Bariloche, the ideal place for Chilean students’ study trips

Bariloche has been the destination of choice for thousands of students from all over Argentina for decades, but in recent years it has gained a new audience: graduating classes from Chile, who choose to travel to the city for everything it offers.

Vivencias Travel — an operator specialising in youth and individual tourism with a presence in Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil — is one of the main players here, taking charge of the many groups that arrive year after year to enjoy the attractions of Argentine Patagonia.

The peak season for Chilean students' "educational trips" is the end of the year, when the weather guarantees long, pleasant days for walks, excursions and adventure tourism activities.

Even so, it all starts much earlier. According to Vivencias Travel, May is a crucial month for booking, because planning ahead gives students' families access to the best hotels, promotions and rates.

"Planning a study trip is not just choosing the destination: it is managing availability, costs, quality, safety and peace of mind. In May you can still choose; you can still negotiate. You can get advance-sale rates, limited benefits and the best hotels. Anyone who waits until August or September does not choose: they take what is left, and usually pay more", Marcelo Rollandi stressed.

In recent weeks, Vivencias Travel has organised trips for parents from different regions of Chile, so they can see for themselves what their children will experience months later. "They went on excursions, we took them to different places, so we could also give them safety and peace of mind," Rollandi said.

The six pillars of a good school trip

For Vivencias Travel, a good school trip package is built around six elements: professional coordinators with specialised training, comprehensive safety with 24/7 assistance and clear emergency protocols, an activity programme with genuine educational and recreational purpose, in-house operations at the destination — not entirely outsourced — transparent contracts with no hidden costs, and logistics designed to make the most of the time and reduce surprises.

These are the key factors that guarantee a study trip to be enjoyed, with no complications for families and with the certainty that the students are in good hands and safe, their only concern being to make the most of their stay in Bariloche.

To that end, Vivencias Travel has developed a coordinators' school where it trains the people who accompany the groups on the ground. That way they not only know the destination: they know how to read and manage the dynamics of a group of young people.

And unlike large firms that operate with very large groups of young people, Vivencias Travel offers something extra: personal attention, where you know who is behind the whole operation — something that undoubtedly builds an additional measure of trust.

Vivencias Travel is a tour operator founded in Bariloche with a presence in Chile, Brazil and Mexico, specialising in group and individual travel experiences. Its main focus is study trips (for students and young people), "experiential" travel, adventure activities, excursions and tailor-made programmes. It also offers 24/7 support and professional guides, with a strong emphasis on quality and experience, drawing on its deep knowledge of Patagonia.