Cheer & Drill
52+ years of custom educational travel · Trusted by school groups in all 50 states · SYTA, IATAN, ARC, and NTA accredited
Cheer and drill teams travel for different reasons. Some are chasing a bid and a banner. Some want a performance their team would never get at home, in a parade or on a park stage. Others are going for the training, and the competition is secondary. Whatever matters most to you is where we start. The rest of the trip gets filled with what your team enjoys, from the food to the activities to the free afternoons.
The Challenge
Competition dates come out late, so a cheer or drill trip usually gets planned before the schedule that governs it exists. Mats, poms, props, and uniforms all travel with the team, and there’s the roster, which rarely looks the same on departure day as it did at booking. Payments come in from every family on a different timeline.
We work with the schedule as it firms up, handle signups and payments with families directly, and keep the logistics moving in the background. Coaches stay focused on the team.
Where Cheer & Drill Groups Travel
Orlando Tour
Perform, compete, and train at Universal and Walt Disney World, with plenty of park time built in.
Cheer & Drill Dance Studios Senior & Class Trips
5–6 Days
Southern California Tour
Theme parks, ocean views, and real stages, from Anaheim to San Diego.
Cheer & Drill Choir Dance Studios Science & STEM Senior & Class Trips
5–7 Days
How It Works
Custom sounds like more work. With us, it’s less.
1
Discovery Call
Tell us about your group, your rough dates, and how many are traveling. A short conversation to get started.
2
Custom proposal
We send a full proposal with itinerary, venues, and transparent pricing.
3
Revisions
Change anything. Swap a site, adjust a day, shift the budget. We revise until it fits.
4
Enrollment
We handle student signups, payments, and parent communication so you don’t have to.
5
Support on the trip
Your planner and a 24/7 emergency line are with your group the entire trip.
CUSTOM ITINERARY
What a cheer trip looks like:
Day 1 – Competition Venue
Walk the competition venue and run a full practice on a floor that matches what the team will compete on, then spend the rest of the day settling in and getting an early night before competition.
Day 2 – First Rounds
Warm up and take the mat for the first rounds, with time between them to rest and review video, then head out for a park night once the last routine is done.
Day 3 – Finals & Awards
Compete in finals and stay through awards, then close the day with a celebration dinner for the whole group.
Day 4 – Theme Parks
Spend the last full day on the classic attractions and the afternoon parade, with time for shopping before the fireworks to close out the night.
the trip that makes an impact
The Experience
A national event gives a team a stage worth the season’s work. The floor is regulation, the crowd is real, and hundreds of programs are competing through the same weekend. Athletes get to measure themselves against teams they would never face at home, and most come back sharper for it. Coaches leave with score sheets and clinic feedback that shape what the program works on next.
The days around the competition matter just as much. Teams get time together that isn’t practice, which is where a lot of a season’s chemistry comes from. For some athletes it’s a first flight or a first time out of the state. Teams come home closer, with a better sense of what they’re capable of and a clear idea of where to take it next season.
Custom tours since 1974
Why Cheer & Drill Groups Choose ET Tours?
No two of our trips look quite the same, because we start with you. Tell us what you’re hoping your group takes away from it, and we’ll shape the trip around that, right down to the dates that work for your calendar.
The planner who quotes your trip stays with you through it. The same person who designs your proposal makes your revisions and can travel with your group on the road. You get one point of contact who knows your trip because they built it with you.
For families, that means a trip run by people who have done this for decades. We’ve been planning group travel for over 50 years, we’re accredited by SYTA, IATAN, ARC, and NTA, and every detail from transportation to accommodations is vetted before your group ever leaves. Our custom pricing is transparent, with no upsells and no surprises, and payment plans are available so cost never has to be the reason anyone stays home.
The Difference a Custom Trip Makes
With a packaged tour, you get a fixed schedule and it’s on you to make your group fit it. We’d rather work the other way, starting with your group and what they want out of the trip, so every day earns its place.
A Few of Our Favorite Trips
Orlando National Championship
Compete at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, take the mat alongside the best teams in the country, and celebrate the season at the Orlando theme parks once awards are done.
Dallas Spirit Showcase
Bring your routine to a major championship in one of the country’s biggest spirit cities, sharpen it in clinics with experienced judges, and get out to see the rest of what Dallas has.
Southern California Parks & Performance
This one isn’t tied to a competition calendar. Teams travel whenever the season allows, perform on a park stage, train in workshops with working choreographers, and spend the open days at the parks or the coast.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQs
How far ahead should we book?
Six to nine months is comfortable for a domestic competition trip. Peak weekends in Orlando and Dallas fill earlier, so if your team is targeting a specific event, reaching out as soon as the date is set gives you the most options on hotels and flights.
Do you handle competition registration?
Registration goes through the event producer and stays with you. We build the travel around it. Some events also require teams to book lodging through their own housing company, and we will confirm that before quoting so the plan matches what the event allows.
What happens if our roster changes after we book?
Rosters change, and the plan is built to absorb that. We adjust rooming and traveler counts as numbers move, and we go over the deadlines early so you know which dates affect the price.
How do mats, poms, and uniforms get there?
Equipment is planned into the transportation from the start, whether that means motorcoach space or checked baggage on a flight. We review what your team is bringing during the proposal so the space is accounted for before you travel.
How do families pay?
Each family enrolls and pays us directly, so nothing runs through the coach. Payment plans are available, and the price is set at booking with no upsells added later.
Can families come and watch?
Yes, and many do. Family travelers can be added to the group booking for hotels and transportation. Competition admission is handled by the event, and passes are usually required for entry into the venue, so we will point you to how that works for your event.
Who supervises athletes away from the venue?
Chaperones travel with the group and stay with athletes throughout, including park days and free time. Most groups run one chaperone for every ten athletes, and rooming is arranged so athletes stay together with chaperones nearby.
I went on my first Educational Tours trip in 1996 and again in 1999 as a high school student. Because of the core memory I wanted to give this opportunity to the next generation. This last year I started up the history tour back in the local towns high school and contacted Todd and his team. And you can see they have many years of experience and connections. They were so easy to work with and the communication was amazing. They did so much work and made this trip a success. We are looking forward to doing it again!
Mike Hess Jr.
Drew Atkins
Last weekend we took our choir to Tuacahn with Educational Tours and had the best experience! They took care of everything – payments, tickets, dinners, workshops, hotels — all for such a reasonable price. Our group had a flawless trip. We would definitely do it again!
Amanda Tesch
Safety & Support
Every group travels with named tour managers, vetted transportation, and vetted accommodations. A 24/7 emergency line reaches our team at any hour of the trip. From enrollment onward we keep travelers informed directly, so everyone always knows the schedule and who to call. We are accredited by SYTA, IATAN, ARC, and NTA. Full details, insurance information, and our incident protocol are on our Safety page.
Request a custom proposal
Tell us what you teach and where you want to go, we’ll handle everything else.