Frequently Asked Questions

Whenever possible, yes. Depending on numbers and room availability, groups are normally allocated a wing or floor of a hotel so all students are together in the same area. Staff rooms are strategically located next to access points such as stairs.

Room distribution is provided in the week before arrival and is subject to change.

We currently do not offer this option. Please see our accommodation options and our answer to the question Accommodation: we prefer accommodation that is close to your field study sites below.

It depends on the location of the field studies you select - we offer a lot. Most groups prefer accommodation in Sitges which is centrally located to most of our field study sites, and is a safer and quieter student and accommodation environment than the city of Barcelona. Sitges is one of Spain's most attractive, cosmopolitan and prestigious resorts and all our accommodation options are very close to the beach. It is also where our staff, equipment and office are based.

Staying in Barcelona accommodation would not necessarily reduce your travelling time - you would need to negotiate the metro system to get to the centre (typically 40 minutes for a 10-stop journey) and coach access to the centre from the city edge can takes 30 minutes or more in heavy traffic. We would not recommend a central Barcelona hotel/hostel location for our school groups.

Some of the field study travel times from Sitges are as follows:

1. Coastal management: 5 minutes.
2. Tourism impact and management: 5 minutes.
3. Barcelona: 40-45 minutes by coach in normal traffic conditions - or 35 minutes by train.
4. River Tordera: 1.3 hours to the north of Barcelona.
5. Ebro Delta: 1.5 hours to the south of Barcelona.
6. Garrotxa Volcanic Park: 2 hours to the north of Barcelona. For groups opting for a Tectonic Activity and Hazards Field Studies course, we offer a closer accommodation option in Cantonigròs.

We could, but we currently don't. We have a bonded Travel Office that could book flights for you, but we would need to add commission to cover our costs. Most of our groups, (who are regular rebookers and come from as far as Australia), find the process of booking their own flights a very straightforward one - although we appreciate it adds to their workload. Most UK groups use the budget airlines, book the flights themselves selecting the most convenient flight and saving a lot of money in the process. Some use a local Travel Agent (which charges commission, of course), and some identify the flight, and get the students to book themselves seats online at home within a strict time slot (usually a week). This latter approach seems to achieve the lowest total cost outcome for group travel purposes.

Paying by credit card offers some protection against airline failure, and will cover the value of the tickets if it is over £100; extra costs such as replacement flights or hotels are not covered.

Check your travel insurance to make sure it covers against airlines going bankrupt. If not, International Passenger Protection, a company that offers financial failure insurances to the travel industry, offers consumers cover - from £5 for 30-day protection - via its website, protectmyholiday.com. The insurance covers the cost of the defunct flight if an airline goes into administration before the policyholder's holiday starts, or the cost of replacement flights with another airline if it goes bust after departure.

If you book your own flights, paying by credit card offers some protection against airline failure, and will cover the value of the tickets if it is over £100; extra costs such as replacement flights or hotels are not covered.

Check your travel insurance to make sure it covers against airlines going bankrupt. If not, International Passenger Protection, a company that offers financial failure insurances to the travel industry, offers consumers cover - from £5 for 30-day protection - via its website, protectmyholiday.com. The insurance covers the cost of the defunct flight if an airline goes into administration before the policyholder's holiday starts, or the cost of replacement flights with another airline if it goes bust after departure.

A member of our staff will waiting to meet your group at the airport upon arrival. We will advise you in advance who this will be.

1. Check available dates on our Availability Calendar
2. Book dates, without obligation, on our Booking Calendar.
3. Enter your group details, with estimated numbers. Select your booking option date, which is the date when you plan to send us a deposit to confirm your booking. Ideally this should be at least 3 months before arrival. You can cancel an option at any time, and if it has expired, we will check to see if you need an extension or wish to cancel.
4. Select your method of transport to Barcelona, (air or coach), choice of course (Centre-Taught, Centre-Taught Light or Centre-Assisted) and preferred accommodation and itinerary.
5. Our Price Calculator will instantly give you the cost for your group and email you a copy of the quote together with deposit and final balance invoices.

Your provisional dates, itinerary and quote will be confirmed automatically by e-mail and copies saved for you online.

Provisional dates can be saved without obligation to proceed, with a mutually-agreed option date that gives you as much time as possible to advertise your proposed visit, check flights and get deposits in from students. You are not obliged to pay anything during the option period. A deposit is required to confirm your booking, which should be paid after you have sufficient deposits in and flights booked. You can cancel an option at any time, and if it has expired, we will check to see if you need an extension or wish to cancel.

We offer field studies, transport, accommodation, civil indemnity insurance, financial bonding, etc. as a 'package'. Costs cannot be broken down as individual items.

For example, meals form part of an overall accommodation offer. Groups cannot book board-only accommodation. There is no separate 'breakfast price' as it is a compulsory include in an overnight stay.

The short answer is yes. We meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel by coach. Prices are inclusive except for the cost of flights and travel insurance.

We offer three types of course:

Centre-Taught Courses:

Led by Barcelona Field Studies Centre staff with specialist knowledge and fieldwork expertise who, after prior negotiation of course content, take full responsibility for teaching the course. Your active involvement is strongly encouraged, whether in
contributing to the teaching, supervising and assisting the students or in allocating students and staff to the most appropriate small working group. One or more evening tutorials are also included, dependent on the length of your course and your preferences. The evening follow-up session is normally between 18.00 and 20.00. There is a break for dinner between 20.00 and 21.00. The briefing for the following day's work is normally undertaken after dinner. Maps, worksheets and course materials are provided as appropriate.

Centre-Assisted Courses:

Tuition is shared between Barcelona Field Studies Centre teaching staff and you each day. The programme is normally designed and led by you with a Barcelona Field Studies Centre member of staff assisting during the work in the field. There are no included evening tutorials. All the facilities of the Centre are available to the group for the duration of the stay. This includes fieldwork equipment and Health and Safety advice. Groups choosing this option should ideally have familiarity with the field study sites. Inspection visits are provided free.

Centre-Taught Light Courses:

As for the Centre-Taught courses, but with a less intensive evening follow-up. The evening follow-up session lasts an hour, normally between 19.00 and 20.00 followed by a break for dinner. The briefing for the following day can be included within the pre-dinner session, or undertaken immediately afterwards at 21.00.

All options include the provision and use of fieldwork equipment and health and safety advice.

The short answer is 'no'. Any day requiring equipment would need staffing by us. 'Free days' are an available option, but no staffing, equipment or transport are provided.

Yes. However, the types of studies we could offer are limited and we cannot include a pre-fieldwork classroom briefing or post-fieldwork follow-up.

We cannot guarantee a specific member of staff (male or female) for our field study staffing. However, excluding exceptional staff absence, we should be able to meet specific gender requirements on most days.

This is very rare, but has happened and students have been booked on alternative flights, arriving in Barcelona earlier or later the same day. All flights are met by us at the airport.

In the event of you being unable to travel on your departure day, we can arrange accommodation and provide administrative assistance. For unexpected prolonged flight disruptions, e.g. the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in April and May 2010, we can arrange coach transport home.

Rooms are normally vacated by 10.00 with luggage left in safe storage at the hotel.

Room distribution is provided in the week before arrival. This may be subject to change.

An open credit card voucher (on a school or personal credit card) is often prepared on arrival as insurance against any deliberate or non-accidental damage that may occur during a group's stay. This is returned on departure and we have never experienced such a voucher needing to be charged.

Free wi-fi access is provided. Staff and students should bring their own laptops, which should be kept safely locked in their rooms when not in use.

A laptop projector may be provided free of charge for Centre-Assisted groups on the following conditions:

1. Any breakage/damage/loss will be made good. The replacement value is approximately €600.
2. It is kept securely locked away when not in use.
3. It is returned by 20.00 on the final working evening.
4. It is booked well in advance.
5. It is accepted that availability cannot always be guaranteed.

We can only cater for groups. Our minimum group size is 2 students plus a member of staff/adult, but such a small 'group' makes a visit very expensive per student.

Groups should carry and check-in their own luggage on first arrival at the hotel. Bags can safely be left on the coach during a city tour or deposited at left luggage facilities at Barcelona Sants station.

Generally breakfast times are 08.00-10.00 and 20.00-22.00 for the evening meal. The Hotel Victoria provides greatest flexibility if you wish to bring forward the time of your evening meal. There is no restaurant lunch provided, and no refund for missed meals.

Office address: Carrer del Botxi 43, Olivella 08818, Barcelona, Spain

BFSC Travel Office location

The short answer is yes. We meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel by coach. Prices are inclusive except for the cost of flights and travel insurance.

Yes, up to one week before arrival. There is a refund calculation formula. For individual student withdrawals made up to one week before arrival, the total cost for the group would be recalculated using our web site calculator and the difference between the old and new totals refunded. This ensures that our fixed transport and staff costs remain covered and enables the group leader to decide his/her own student refund policy.

For individual withdrawals made less than 7 days before arrival, 100% of the total individual rate invoiced will be charged. There is no refund. An individual cancellation invoice for insurance claim purposes can be provided upon request.

No Show of individuals will be charged 100% of the total individual rate invoiced. There is no refund. An individual cancellation invoice for insurance claim purposes can be provided upon request.

Booking Conditions

Groups unable to travel to us due to the Eyjafjallajokull volcano disruption in April and May 2010 were able to rebook their dates with us for later in the year at no extra cost. However, there cannot be any cast-iron guarantee of refund for failure to travel and groups should arrange travel insurance against such an eventuality.

BFSC Travel Office CIF: B-64932098 is fully bonded with the General Directorate of Tourism of the Generalitat of Catalonia, with the licence GC-001 747 held in the Registry of Tourism of Catalonia.

Travel bonding arrangements

The short answer is 'yes'. Drinking water supply is guaranteed throughout Spain. There are stringent control systems that guarantee water quality. On the other hand, your body needs time to get used to a country's water and many tourists report that what they drink from Spanish taps doesn't always agree with them for the first couple of days. Even if the tap water is drinkable, that doesn't mean it's necessarily nice and consumption of bottled water is widespread.

Yes, towels are provided by the hotels.

The relevant links: Barcelona Metropolitan region rail network map, Barcelona main line train ticket prices and Barcelona's Metro line map.

Two Barcelona city stations on the Sitges/Calafell main line are Sants and Passeig de Gracia, with the latter a 10 minute walk downhill to Plaça Catalunya, the city centre.

The short answer is 'no'. Any field study day requiring transport would need staffing by us. 'Free days' are an available option, but no staffing, equipment or transport are provided by us and groups would need to pay for their own public transport, if required.

Travel insurance is not included in our prices, and this can normally be provided at low cost by your school or college insurers. Emergency medical repatriation cover is essential.

After submission of a Spanish visa application, further documents may be requested. Once the application is considered complete, the processing time is generally between 5 and 10 working days. We recommend all visa applications should be submitted at least 4 weeks prior to the proposed date of travel.