safety, followed appropriate procedures, and are prepared to manage incidents or emergencies during travel.

Understanding group travel View

At Monash, 'travel' (also referred to as a trip, program, activity, or event) is defined as any journey away from a Monash campus that includes at least one overnight stay, typically for a specific academic, professional, or strategic purpose.

Two or more students participating in an approved off-campus domestic or international experience related to their Monash study, noting that:
- staff or students can lead group travel if leaders have adhered to Travel and OHS policies and procedures;
- global study tours (and other learning abroad programs) must comply with the Leading Student Group Travel Procedure and follow Monash Abroad protocol;
- extra-curricular group travel must be approved by a Monash staff member and comply with protocols of the sponsoring unit (e.g. Monash Student Association, or Monash Sport Off-campus guidelines).
Multiple Monash staff travelling together for the same event or purpose.
Using the toolkit resources, is less about the number of people travelling together and more about the inherent risks of the trip. If the travel or event planning process is complex enough where a staff member is appointed to plan the trip/event - the toolkit should be used.
NuTrip continues to support individual staff travel, particularly where risks are low and trips are straightforward. The toolkit resources are not designed to shift line management or duty of care responsibilities—those remain with the individual staff member’s supervisor. However, for more complex or higher-profile group scenarios the toolkit offers useful templates to document shared travel plans, contact information, and risk considerations.
Examples of when to use the toolkit:
- COP event - Research portfolio coordinating Monash attendance across areas;
- Antarctic expeditions - SAEF team developing risk and incident management plans for Monash and non-Monash academics;
- Overseas recruitment events or Open Days - UMAC coordinating attendance of faculty-based staff at an offshore event;
- Delegation travelling to MUM, MI, Suzhou to attend graduations.
Examples of when the toolkit isn't necessary:
- A few staff travelling to the same conference on different flights;
- Two staff from the same team travelling to Monash Malaysia for stakeholder engagement;
- Academic staff travelling to Prato from across faculties to teach intensive units - risk management completed by Monash Abroad and Prato.
Individual travellers will submit their travel for approval by their supervisor through NuTrip (or Concur for Monash Malaysia) whether they are part of a group or not.

Group travel
Not group travel

Global study tour to Japan
- Why? For credit and staff led.
External Engagement sponsors 5 students to travel to the United Kingdom for a leadership summit.
- Why? Not-for-credit, but Monash-funded and portfolio supported.
Monash Debate Club travels to the United States to represent Monash as a competition.
- Why? Representing Monash, MSA-affiliate club and all registration completed.
Climateworks coordinates a group of Monash academics to conduct interdisciplinary fieldwork in Indonesia across a month.
- Why? Travel dates overlap, Climateworks books accommodation and flights, local partners support risk and safety, higher risk location.

Same-day or local off-campus activities (e.g. a meeting in the city)
- Why not? Follow the risk management and Safe Work guidance and protocols for off-campus events.
Multiple Monash staff in Delhi for different purposes.
- Why not? Individual travel approved in NuTrip, Staff Travel Procedure applies.
Some members of the Monash Surf Club and Melbourne Surf Club travel to Indonesia for social surfing trip.
- Why not? Not registered or approved by a Monash portfolio, not directly related to study at Monash.
Engineering students visit Mansfield, VIC without faculty approval to test a vehicle, some students stay overnight, some return to Melbourne.
- Why not? Travel not coordinated, no academic oversight, did not complete requirements. If the activity was registered, the risk management policies would apply.
Education students on interstate placements (NSW, QLD).
- Why not? Industry-based experience protocols apply, individual travel follows Student Travel Procedure.

Why planning and duty of care matter View

Roles and responsibilities View

A traveller completes travel approval requirements as stipulated by trip sponsor, complies with travel policies and follows safety guidance;

A leader (e.g. unit coordinator, student leader) completes program approval requirements as stipulated by the University and portfolio, oversees logistics, in-country safety and incident response;

A program manager (e.g. professional staff member coordinating many travel programs) stipulates local program approval requirements, ensures compliance of a suite of travel programs across a portfolio / faculty with local and Monash protocol;

An approver (e.g. Dean, MSA Executive Officer) approves trips and programs that comply with the University requirements and thereby accepts the risk-level of the trip. The higher the risk-level of the program, the higher level of authority required for approval.

Trip leader ratios

There is no universal rule for trip leader-to-participant ratios. Instead, ratios should reflect the nature, risk level,structure of the program and capacity to respond to incidents. Approvers may stipulate local expectations based on the activities and trips unique to the portfolio’s operations. Below are typical expectations relating to leadership:

all events should have at least two leaders - often a primary and co-leader; and
gender balance is encouraged for overnight travel (e.g. one female- and one male-identifying leader), though not always required.

- A recommended minimum of 1 staff leader for every 10 students; required minimum of 1:20 for low-risk activities;
- Exceptions may apply following a risk assessment (e.g. program delivered by an overseas partner university)
Typically extra-curricular trips coordinated by a team, club or society. Higher-risk events require closer supervision and more leaders. Local guidelines apply however below are examples of leader-to-participant ratios:
- international travel: 1 leader per 5 participants
- camps/overnight: 1 leader per 10 participants
- for other off-campus events (e.g. those involving alcohol), take a risk based approach as per local guidelines.
- A Global Study Tour to Japan studying language and culture: There will be 25 students, they will travel around Japan, moving locations every 3 days over two weeks. There is no local partner university overseeing the itinerary however, the leaders will occasionally use tour guides and bus drivers. Recommended number of leaders: 2-3 Monash staff
- An education placement program to Monash Prato Campus, Italy: There will be 15 students, they will travel to Prato for 4 weeks. Prato staff have arranged accommodation and placements at local schools. An academic staff member will travel to Prato with the group to settle them in for the first week. Recommend number of leaders: 1 Education faculty staff, plus Prato Campus staff

Planning milestones

The following planning milestones are required to obtain approval for any group travel program. While each step must be addressed, the way you complete them may vary depending on your faculty or portfolio's internal processes. Each milestone includes a template or resource that may be used to support the milestone. Check with your supervisor or coordinator early to understand local requirements.

1. Internal support View

2. Itinerary and logistics View

3. Traveller registration View

4. Documenting risk management View

5. Pre-departure orientation and daily briefings View

6. Responding and reporting View

Additional resources

The below resources will help you to ensure that trip leaders are equipped with the right training and development to undertake their roles. Relevant policy and procedure documents are also available so that you can be sure your program is compliant with Monash's standards.

Trip leaders, especially those managing student groups, should be trained in areas such as:
- travel and off-campus planning and processes
- travel risk management
- behaviour and wellbeing support
- emergency response.
You can register for the following courses through myDevelopment to obtain essential skills:
- Provide First Aid / Remote First Aid
- Mental Health First Aid
- Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Harm
- Monash Abroad – Managing Risk and Safety
For student group travel programs like Global Study Tours or the Global Immersion Guarantee, Monash Abroad (monashabroad.stmp@monash.edu) and DVC-Student Experience offer specific leader training, contact their teams directly for details.
For student event leaders: See the Off-campus Guidelines for documentation and training requirements.
Your travel planning must comply with Monash’s:
- Travel Policy and Procedure Suite
- OHS Management System
These frameworks ensure your travel activities align with legislative and institutional standards for risk, wellbeing, and duty of care.

If you have any questions or feedback about this Toolkit, please contact travelrisk@monash.edu.

Travel Risk and Safety

Travel Risk and Safety

Group Travel Planning Toolkit

Understanding group travel View

Why planning and duty of care matter View

Roles and responsibilities View

Trip leader ratios

Planning milestones

1. Internal support View

Travel Operations Manual

2. Itinerary and logistics View

Itinerary and Journey Management (Excel)

3. Traveller registration View

4. Documenting risk management View

Travel Operations Manual

Safety And Risk Analysis Hub (SARAH)

5. Pre-departure orientation and daily briefings View

Pre-departure Orientation Slide Deck (PowerPoint template)

Off-campus Extracurricular Activities and Travel Essentials Module

6. Responding and reporting View

Travel Incident Response Playbook (Word template)

SARAH Hazard Reporting

Additional resources