Tour Advice for Union Clubs, Societies & Projects Background to Tours The Clubs & Societies Board (CSB) holds a pot of money to be allocated to Clubs & Societies to help fund their tours. The tour fund is divided into Winter, Spring and Summer and applications for each pot are made in October, January and May respectively. All Clubs & Societies can apply for a subsidy to cover up to 40% of travel costs. Funding is approved dependant on whether the proposal is accepted as a tour. This is decided at the Tours meeting of the Clubs & Societies Board (CSB). Clubs can only submit one tour proposal at each Tours meeting of CSB.
Definitions • A tour is defined as being a period of at least two residential nights spent by members of a Club or Society away from the geographical locality of their mainstream Club & Society activities, supplementary to their normal practices. • The purpose of a tour should be to further the aims and objectives of the Club or Society, supporting their activities beyond which can be achieved through usual day-to-day, week-to-week operations. • The primary activity whilst “on tour” should be the Club or Society activity. • Geographical locations of tours should be chosen to make use of opportunities that would normally be unavailable and not otherwise visited by the Club or Society whilst undergoing normal levels of activity. • A tour should have a clear aim or objective against which success or failure can be measured and sure not be purely social. • Travel is defined as being the travel, by any means, to, from or during a tour; to reach the geographical location in which the activity shall take place, rather than as part of the activity being undertaken.
Tour Applications A tour application needs to be completed before any money is spent on the tour. Applications can be found on the eActivities portal at eactivities.union.ic.ac.uk. Log-in to eActivities, then click Clubs & Society Admin, then Club & Society Documentation, then the tab labelled Tour Application. Fill in the necessary fields detailing anticipated costs etc. If you are unsure of numbers going on your tour, give the best estimate. Money is allocated on a per person basis, so overestimating the number will not benefit you financially in the long term. If you are unsure of the exact cost of travel, give a good estimate based on a number of quotes you have received. Remember to include extra items such as accommodation, food, equipment hire and other costs. Remember to send it to your CSC/FU Chair and the Deputy President (Finance & Services) seven days before the relevant CSB tours meeting. Late applications will not be accepted. Your CSC/FU Chair should remind all their Clubs & Societies well in advance of when the upcoming Tours CSB meeting is. It is a good idea to attend the CSB meeting when your tour application is proposed, and be prepared to fight for some money and defend your application, based on the tour definition above. Remember: Funding is given only to full members of Imperial College Union and is allocated on a per person basis.
Tour Allocations Clubs & Societies whose applications are successful will be informed by the Deputy President (Finance & Services) and the money will be allocated to a tour category on the Club or Society’s transaction pages on the website. All tours are required to write a report which is sent to both Felix and the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies). Important: Any unspent tour grant is transferred back to the CSB tour fund at the descretion of the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) after the tour has taken place. Therefore, the Club or Society Treasurer needs to ensure that all expenditure for the trip which needs to come from the grant awarded is claimed and processed by that date.
Driving Overseas while on Tour Vehicles with nine seats or less These vehicles are classified as cars. There are no problems taking any vehicle registered as having nine seats or less (including the driver) to another EU country. All that is required is at least two drivers. Individual countries have differing laws on speed limits, lights, equipment that must be carried etc., which must be researched and abided by. One of the minibuses that the Union currently operates falls into this category.
• The driver will also have to adhere to all the restrictions on driving hours in the EU. This is important to know when planning a trip. None of the Union’s 15 seater minibuses have tachographs fitted, so these vehicles may not be taken to Europe. Contact with the Student Activities Centre should be made as far in advance as possible for taking the one minibus which can be taken to Europe. In this situation, bookings can be made further in advance than the normal two weeks. When a vehicle is taken to Europe an additional charge is levied
Tour Period & Deadlines The tour period is defined by the date when the trip begins: Tour Period
Start Date
Winter
Start of Christmas vacation to end of Spring term
Spring
Start of Easter vacation to end of Summer term
Summer
Start of Summer vacation to end of Autumn term
The initial meeting times of the CSB for tours are: Tour Period
Meeting Date
Winter
Monday 25 October 2010
Vehicles with more than nine seats
Spring
Tuesday 24 January 2011
These vehicles are far more complicated. Users will need all of the following to take one abroad:
Summer
Monday 9 May 2011
• At least two drivers who have gained the D1 entitlement on their driving licences since 01 January 1997. Old licences obtained before 1997 are not valid for travel in the EU. • Have a vehicle with a tachograph fitted, which has been properly calibrated and serviced. A supply of tachograph discs will also be required. • Obtain a Waybill for the Vehicle.
Please note that these dates may change. Check with your CSC/FU for updates and remember that proposals must have been sent to your CSC/FU Chair and Deputy President (Finance & Services) at least seven days before the relevant meeting of CSB.
Version 1.1 - 15 October 2010