ef educational tours ratings

EF Tours Review: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Is EF Tours right for you?   

So your kid just came home from school with a gorgeous full color brochure about an upcoming trip to Europe with EF Tours that one of their teachers is leading.  He or she is super excited about all the cool things they get to do and is just begging you to let them go.  

It sounds great, but as a responsible parent, you want to know exactly what you’d be sending your child off to do, and how things would actually work on this trip.  

Well, lucky for you we took a 12 day visit to Europe with EF Tours, and have all the details to decide if taking an international trip with this company is right for you or your teenager.  

We’re going to start with the breakdown of how things work with EF and what to expect as a participant or a parent, and then move on to our specific experience with our tour.  

I always like to start my reviews by reminding you that I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  All opinions are my own, and all costs were paid out of our pocket for this experience.

What is EF Tours? 

EF Tours is a travel company that specializes in international tours for students.   

According to their website , EF Tours has been in operation since 1965 and offers trips for students and teachers designed to “provide immersive, life-changing education.”

Basically, EF Tours organizes international trips for students to a wide variety of destinations, promising “compelling itineraries” full of “experiential learning.”

They also promise to have the “lowest price on the market” for this type of travel.  

EF, as a company, offers may types of tours ranging from group trips for adults to organized gap years for high school graduates.  While these options are available, the bread and butter of the company is the basic high school student tour which is what we took.  

How do EF Tours work?

EF Tours have a pretty straightforward process during the sign up period, prior to departure and during your trip. 

Before we get into that, it must be said that EF Tours operate fully independently of the local school district, and are not endorsed or supported by them whatsoever.  

While this may seem like a school trip, it is not.  It is a trip run by a business who just happens to recruit participants through the school system.  Your local principals, school boards, etc. have zero control or influence on these trips.  The school is only involved in the process as far as whether they allow teachers to hand out information in schools or not. 

The EF in EF Tours stands for Education First.  According to their website, EF claims to “design tours to help educators teach, and so students can learn more—about tolerance, other perspectives, and themselves.”

The Sign Up Process

EF Tours are set up to be “hosted” by a local teacher who is then designated as the “group leader.”  Teachers are incentivized with free and reduced price travel to recruit students to join their tours.  

Tours are advertised by the group leader/teacher to students at their school and to their local community.  Interested students and parents are invited to attend informational meetings either in person or virtually where the group leader/teacher goes over the itinerary and any questions potential participants may have.  

Students and parents can then sign up directly through the EF Tours website, and submit all payments directly to the company.  

Trips are usually initially introduced about two years before the travel date so that participants can make smaller monthly payments to cover the cost of the trip.  Costs for these trips can range widely, depending on the destinations and length of the trip.  

EF has the group leader/teacher set up deadlines for signing up to go on the trip, sometimes including small discounts to encourage enrollment.  This tends to give a false sense of urgency to the sign up process. 

We found that participants can sign up just about any time before the trip departs.  We signed up about a year out from the trip, while another student who traveled with us signed up just a month or two before we left.  

Anyone was allowed to sign up for the trip.  We were encouraged to invite friends and family to join us on the tour, whether or not they were associated with our school or even local to our area.  

Adults did need to pass a background check in order to participate in the trip, since adult tour participants are traveling with minors.  

We were not given specific dates for our trip, but instead we were given a window of time during which the trip would occur.   Our dates were finally confirmed about two months before our departure.  

There are usually two or three optional excursions that can be added to any tour.  These usually include some special activity or visit to an additional landmark.  

Tour participants may also choose to upgrade the insurance for the tour. 

Before Your EF Tour

Once you’ve signed up for your EF Tour, you’ll be given access to a tour portal on the EF website where you can track your payments and what steps you need take next to participate in the trip.  They also provide a fundraising page, where friends and family can pay EF directly to offset the cost of your trip.  

Our group had a few in person meetings at a local restaurant prior to our trip where we discussed issues ranging from passports to packing for our trip to Europe , and got a chance to meet our fellow travelers.  This may or may not be true or all groups that are traveling with EF.  

Each participant in our tour was required to submit a copy of our passport to EF to insure that we had the proper documentation to travel.  

Information about our flights was not available until about a month before our departure, and information about our hotels was not available until we were about three weeks out from leaving.  

EF Tours uses a wide range of airlines, and travelers do not get to indicate a preference.  EF books all travelers in economy class seats for all transportation methods.  EF will book with whatever airline has space available for the lowest price for the group.  

As for hotels, travelers know very little about where they are staying ahead of time.  Per the website, tour participants are assured that “travelers can count on safe, clean and comfortable hotels with private bathrooms” but much beyond that the info is sparse.  

Students can expect to room with one to three other students, and possibly have to share beds.  Adults can expect to share a room with one other person.  For a fee, a single room can be requested for the tour. 

EF does indicate up front that hotels may have small rooms without air conditioning, television, or elevators, and that WiFi may not always be available.  

During an EF Tour

All transportation arrangements are made by EF Tours, including flights, buses, trains, etc.  They book all accommodations and attraction admissions for tour participants. 

Two meals a day are included in the cost of a trip with EF Tours.  Breakfast is provided each day at the hotel, usually continental style, but sometimes with hot offerings just depending on your hotel.  Dinners are are pre-arranged with a preset menu by EF at local restaurants.  EF will make accomodations for those with specific dietary needs, such as gluten free or dairy free meals.

While the teacher recruiting students is designated as your group leader, they don’t actually lead the tour once you start traveling.  EF provides a Tour Director to accompany your group through the entire trip.  

This Tour Director is supposed to handle just about everything on your tour, including all your pre-booked accommodations, meals, excursions, tickets, and transfers.  This person is there to direct the group and handle any problems with logistics you may encounter along the way.  

During the tour, your group will meet up with various local guides who will give you some sort of tour of the city or historic site that you’re visiting.  These tours are usually walking tours, but sometimes are bus tours, depending on the location.  

Tour participants are also given access to an EF Tours App, that just lists your daily itinerary for your trip.  

Our EF Tour Review

Our specific tour featured quite a daunting itinerary.  We toured Europe for 12 days, visiting sites in London, Paris, Florence, Rome, Pompeii and Capri, with no more than two nights in any destination.  

Our tour consisted of 26 travelers from our high school: three teachers, seven adults and 16 students.  We were combined with a group from upstate New York consisting of 14 travelers: one teacher, one adult, one child and 11 students.  There were a total of 40 people on our tour.  

What EF Tours Promised

Before our tour, the group leaded made sure every person who showed an interest in going on the trip got the glossy, full color brochure that outlined our itinerary and told us what to expect on the tour.  

The brochure promised that participants would be “surrounded by the people, the language, the food, and the way of life” of the destinations on our itinerary.  We were assured that our tour director would be “with us around the clock, handling local transportation, hotels, and meals while also providing their own insight into the local history and culture.”  

We would be spending time in three different countries, seeing some of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe.

The brochure also claimed that students could earn educational credit while on tour, and that all tours feature “experiential learning activities.”

Our tour left some of these promises unfulfilled, but did give us a glimpse at some fantastic destinations in Europe and some amazing memories.  

Our hotels along the trip started out stellar but seemed to go downhill from there, unfortunately ending in truly unacceptable accommodations.  

Even though this wasn’t guaranteed, all of our accommodations had some sort of air conditioning, with some that functioned better than others, and all of them had WiFi.  

For the first four nights during our stays in London and Paris, we were sent to Hilton Hotels .  They both were on the higher end of what I expected based on the descriptions provided by EF Tours of what our hotels would be like.  

The rooms at these Hiltons were very new, immaculately clean and extremely comfortable.  They were both located about an hour outside of the city center, but that wasn’t too much of a problem.  

When we reached Italy, things changed a bit.  

For a quick overnight in Milan on our way to Florence, we stayed at and AS Hotel in Limbiate.  This hotel was a bit older than the Hiltons we’d stayed in, but it was clean, spacious, and comfortable.  

Between Florence and Rome, we spent the night at the Hotel Villa Ricci (not pictured).  This hotel was significantly older than the other three we had stayed at, but it was still clean and comfortable.  While the room wasn’t much to write home about, some members of our group lucked out and got spectacular balconies. 

Once we arrived in Rome, the Villa Aurelia was our home base for two nights.  We learned that this hotel had once housed men studying to join a monastery, which explained the doritory feel of the place.  Again, we found these rooms to be clean and pretty comfortable.  

On our way to Southern Italy, we spent the night in Sorrento at Sisters Hostel .  This was the only true hostel on our trip.  While they still stuck with four students to a room, several of the student rooms had enough beds to sleep up to 12 people. 

Though not quite as refined as the Hiltons, and a little slap-shot with the furniture, we found this place to be clean and welcoming.  While it wasn’t quite as comfortable as some of the other places we’d stayed, it was completely acceptable and had a spectacular view of the Gulf of Naples from the rooftop terrace. 

Things took a turn for the worse on our last night of the tour, when we stayed at Hotel La Pergola in Rome.  This place was truly one of the worst hotels I’ve ever had the misfortune to stay at (and as a travel blogger, I’ve stayed at a LOT of hotels).  

Things started off badly when we discovered that the lights in all the hallways were not on, and that we had to hunt around with our cell phone flashlights to find our way to our rooms.  I asked the front desk to remedy this, but it was never addressed, and we had to repeat the blind search for our rooms every time we went up.  

Upon arrival in my room, I found it to be extremely dirty.  There was a layer of dusty film all over my bathroom and my pillow had an unidentified crusty stain on it.  My daughter’s room had the same layer of dirt in the bathroom, plus a shoe print from where someone killed a bug on the wall.  I checked our beds for bedbugs and thankfully did not find any. 

The front desk did not seem to care and we were told no one was available to come clean the bathrooms.

But the worst experience in this hotel went to a dad on our trip, who’s single room contained only a sofa.   Not a sleeper sofa, but just a hard couch.  There were no linens or towels available to him whatsoever. 

When he asked for these items at the front desk, he was told that we should have called earlier to request them since they were all locked up in a cabinet by the time we arrived at the hotel.   He ended up sleeping on a towel laid out on the sofa with a travel neck pillow, that had been provided to him by his daughter from her room.

The front desk attendant seemed more than annoyed anytime someone from our group would approach them, and insisted that we all leave our keys at the front desk when leaving the hotel for dinner that night.    

We weren’t left with much recourse, since this was a group trip and we were on our last night, so we decided to just grin and bear it, and did our best to get some sleep.  

Overall, I’d say that the hotels provided were quite good, with the exception of Hotel La Pergola.  For ten of the eleven nights of our trip, we were provided with clean, safe accommodations that lived up to what the EF Tours website told us to expect.  

At the time of this publication, EF Tours has been notified of this unacceptable hotel and has yet to respond.  

Meals on the tour ran the gamut from weird to stellar, but overall were not to bad.  Breakfast and dinner every day were included in what we paid for our tour.  

All breakfasts were served at our hotels.  Sometimes they were just continental breakfasts with cold offerings, and sometimes we were given hot breakfasts with eggs, bacon, and such.  Sometimes it was quite obvious where our group was supposed to go, and sometimes it wasn’t. 

Overall, breakfasts were adequate throughout the trip.  

Lunches were not included in the initial price of our trip and were paid out of pocket each day.   

Lunches were always a gamble.   It all depended on where we were and what was going on whether or not we’d get to select a restaurant on our own or if the group would be directed to eat at somewhere specific, and if we’d have lots of great choices or really limited options.  

For example, on our first full day of the trip, we visited the Tower of London.  We told to make sure we ate lunch after our tour, before rejoining the group to get on the bus.  The only options available to us were food trucks along the river right next to the Tower complex.  

It was the worst during our travel days.  We were frequently told we could just grab a bite to eat at the train station or the airport, only to be left with minimal time and very limited options.  

But some days lunch was great.  During our time in Rome, lunch came with some free time to wander, so we were able to go out and select the restaurant of our choice.  

Some days our tour guide would set up a lunch option for us, having arranged a preset menu and price with a local restaurant.  Those options were usually something like a burger, pizza or a cold sandwich.  

I’m not sure if the lunch situations were like this because of our tour guide or because of EF itself.  Sometimes it seemed inevitable, like when we were stuck in an airport or train station.  Other times it seemed like our guide might be creating these situations by not fully informing us what was available near by.  

All dinners were set up at local restaurants before our arrival.  We did not get to select from a menu and were all served the same thing each night, with the exception of those who had special dietary needs.  Each meal came with water, but we were allowed to order additional drinks at our own expense if we choose to do so.  

The worst dinners EF provided happened during the first few days of our trip.  During our entire time in London, we were not once served any traditional English food.  Our Tour Director said it was because “London is a melting pot of cultures,” but our group didn’t buy that.  

Our first group dinner in London was at a Korean restaurant where the group was served a hot stone bibimbap with chicken.  I’m normally a big fan of Korean food, but this wasn’t great. 

The next group dinner was at a Polish restaurant where the group was served a fried chicken patty and french fries.  

When it became apparent on the second night that we weren’t going to be getting any traditional English food, my daughter and I made arrangements to go get dinner on our own, and pay for it out of pocket.  Four other members of our group chose to join us.  

We simply got information from our Tour Guide when and where to meet up with the group after dinner and selected a nearby local pub so we could have a traditional English dining experience.  

Dinners seemed to improve when we got to France. During our first night there we had a lovely traditional French meal of chicken with mushroom sauce in the back room of a small picturesque cafe with a ton of ambiance.   On the second night we had a traditional Alsatian dish called Flammekueche, which was sort of like a pizza with a creamy sauce.  

In Italy, the dinners were quite good.  Of course we were served a lot of pasta, but we also had braised beef in tomato sauce, gnocchi, and pizza.  

According to the folks on our trip who had special dietary needs, the dinners were pretty good for the most part.  Although it did seem that everywhere we went in Italy, anyone who was gluten free or dairy free was served watermelon for dessert.  

Before we left on our trip, we were told by our group leader that we shouldn’t need more that $25 US dollars per person per day for lunches and snacks.  We found that that number was not quite accurate for us, especially if we ever wanted to stray from the planned meals that EF Tours had set up for us.  

We also found that we frequently needed to buy water to stay hydrated in the high temperatures of Italy during the summer, and at most of the locations we visited, water was marked up quite a bit.  

Overall, the meals on our trip were pretty good, but could definitely have been better.  

Our Itinerary

We knew going into this tour that our itinerary would be extremely hectic.  With no more than 48 hours in any location, we expected it to be jam packed.  It was kind of like a tasting menu, where you got a little bit of each destination.  

What we didn’t expect was the significant amount of wasted time and changes to our itinerary that happened on our tour.  

Things started off poorly when our tour guide was an hour late to meet us at baggage claim and then our bus was over another hour late to pick us up at the airport.  

While our tour guide was a very sweet, personable woman, she didn’t seem to understand how to manage the timing logistics for a group of 40 travelers.  

Our group was quite good about being on time to meet up locations with a couple of small exceptions that could not be helped.  No one wanted to be the person that made us late.  

Our tour guide didn’t seem to have this mentality.  She was frequently the last person downstairs at our hotels to meet our bus 15 to 20 minutes after the time she told us to meet her, and did not budget in adequate travel time to most of our destinations. 

For example, while we were driving across Italy, she had our driver stop at a large gas station for a bathroom stop.   She told us we only had five minutes to use the restroom and get back on the bus.  It’s completely impossible for 40 people to make use of just a handful of bathroom stalls in five minutes. 

We were late to our tours in London, Florence, and the Vatican.  We were late to our tour of the Colosseum in Rome.  We were late to our appointment at the Louvre.  We were so late to our tour of Pompeii.  This significantly hindered what we were able to see at our destinations, and made the whole tour seemed very rushed every day.  

Things like this happened over and over again throughout the trip.  This resulted in our group being habitually late to most of the tours we went on, and significantly cut into our time at some really important places.

The only times it seemed like we weren’t late was when we had to catch a flight, a train, or a ferry.  

There were also some pretty significant changes to our itinerary. 

Several items listed on our initial brochure were changed before the trip due to pandemic restrictions and travel challenges, which was fine.  We had ample notice and knew what to expect.    

But there were several instances where visits to certain locations were dropped off our itinerary completely, and visits to other non-advertised locations were added.  

Sometimes this was a good thing, but sometimes it was incredibly frustrating.  

In London, a walking tour of Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and Leicester Square was replaced with “free time” at the British Museum, which we really didn’t mind. 

But in Florence, visits to San Miniato al Monte and Piazzale Michelangelo were dropped off the itinerary with no explanation.  

On our way to Rome, our guide added a stop in Ovierto, a beautiful small town with picturesque views, wonderful dining and great little shops which we enjoyed immensely. 

But in Paris, a visit to Montmartre was abandoned, even though our dinner restaurant was within a mile of the historic location.  

The best unexpected addition to our trip in my opinion was the opportunity to see a musical in the West End of London.  Our guide was able to secure tickets (for an extra fee) for those who wanted them to a performance of Wicked during our free evening.  It was absolutely fantastic.  

But in the most frustrating example, during our time in Paris a visit to the Frogonard Perfume Museum was added to our itinerary.   No one asked to go there, and most of us seemed annoyed that we were stopping.  We were assured that the stop there would only last 30 minutes, but it ended up taking three times that, leaving us only an hour and a half to visit the Louvre before we had to be back on the bus to catch a flight to Italy.  

These added stops almost always involved additional costs as well, which we were not informed of before leaving for our trip.  This caused problems for a few kids on our trip who weren’t expecting these costs, and they unfortunately had to miss out on some of the better additions. 

There also seemed to be major sites in some of these cities that were not ever even an option to visit or see, due to our limited time in each city.   We didn’t go to Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s Cathedral while we were in London, and there were too many things to count in Paris that we didn’t even glimpse.  While we were aware of this upfront before the tour, it really did feel like they didn’t allow enough time in any location to really see the cities we were in.  

Despite these frustrations, the itinerary did take us to some fantastic places and we had some absolutely unforgettable experiences.  We had a fantastic time seeing the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.  We enjoyed a truly magical and unexpected sunset under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  We got to listen to an orchestra perform in Piazza della Signoria in Florence.  We were able to marvel at the unparalleled artwork inside St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.  We saw the stunningly beautiful sites of Capri from a private boat tour.  Those memories are truly priceless.  

During our trip there were extra excursions offered in any city we stayed in more than one night. 

In London, the excursion was a visit to the London Eye, a giant ferris wheel type ride that gives riders a birds eye view of the city.  In Paris, it was a trip to Versaille to tour the palace and the gardens.  In Rome, it was a tiramisu cooking class.  

We choose not to participate in the excursion in London because I’m not the biggest fan of heights, and in Paris because my daughter wanted the opportunity to spend some extra free time in the city.  

I’m extremely glad we made those decisions.   

While the London Eye excursion seemed to go well for those who went on it, it was over priced.  EF Tours charged each participant $60.  Tickets can be purchased individually at the ticket booth for just $42 USD or for groups ahead of time for just $24 USD.  I’m not sure what EF added to the experience to warrant that upcharge.  

By skipping the London Eye, we were able to have a bit more time to explore and plenty of time to enjoy our pub dinner that we mentioned earlier since the London Eye excursion was timed to happen right before dinner.  

In Paris, those who went to Versaille told us the experience was underwhelming because of the limited time available inside the palace, and the lack of lunch options available to those who went.  

The Versailles excursion seemed overpriced as well.  EF Tours charged $114 USD to each participant.  Tickets to the entire estate are free for those under 18 years old and cost under $30 USD for anyone else, and that’s without a group discount.  Even if every single person had to buy a ticket,  I can’t imagine that the cost for a group tour and the transportation to get the group there cost an additional $84 USD per person.  

The tiramisu cooking class in Rome was not optional for our group for some reason.  I think our group leader made that choice when she set up our trip.  We paid an extra $85 USD above and beyond the base tour price to experience it.  While I could not find information about individual class pricing, I highly doubt that EF paid that much per person for us to spend an hour making tiramisu. 

I will say that the class was a fun experience at a great location, and we all enjoyed the desserts we made together.  

Overall, unless an excursion is of special interest to you, I wouldn’t recommend participating in them, simply because they seem overpriced.  Having extra free time to see the sites of your choice seemed to be the best option during our tour.  

Education on an EF Tour

EF Tours makes a big deal out of their tours being focused on education.  We were promised “experiential learning activities” during the trip.  They even claim you can earn credit for going on these tour.  

We found that there wasn’t that much education attached to our tour.  

The local tour guides who showed us the sights of each city were the most informative folks on this trip, with extensive knowledge of the history and culture at each stop, but we were forced to use amplifying devices called Whispers in order to hear the guides.  These Whispers often had glitches or were garbled, making it very hard to understand our guides.  

Other than the local tour guides and maybe the tiramisu class, I wouldn’t call just visiting these historic places an “experiential learning activity.”  

We also learned that our high school would not give any credit to students who participated in these trips, even though much was made of the educational credit during the pitch to get us to join the tour.  

This isn’t to say that we didn’t learn anything on our trip.  We did have some great cultural experiences while we traveled.  But learning seemed to take a back seat to just being in another country in most circumstances.  

Safety with EF Tours

As a parent considering an EF Tour for my teenager, I know safety was a big concern for me.  

When my husband and I decided to send our daughter, we felt like one of us should go with her since she was only 15 at the time we went on the trip, and had not traveled internationally like this before.  

For the most part, I felt quite safe during our trip.  

Before our trip, our group leader did make sure to advise us about pickpocketing and theft at major tourist sites in Europe, and advised us to be prepared.  She did make sure we were always wary of our passports and where we were keeping them during our travels.  

While on tour, there was only one time that I felt like our group was taken to an unsafe area.  That was during our terrible last night in Rome when we had to walk from our hotel to our dinner restaurant through some pretty sketchy areas of the city.  

Although student were allowed to go out on their own during our free time, they were asked to go in groups of three or four and were left in pretty safe areas to spend their free time.  

The biggest problem I saw with safety was when our Tour Guide would take off walking at a breakneck speed, frequently leaving half our group stuck at crosswalks or a few turns behind.  She usually did a count to make sure everyone was there when we were ready to leave, but she did leave people behind at least twice during our trip and have to go back and get them.  

Most of the time we had no idea where we were headed when we were walking to different locations.  We were never given the names of the restaurants or addresses of where they would be unless we specifically asked for them.  I think communicating with the group more about where we’re going could have avoided some sticky situations that a few of our travelers found themselves in when they were left behind.  

We also didn’t have a way to contact our Tour Guide directly.  Only a couple of people were given her contact information, which made communication confusing and difficult during our free time, especially when she got delayed during our free evening in Paris and our meeting time had to be pushed back significantly.

Curfews and group rules were left up to our group leader, who didn’t set many boundaries for our students.  

Since the legal drinking age in the areas we visited was 18, student who met this requirement were allowed to drink alcohol on our trip, but were asked to limit it to one drink with dinner.  By and large, our students respected this request and did not take advantage of the lowered drinking age to go and party it up.  

Trips like this EF Tour require students to be pretty mature when it comes to safety.  We had a wonderful group of kids who took their personal safety pretty seriously, and didn’t take unnecessary risks that would put them in jeopardy.  Had it been a different group of personalities, I’m not sure how it would have gone.  

EF Tours:  Our Final Verdict

Would I travel with EF Tours again?  That seems to be the question at hand here.  

My EF Tours experience definitely taught me a lot about group travel.  As someone who travels pretty frequently , I usually make most of my own travel arrangements, from flights to hotel reservations to activities.  It was quite nice not to have to worry about any of that.  It really did take a lot of pressure off to just let someone else do all that work. 

But relinquishing that control does require a certain amount of trust.  There were some areas that I would definitely trust EF to arrange again, and other areas where I really think they could do better.  

For this trip it really came down to adjusting expectations once we were traveling.  I really did expect there to be more education involved in what we did while on our tour.  I really did expect to spend some quality time at these major historic sites. 

Once I realized that time would be much more limited at every destination than I expected it to be, the trip went much more smoothly.  

I think our experience would have been better with a more seasoned Tour Guide.  Ours just didn’t seem quite ready to handle all the pressures and logistics that are required for managing a group of 40 people for 12 days.  

EF Tours is definitely a budget tour company, and for the price, you do get a good experience.  

Did EF Tours create the trip of my dreams?  Not by a long shot. 

Did they create a good experience for students who haven’t done a lot of international traveling?  I’d say yes.  

Do I regret going on an EF Tour?  Absolutely not.  I had some incredible experiences in some amazing locations with my only daughter, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.  

Would I go on another EF Tour?  I think I would, but I would definitely choose a slower paced itinerary with more time in each destination.  

Do you have any questions about EF Tours that I didn’t answer?  Feel free to ask me in the comments!!

EF Tours Review: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Friday 3rd of May 2024

Hi, I signed up for the 2025 Rome and Greece trip with this company. Was wondering what I should do there and if there is anything to not do. Let me know if I should cancel a certain hotel stay or guided trip.

Louise Emery

Saturday 4th of May 2024

Not sure if you can cancel one portion without cancelling your participation in the whole trip.

Friday 12th of April 2024

I have gone on 4 EF tours (England and Scotland), (London and Paris), Rome, and one called Bell'Italia, which was basically a road trip through Italy. The meals are always meh, and the hotels were usually ok to good. I'm surprised at your lackluster tour guide. We have ALWAYS fallen in love with all 4 tour guides!!! They are all friends for life now. I wish you could have had that experience. The kids just adored them all. I did find the more jam packed the itinerary is, the more stressful the trip can be, but on the other hand, you get to see it all.

Thursday 14th of March 2024

Thank you so much for your insightful review! My daughter is headed to S. Korea in a few weeks and reading all these comments & your review...I'm just hoping for the best at this point. I wanted to ask about the tipping. Our group leader has requested $145 paid to her in cash, which I was completely caught off guard, considering the financial commitment of the trip itself, but reading this, it seems that it is quite normal. I contacted EF and the representative said that according to the tour itinerary, the total suggested guideline should be significantly less. Do you know what happens if there is a surplus or shortage with the tipping amount? I'm just wary about giving someone I don't even know (group leader) cash.

Saturday 13th of April 2024

@Louise Emery, I can't thank you enough for you review. My school is planning a trip to Rome, London, and Paris in June 2025. I've been honestly on the fence, and I still have time to cancel. I'm a teacher at the school, but not actually a chaperone. I have to pay the full cost for the trip, but I know I will likely still need to supervise the students during the day. I don't necessarily mind this, but I wonder if I'd be able to explore at night. What time did you typically get back to your hotel? I really hope we are not an hour away from the Rome, London, or Paris city centers. I would love to be able to go out for drinks on my own at night time once the students are in the hotels. Louise, do you think it might be better to plan my own trip to Rome, London, and/or Paris? I'm a single man with no kids hahah.

Tuesday 2nd of April 2024

I really am not sure what would be done with a surplus. I would definitely ask the group leader about the discrepancy between their request and the recommendation of EF.

Melissa Levy

The parent in charge of the tour I’m about to go on is asking for $200 for tips from each parent going on the trip and $120 for each kid. Based on what I’ve read, this seems like a lot. What do you think?

I think it depends on where you're going and what you're doing. We paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 per person. We had a LOT of tours and there were many people to tip. My only concern is the different amount for parent vs student. I wonder why they are breaking it down that way.

Wednesday 21st of February 2024

Expectations make a difference!

EF Educational Tours

Review Highlights

“ Silke and Michal became part of our "family" for the entire 10 day tour . ” in 3 reviews

“ My two sons, ages 10 and 13, and I learned so much about Costa Rica and had so much fun!!! ” in 9 reviews

“ I just returned as a chaperone on the EF trip to Barcelona and Madrid. ” in 5 reviews

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

2 Education Cir

Cambridge, MA 02141

East Cambridge

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About the Business

Established in 1965. It was 1960 and Swedish student Bertil Hult had spent years struggling with dyslexia. Unsure of his future, he moved to London for work. After only a few short months, he was fluent in English--a feat he never thought possible. That discovery inspired Bertil to launch EF Education First in 1965--a company built on experiential learning, cultural immersion and authentic connections. This experience is at the core of our educational philosophy. …

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Overall rating

226 reviews

BEST TRIP EVER! Our school group just got back from a 10 day tour in Europe: Germany (Frankfurt, Rothenberg, Rodenberg, Dachau, Munich and Heidelberg; Innsbruck, Austria; Venice and Verona Italy; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Colmar, France. It was a trip of a lifetime! We had the best tour guide, "Silke" from East Berlin. She was amazing! She had every detail of our trip organized. From bathroom breaks to tour itinerary times. She made us feel safe throughout the whole trip. She gave us a history lesson for every sight, plus her personal experience which was very informative. Also as great, was our bus driver, Michal. He was the best driver ever. We felt very safe and he was accommodating to everyone. The bus, by the way was a luxury bus, and very comfortable! Silke and Michal became part of our "family" for the entire 10 day tour. It was sad to leave them! Our hotels were basic but very clean and safe (in a safe area also) and had a charm of their own that matched the region we stayed in. The food that was included in the trip was also good. We had a very pleasant experience. I feel so blessed to go on this trip that I got to share with my daughter and school group. I would highly recommend EF Tours! I can't imagine going on a trip like this without them. I would have no clue where to go. Don't hesitate to book with EF Tours!

Grace Christian School with our EF Tour leader, Silke!

I just can't get over how many corners EFtours cuts. They take you to CHEAP hotels and serve you CHEAP meals at restaurants rated 3 stars. This is alright for kids, but for adults that have any expectations, it's severely disappointing. It's been brought up countless times by other people and beaten like a dead horse, yet EFtours KEEPS DOING THE SAME THING. Please.... PLEASE change your business model! I'm tired of going to hotels that have roaches. I'm tired of going to hotels that claim that they have a gym/sauna and don't. I'm tired of going to hotels that have front doors that won't lock. I'm tired of going to hotels without working WIFI. I'm tired of going to dinner and getting served CHEAP no-topping cheese pizza and no drink options other than water. Diet anything or even tea would be great, but EF takes the free route with water. You'll pay $4000+ and they'll milk that for profits... that's all it is. On a positive note, our main tour guide was AWESOME.

Terrible company. Do not travel with them. One of the hotels had bedbugs, roaches and mold. They tried to book way too cheap for the price we paid for the trip. There was a mixup with the airline where a middle name was entered wrong. My guide left me and my son at the gate in France and left with the rest of the group. I had to pay my own way to get us back with the group, after missing a half day in Rome waiting to catch the next flight. They claim the airline messed up, and tell me to contact them for a refund, but wont give me any communication with the airline. I cant prove who messed up and they wont help me. The descriptions are misleading, they say you 'visit' sites, but seeing them from a bus window, really is disappointing. The trip is not cheap, and it doesn't live up to the billing.

Giving one star because it won't let me give zero. Terrible customer support throughout the enrollment process and even worse during the refund process. Do NOT ever use this company ever. My refund has been stuck in their process for weeks and after calling the bank and calling them multiple times they finally send and email saying the refund will be electronically processed. But then calling to follow up they say a check has to be issued because the of something on their end. So they lied in an email then didn't deliver. Still waiting for that check but I won't hold my breath. Avoid at all costs; or it'll cost you.

Our a high schooler just got back from the EF tour in Costa Rica. He had an amazing time. He learned so much, loved the experience and can't wait to go on another trip. He said all the meals were really good too. He said every hotel they stayed at was very clean and he felt safe. He said the locals and tour guides were fun to talk to. He already misses being there. They visited areas you probably wouldn't go to if you were going on a resort vacation. He said the only negative on the trip was the snorkeling trip. He said the reef they explored had died and there weren't many fish left in the area. He said it was sad, and made him think more about the environment, so it wasn't a total loss. The confidence and life skills he gained on this trip were worth the price we paid. Things to consider if you're planning on sending your child on a tour. There are cancellation fees if you cancel the trip. You maybe driving your kid to the airport in the weee early hours of the morning. They are going on an educational tour and won't be staying in resort areas. A/C and Wfi is sometimes not available. The terms and conditions when you sign up outline everything you need to know about going on a trip and any cancellation fees. Read the terms and conditions and understand them before you sign up and pay. Your children will be sharing rooms and beds with other students. We upgraded our child to a private room since he didn't want to room with others. Whenever we had a question, we used their online chat. There was one time they required a phone call to fix and issue, but they gave us a call and were able to fix what we needed. The portal was great and gave us emails to remind us of what we needed to do to be ready for the trip. If his school hosts another trip, we will definitely sign up!

One of the waterfalls they visited

I meant to give no stars. My money was withdrawn electronically. Now that I want a refund, somehow they are not able to. They sent one check. It got lost in the mail. The next was mailed out. I didn't receive it. They put a stop payment on that one also. I have been requesting my money back since February. It was easy for them to take it. Make it easy to give it back. NEXT STEP IS AN ATTORNEY!!!!!!

Read the fine print on your insurance. I requested refund for a trip more than a year in advance and they charged me $1755 for 3 travellers. They hide behind the word"other non-refundable fees" in their contract. BEWARE its a scam. I tried to speak to their customer service rep and they offered no help or refused to file a grievance.

Don't recommend going on tours with EF. You are better off planning and booking a trip yourself. You'll not only save money but you will also have a much better experience.

Our family has used EF tours via my kid's schools twice and never really had any major issues with them. I love that they offer interest free payment plans for the trips and they have detailed itineraries from start to finish so you don't have to plan anything on your own! Plane tickets, hotel stay, transportation, breakfast and dinner are all included . Tour guides that have been assigned were all awesome. My only issue would be the hotel and food selections on some days that they selected could be so much better given the price paid.

This trip is insanely rushed even under the Plus package which is supposed to be for "anyone that just values their me time, Plus combines an immersive itinerary with more space to unwind." We got trapped in London due to weather and the adjustments to travel and accommodation were unlivable and would have had me in a hospital the next day. I am a disabled person who travels often. It is against the law to not provide appropriate accommodations and options for the disabled as I mentioned to my tour guide and he only suggested to book my own accommodations and request a reimbursement - again, illegal to not offer me an option. EF refused to rebook our trains at different times even though it was totally possible and booked small cars for everyone to drive 6+ hours to Paris to try and make it in time for New Year's (they did not). Half of us bought our own train tickets and are now fighting for reimbursements. Again, I am disabled, so I could physically not travel via a long car ride. The accommodations for that extra night in London were an unsecure, dirty, and nonhandicapped accessible hostel when we all paid for hotel accommodations. Over half of us were forced to book our own accommodations as well because EF refused to separate us when we are all adults and could find our way to meeting point in the morning. The hostel had blood and hair in the sheets, trash in the hallways, it smelled like urine, co-ed shared bathrooms with naked strangers, homeless people scattering the bottom floor, no security so anyone can walk in and have access to our belongings, and had giant steps to enter which is a large challenge for a handicapped person (and everyone else who at this point were only running on two hours of sleep). PLUS: Those of us who did make it to the NYE party got stranded because Irakalis' (our tour guide's) bus never showed up and all the other guides just left us. We were left, intoxicated, and wandering the Paris metro we didn't know on our first night by ourselves because no cars/taxis/ubers would show up. EF DOES NOT have a 24/7 helpline that actually helps you at all in case of an emergency like this and our host was heartless and treated us like spoiled Americans who were actually now broke because we all spent way outside of our budget to be safe. You use these travel companies to save you time, stress and pay in advance. We all agreed we didn't save on any of these items and were definitely weighed down by stress and the financial position this company put us in when we were across the world by ourselves. Even before the unusual circumstances, this was not the trip I signed up for and was very stressful, rushed and did not match this description. Use 30under30experiences or Contiki instead.

See all photos from Selena S. for EF Educational Tours

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EF Educational Tours   Reviews

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Reviews 4.4.

14,365 total

Most relevant

Two for Two! EF Tours is Excellent!

Each of my children have now gone on an EF Tour - one in middle school and one in high school. Both experiences have been fantastic. EF does an excellent job outlining the timeline, providing appropriate and timely reminders, and the onsite tour guides have been excellent at their jobs, friendly and memorable. I would wholeheartedly recommend them and plan on taking more trips with them in the future.

Date of experience : April 29, 2024

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF…

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF Educational Tours! Everyone involved, from the guides to the drivers went above and beyond. There was one guide who was exceptional, her name is Maria. She took such great care of their group and my daughter thrilled to have met her. I was confident in my daughter's safety, her care, and well being in EF's hands. Thank you for such an incredible eye opening experience!

Date of experience : April 14, 2024

EF continues to be the BEST!

I just got back from my 14th student tour and this one, like all the rest, was fabulous! Our Tour Director was top notch and attended to every detail of our tour, while being super nice and personable. The itinerary highlights were spectacular and the pace was perfect; a good blend of scheduled activities and free time. I highly recommend this tour as well as any tour with EF.

Date of experience : May 07, 2024

My son had an incredible experience in…

My son had an incredible experience in Japan and it was all thanks to EF Tours. The process was seamless from start to finish and I felt comfortable as a mom sending my son halfway around the world because of their attention to detail. I couldn’t recommend them more highly!

Date of experience : April 30, 2024

Special and Sparkling HS trip to Spain-Portugal

This was a HS trip from MA to Spain and Portugal. Our daughter attended with a large group and all tours according to her went off without a problem. The hosts and drivers were excellent as all experiences and they switched hotels x4. We had no issues with the auto-debit and pre-trip communication. Overall, a A plus experience!

Trip of a lifetime for my child!

Fantastic experience for my son. He loved every moment! The tour guide was amazing, fun and very knowledgeable. As the parent, I felt very secure knowing I could reach EF Tours at any time and have my questions answered and it was so easy to set up a payment plan. Any time I had questions, a LIVE person would respond right away! EF Tours rocks!

Date of experience : May 02, 2024

The Best Travel Partner a Teacher Could Ask For

EF tour is not only creating amazing opportunities for students but they are doing it in a way that makes it nearly dummy-proof for teachers to provide these opportunities. The entire process, from setting up the trip, promoting, and enrolling has been made streamlined by EF and the outreach and response has been amazing at my school. I can't recommend EF enough for any teachers or schools interested in educational travel. They make it easy, affordable, and offer hands down the best support for group leaders to make the process easy and enjoyable. Thank you EF for all you do!!

Date of experience : May 06, 2024

Life Changing

Great experience - life long memories! EFTours has brought our young adults on 3 separate journey where they learned more about the world and themselves. Coming from a small island, these trips really showed my kids just how big the world out there really is!

Date of experience : March 29, 2024

Everything great except the game at the…

Everything great except the game at the beginning … it became too competitive and noone wanted to talk to anyone by fear of being eliminated… ridiculous! My daughter said she only talked to the people she knew because of the game.

My daughter was quite nervous in preparation for her first trip overseas and you did a wonderful job making all the kids feel safe and comfortable, allowing them to have a great experience and get the most out of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you.

Left on our own

We were offered support in our country of travel and then told two hours later that there was nothing they could do for us. I asked to speak to the manager of the emergency traveler hot line and was told that she refused to speak to me.

A-1 Service with EF Educational Tours

The communication from start to finish was amazing. All questions were answered in a timely manner. The information to give students and parents were supplied and gone over so everything went smooth.

"A vibe"

Our daughter went on a tour with her school, and she loved the EF tour guide and the random EF associate who was on the tour with them. She said they were fun and "a whole vibe." The bus was comfortable and didn't make her car sick at all. The one complaint was that the dinner reservations did not have a lot of vegetarian options and/or the options were weak.

Date of experience : May 04, 2024

Our first tour

Our school had a great experience with EF Tours. Having a Tour director with us the entire time enabled us to optimize our experience in the countries. The students really enjoyed seeing the history we learn about and immersing themselves in the culture with food and shopping.

Thanks for taking my money and other…

Thanks for taking my money and other students money! Do not advertise entrance to the Colosseum and Vatican if you are not able to access into them. Our tour was booked year in advance. EF Tours should be ashamed of themselves. We will not recommend EF in the future to McClancy High School and other schools.

Date of experience : April 10, 2024

A wonderful experience!

My daughter had a wonderful experience on this trip. She was safe, engaged, and very, very happy with the whole trip experience. Thank you for providing the structure and support for this amazing opportunity!

I thank God

I thank God, and the EF Tours organization for providing such a great experience for my niece, Shaziah and also, her classmates, teachers and chaperones. Shaziah was very excited about the tour, and very thankful. She had her moments of up’s and down, however, she had a good time, at the different stops, bonding with others. Hopefully, this trip has given her a view of other countries and peoples, who are not from the Bronx.

Date of experience : May 03, 2024

Guidelines too Restrictive

Some of the guidelines felt too restrictive for our age group. For example, being required to wear lifejackets in shallow waters when trying to snorkel. I did enjoy the variety of activities.

Date of experience : April 15, 2024

Great trip to Costa Rica

Everything was well communicated and well planned. All the excursions happened as promised. The tour guide was phenomenal (shout out to Roy in Costa Rica!!). The food was kind of boring, but I assume that's because it was geared towards middle school students. We were kept busy from sun up to sun down and had a great time!

Date of experience : April 22, 2024

Reply from EF Educational Tours

Yes! We know how a great tour director can impact the travel experience. We're glad to hear your tour director was a great fit for the group! Yes, to accommodate both adventurous and less adventurous travelers, we aim to offer a blend of local cuisine and familiar dishes. Thank you so much for sharing your kind words. We hope to see you on another tour again soon!

I am a parent

I am a parent, and didn't go on this trip. That said, it looked and sounded like every day was jam-packed with amazing sights and experiences.

Suggested companies

Ef education first, passports travel, explorica us.

EF Educational Tours   Reviews

In the Tour Agency category

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Company activity See all

Write a review

Reviews 4.4.

14,365 total

Most relevant

Two for Two! EF Tours is Excellent!

Each of my children have now gone on an EF Tour - one in middle school and one in high school. Both experiences have been fantastic. EF does an excellent job outlining the timeline, providing appropriate and timely reminders, and the onsite tour guides have been excellent at their jobs, friendly and memorable. I would wholeheartedly recommend them and plan on taking more trips with them in the future.

Date of experience : 29 April 2024

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF…

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF Educational Tours! Everyone involved, from the guides to the drivers went above and beyond. There was one guide who was exceptional, her name is Maria. She took such great care of their group and my daughter thrilled to have met her. I was confident in my daughter's safety, her care, and well being in EF's hands. Thank you for such an incredible eye opening experience!

Date of experience : 14 April 2024

EF continues to be the BEST!

I just got back from my 14th student tour and this one, like all the rest, was fabulous! Our Tour Director was top notch and attended to every detail of our tour, while being super nice and personable. The itinerary highlights were spectacular and the pace was perfect; a good blend of scheduled activities and free time. I highly recommend this tour as well as any tour with EF.

Date of experience : 07 May 2024

My son had an incredible experience in…

My son had an incredible experience in Japan and it was all thanks to EF Tours. The process was seamless from start to finish and I felt comfortable as a mom sending my son halfway around the world because of their attention to detail. I couldn’t recommend them more highly!

Date of experience : 30 April 2024

Special and Sparkling HS trip to Spain-Portugal

This was a HS trip from MA to Spain and Portugal. Our daughter attended with a large group and all tours according to her went off without a problem. The hosts and drivers were excellent as all experiences and they switched hotels x4. We had no issues with the auto-debit and pre-trip communication. Overall, a A plus experience!

Trip of a lifetime for my child!

Fantastic experience for my son. He loved every moment! The tour guide was amazing, fun and very knowledgeable. As the parent, I felt very secure knowing I could reach EF Tours at any time and have my questions answered and it was so easy to set up a payment plan. Any time I had questions, a LIVE person would respond right away! EF Tours rocks!

Date of experience : 02 May 2024

The Best Travel Partner a Teacher Could Ask For

EF tour is not only creating amazing opportunities for students but they are doing it in a way that makes it nearly dummy-proof for teachers to provide these opportunities. The entire process, from setting up the trip, promoting, and enrolling has been made streamlined by EF and the outreach and response has been amazing at my school. I can't recommend EF enough for any teachers or schools interested in educational travel. They make it easy, affordable, and offer hands down the best support for group leaders to make the process easy and enjoyable. Thank you EF for all you do!!

Date of experience : 06 May 2024

Life Changing

Great experience - life long memories! EFTours has brought our young adults on 3 separate journey where they learned more about the world and themselves. Coming from a small island, these trips really showed my kids just how big the world out there really is!

Date of experience : 29 March 2024

Everything great except the game at the…

Everything great except the game at the beginning … it became too competitive and noone wanted to talk to anyone by fear of being eliminated… ridiculous! My daughter said she only talked to the people she knew because of the game.

My daughter was quite nervous in preparation for her first trip overseas and you did a wonderful job making all the kids feel safe and comfortable, allowing them to have a great experience and get the most out of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you.

Left on our own

We were offered support in our country of travel and then told two hours later that there was nothing they could do for us. I asked to speak to the manager of the emergency traveler hot line and was told that she refused to speak to me.

A-1 Service with EF Educational Tours

The communication from start to finish was amazing. All questions were answered in a timely manner. The information to give students and parents were supplied and gone over so everything went smooth.

"A vibe"

Our daughter went on a tour with her school, and she loved the EF tour guide and the random EF associate who was on the tour with them. She said they were fun and "a whole vibe." The bus was comfortable and didn't make her car sick at all. The one complaint was that the dinner reservations did not have a lot of vegetarian options and/or the options were weak.

Date of experience : 04 May 2024

Our first tour

Our school had a great experience with EF Tours. Having a Tour director with us the entire time enabled us to optimize our experience in the countries. The students really enjoyed seeing the history we learn about and immersing themselves in the culture with food and shopping.

Thanks for taking my money and other…

Thanks for taking my money and other students money! Do not advertise entrance to the Colosseum and Vatican if you are not able to access into them. Our tour was booked year in advance. EF Tours should be ashamed of themselves. We will not recommend EF in the future to McClancy High School and other schools.

Date of experience : 10 April 2024

A wonderful experience!

My daughter had a wonderful experience on this trip. She was safe, engaged, and very, very happy with the whole trip experience. Thank you for providing the structure and support for this amazing opportunity!

I thank God

I thank God, and the EF Tours organization for providing such a great experience for my niece, Shaziah and also, her classmates, teachers and chaperones. Shaziah was very excited about the tour, and very thankful. She had her moments of up’s and down, however, she had a good time, at the different stops, bonding with others. Hopefully, this trip has given her a view of other countries and peoples, who are not from the Bronx.

Date of experience : 03 May 2024

Guidelines too Restrictive

Some of the guidelines felt too restrictive for our age group. For example, being required to wear lifejackets in shallow waters when trying to snorkel. I did enjoy the variety of activities.

Date of experience : 15 April 2024

Great trip to Costa Rica

Everything was well communicated and well planned. All the excursions happened as promised. The tour guide was phenomenal (shout out to Roy in Costa Rica!!). The food was kind of boring, but I assume that's because it was geared towards middle school students. We were kept busy from sun up to sun down and had a great time!

Date of experience : 22 April 2024

Reply from EF Educational Tours

Yes! We know how a great tour director can impact the travel experience. We're glad to hear your tour director was a great fit for the group! Yes, to accommodate both adventurous and less adventurous travelers, we aim to offer a blend of local cuisine and familiar dishes. Thank you so much for sharing your kind words. We hope to see you on another tour again soon!

I am a parent

I am a parent, and didn't go on this trip. That said, it looked and sounded like every day was jam-packed with amazing sights and experiences.

Suggested companies

Ef education first, passports travel, explorica us.

EF Educational Tours   Reviews

In the Tour Agency category

Visit this website

Company activity See all

Write a review

Reviews 4.4.

14,365 total

Most recent

Best tour guide!

Our tour guide Chris!!!

Date of experience : March 28, 2024

Organized, educational, & safe trip to Iceland!

My son really enjoyed his trip to Iceland! The tour guide was great and things were well organized. Thank you!

Date of experience : April 10, 2024

Reply from EF Educational Tours

We're glad you enjoyed your tour! Thank you for your review - we hope to see you again soon!

Great experience!!

The tour of Spain our daughter attended was a phenomenal experience all the way around. I would highly recommend any student to attend. The cultural experience was far beyond our expectations for the cost of the trip as well.

Date of experience : March 30, 2024

The guide Jean-Claude was phenomenal

The guide Jean-Claude was phenomenal. He was calm under pressure and adjusted plans seamlessly so that we always had something fun to do. The tour was planned well so that we visited interesting places as well as had free time. Most of the places selected for tour meals were good except a couple. I recommend that EF actually eats at them before recommending them. The hotels selected were away from the city center but nice and safe. That was important. Overall it was wonderful and I would go again.

Date of experience : April 14, 2024

All around an A+ tour company

Totally worth it. Great prices. Totally felt safe letting my child go over seas. He has an unforgettable time of his life!!

My daughter enjoyed the tour so much. What can improve maybe adding events that can allow the students with opportunities to have cultural exchanges with the local institutes and their students.

Date of experience : April 20, 2024

Great company and even better people

Date of experience : April 17, 2024

Everything was so smoothe and seamless

Everything was so smoothe and seamless. The days were so well planned out and we LOVED our tour guide Rika! She was AMAZING. we are already planning on another trip to Japan in 2 years!

Never again

The accommodations were not satisfactory In our second hotel I had bugs in my room and hair in my shower. The windows were boarded up The food was also not satisfactory. The first night we were served cold veal and french fries. I was looking forward to experiencing some authentic Italian cuisine. The meals that I had on my own were better than the group organized meals. They felt mass produced with no flavor and taste it all. This is not my first trip with EF TOURS and I had much higher expectations

We apologize for the unsatisfactory accommodations and dining experiences you encountered during the trip. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we will take steps to address these issues to ensure a higher standard of quality in the future. We hope to have the opportunity to provide a more enjoyable experience on future trips.

My son had an amazing time.

The trip of a lifetime!

We loved our experience with EF tours! Yorgos was the best guide we could have asked for. We learned so much about the culture and history of both Italy and Greece while on the tour. I would love to travel with EF again. The only recommendations I have would be that it would be nice to have the ability to pay some upgraded fees for upgraded amenities like perfered seating on flights or accommodations in hotels just to ensure that any older people traveling with a student can be more comfortable. EF did a wonderful job trying to assist and accommodate my elderly mother who was with us who had some mobility issues. They went above and beyond to make her feel comfortable. But we would have gladly paid a little extra to ensure her accommodations on flights and in other aspects of the trip to take that burden off of the EF tour guides. Overall we loved our experience and would highly recommend EF tours to anyone. Thank you so much for the trip of a lifetime that my family will always remember with ❤️

Date of experience : April 16, 2024

A good company to go with for years now!

EF continues to be one of the leading educational tour companies and I see why. I appreciate how well they've organized my tours and their customer service. Thankfully, I haven't had many issues with emergencies but I have faith in how they would be attentive to our needs.

Date of experience : April 15, 2024

Experience of a lifetime for my son

My son had an amazing experience on his trip! He absolutely loved everything about it and can't wait to go back to Europe to do some more exploring. It's amazing how much they can fit into one week.

Great for first time travelers to a new country!

For a first time traveler over seas this is a great introduction into the culture and lifestyle of a new country. All transportation and lodging was outstanding. I very much appreciated the knowledge, courtesy and professionalism of our guide throughout the entire trip. Also, all local guides for day tours were outstanding. Thank you EF Educational Tours for a wonderful experience.

Date of experience : April 12, 2024

Italy Senior Trip

This was my daughter's first trip out of the country and EF Tours put my mind at ease about everything. Great communication and easy to work with.

The trip as a whole was absolutely…

The trip as a whole was absolutely wonderful and provided my daughter with amazing experiences! The only complaint, and it really isn't one, was the food choices. She wanted more freedom at group meals, but I understand that with so many on the trip and to keep costs down, preplanned meals are to be expected.

Date of experience : April 22, 2024

Great experience for our 7th grader in Costa Rica

Our 7th grader went on an EF Tour to Costa Rica in April, ‘24. She had an amazing time. No real negatives. Learned a lot, had fun, met kids in Costa Rica. Trip of a lifetime!

My son loved the trip to Italy and…

My son loved the trip to Italy and Greece! He said the tour guides and staff were wonderful and he loved hearing about the history! He wants to go back there soon!

Date of experience : April 11, 2024

Not a great experience this time

Well I went with my daughter. We have been on a trip with EF prior and very much enjoyed it. On this trip to Costa Rica, not so much. We did get to see some beautiful attractions but that didn't make up for the places that were picked for us to stay. Some of the places we stayed the night(s) were very low budgeted places that weren't even 1 star motels. Now I realize that we weren't going on a luxury vacation but there had to be more to choose from. This trip still cost a good share of money and I would have thought comfort and safety would be a concern while booking motels/hotels but on our trip, that didn't seen a option. One motel, for example, was covered in ants in the bathroom and the bathroom window didn't shut so everyone sitting outside my bathroom (yes, there were other people there) were very much aware we were in the shower which was very uncomfortable. Once I brought attention to the ants in the shower along with me, someone came to take care of the problem with a broom. What was a broom going to do? Not only did many members in our group get very sick during our visit there but my daughter and myself feel ill once home. Some of the restaurants at these motels were not up to a standard I think that they should have been. We all had to drink the water and/or juice provided or purchase drinks (some kids didn't have the money to spend on outside drinks, therefore getting sick) from said restaurants. I believe this is where a lot of the sickness came from. Not sure if we would travel with EF again. My other daughter and I are traveling next year with school but with another company to see if they are better. The same school also has a trip planned through EF next year but we didn't pick that one because of the experience we had this month with EF.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're truly sorry to hear that your trip to Costa Rica didn't meet your expectations and that you encountered issues with the accommodations. We understand the importance of comfort and safety during travel and will follow up with our team and hotel partners. Your feedback is valuable, and we'll use it to improve our services. We hope you and your daughter are feeling better now, and we wish you all the best on your future travels.

Great except the food!

Start to finish all was amazing except for the food!!!! I wish students were given more authentic options for meals!

Get to know EF

Travelers share their own ef tour reviews.

We’ve got a lot to say about student travel. It’s why we’ve been bringing travelers on tour for over 55 years. But it helps to hear from other people. People like you, who’ve been through the whole experience. Before planning your trip, read these EF Explore America reviews to get a feeling for what it’s like to travel with us.

Read travel reviews about:

We know travel can be nerve wracking. Whether you’re leading a group, going yourself, or sending a child, safety is your first priority. In these EF reviews, past travelers reflect on the safety and security of their experiences.

Our approach to safety

EF did everything they could do

I have traveled with EF Tours internationally several times. This was my first domestic trip with EF Explore America and considering everything we were dealing with, all the closings due to Coronavirus, all the staff at EF did everything they could to ensure we had a great trip and we all made it home safely.

The thing that struck us is the level of detail

Safe and secure

Her school chose to go with EF Tours because of its reputation, attention to every last detail, and (most importantly) security as its number one priority. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a safe and secure, no-hassle, very reasonably priced experience.

Never once was I worried

I was invited to be an adult chaperone on our school’s spring break trip to Italy. At first, I was very anxious to travel abroad since I was new to the whole thing, but from start to finish, our trip was thorough, smooth, and well organized. Our tour leader was fantastic and great with the students. EF/our tour leader was very considerate of another adult on our trip with a severe nut allergy and made sure that her meals were always safe for her to consume. Every location that we visited was amazing and our tour guide was very patient with the varying needs and interests of our group. Never once was I worried for our safety.

Grateful to be part of the EF Family

I find solace, as well as pride, in the extraordinary care that EF is providing for them. These are some crazy times, but I have never been more proud of EF and grateful to be part of the EF FAMILY. You all are doing an amazing job under such trying and unprecedented circumstances.

I am so glad that we were traveling with EF

The response to the virus and rerouting us home early was bar none. While we were sightseeing in London, EF was busy providing transportation, hotel lodging, and flights home. I am so glad that we were traveling with EF and not on our own during this crisis. Again, I cannot say enough about the overall positive experience and thank you for getting us home safely!

EF was incredible

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, my daughter was traveling in Germany with EF and her school program when the travel restrictions due to COVID-19 were announced. I felt completely powerless and uncertain how a route home could be achieved for my daughter, her entire group, and the multitude of other student groups traveling over Spring Break. Over the course of the next few days, I spoke with numerous employees at EF. Every single time, I was able to speak to a person who was concerned and engaged about the situation. They expressed understanding for my fears, assured me to the best of their ability (even when they had no new information to share), and emailed parents announcements as to the various flights being scheduled. That attention and kindness in and of itself was astonishing, knowing that they must have thousands of anxious parents calling and were likely working ceaselessly to get everyone home. What was even more astonishing was the professionalism in making sure at every leg of the journey—Munich, London, Toronto, and finally Dallas—was that the students were safely cared for, had very good lodgings, transportation to and from the airports, hot meals, and EF still educated them and made the most of the unplanned stops! EF was incredible. I will confidently book with EF knowing that they truly have the infrastructure to handle a crisis, that they care deeply for the students, and that they remain committed to sharing the wonder of travel.

I didn't have to constantly worry

The way that EF takes care of every detail makes the trip enjoyable for students and adults. As a chaperone, I didn't have to constantly worry about my students and their safety or their experience. There was constant feedback from the students about their enjoyment which made the trip more pleasurable for me as well.

How does seeing more of the world affect students? In these EF reviews, customers comment on the impact they’ve seen or experienced as a direct result from going on tour.

Our educational philosophy

Challenges them to step outside their comfort zones

Traveling with my students is just more than taking a summer “vacation” with the students. An educational travel experience helps students to put into practice the concepts they’ve learned in the classroom. It also challenges them to step outside their comfort zones and helps them develop skills, habits, and mindsets closely associated with future success. I have noticed that stepping out of their comfort zones is the most beneficial aspect they get out of our travel program. Rooming with kids they normally don’t room with. Flying on an airplane. Visiting cities and states that they would never get a chance to visit. These are the experiences that I enjoy offering to the kids.

EF plans itineraries with that education piece first and foremost

It’s fun watching that confidence being built

The first milestone on any trip is watching students and adults who have never flown during their first take off. We live in Mississippi, so we take a small plane to a larger airport. I usually film the new flyers. By the time we get to the first stop they’re strutting through the airport like seasoned travelers. It’s fun watching that confidence being built as they learn to navigate through new experiences.

I see the world through a new lens

Meeting larger than life people and having indescribable experiences was just a small part of this lasting experience. The experiences, although laden with horrific aspects of our nation's history, left me inspired, energized. These museums were created to memorialize the incredible people and accomplishments of the Civil Rights movement. These were markers of great pride and success. We met ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things in one of the darkest hours in all of humanity. The museums are meant to inspire, to challenge visitors to see what has been accomplished and know and understand that we, too, can accomplish extraordinary things if we are willing to get off the sidelines and work together. I can say that I left this experience a better educator, a better father, and a better human. I see the world through a new lens and understand the true depth of the human spirit.

It's so important to change the mindset of students

I truly enjoy seeing my students experience different cultures during our travel time. For example, I had a student last trip that only ate burgers and fries. Once we experienced our French cooking class, he started to eat all the French foods we had. This was an awesome moment for me because he realized that he could experience other cultures through food. It’s so important to change the mindset of students by having them experience other cultures and understand that we are all the same with different experiences.

An inspiring feeling

I love traveling with my students because I get to know each one of them better and I get to see them at their best. As a history teacher, it’s an amazing feeling to see my students light up and get excited about “that thing we talked about in class." Not only do they get a rich educational experience but watching them transform from scared teenagers who have never left home into young adults who are eager to take on more travel is an inspiring feeling. I can easily say that after each trip, the students that traveled with me have been the ones that I have grown closest to and the ones who began to succeed more in my classes. On my last EF tour to England and France, there were too many memorable moments to count. I think one of my favorites was watching one student run circles in the craters left on Pointe du Hoc in Normandy and falling over. I also loved when the shortest, most shy of my AP European History students helped us get a table and order food for lunch in Saint-Malo because she spoke the best French. Finally, I always make my students keep a travel journal that they usually roll their eyes at, but are entertained by my own journal readings on the bus. While they may roll their eyes at having to write in their journal at first and certainly at sharing their entries, by the end of the trip, most of them want to share and take it home as their best souvenir. Listening to their journal entries is always a highlight on my EF trips.

Fun but also able to learn a lot

I really had an amazing time exploring Washington D.C. and I really love how we were able to be young adults and go out on our own and explore but still being managed by adults. I love that I was able to have fun but also able to learn a lot and learn new things. The trip was amazing!!

Educational, fun, and life-changing

This trip was very educational, fun, and life-changing. I learned so much about each country that I went to and my Tour Director gave me a very thorough tour of each place I visited. I went to many popular tourist spots as well as many places that were historic and not as popular for tourists but still very interesting and fun to learn about. It was just such an amazing experience and I encourage everyone to take the chance and go on this trip because you will not be disappointed. It was so nice to have the whole trip planned out for me and I didn’t have to worry about finding something to do because our Tour Director gave me tons of suggestions about shops to look in, restaurants to try, and some popular tourist spots around our location. I made a lot of new friends that I still keep in contact with on a regular basis and we are trying to plan another trip in the future. I felt like a part of the public and it was just so peaceful and fun. All five hotels were in a good area and were clean, nice, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Our tour bus was clean, comfortable, and our driver was extremely friendly. The days were very well thought out and our Tour Director gave us the schedule each day so we knew everything that was happening throughout the day. Overall, this trip was a trip of a lifetime and I can’t wait to plan my next trip with EF!

There’s a lot of planning that goes into any travel excursion. In these EF Explore America reviews, customers talk about working with the EF team, whether it was during the months leading up to their trip or once arriving at their destination.

Meet our support team

Thanks to everyone who helped with this crisis

We haven’t lacked a single thing which we might have needed from EF since [the COVID-19] travel ban was announced. We were contacted shortly after the announcement, we received our flight information for our evacuation much sooner than we expected, and our Tour Director, Gavin, was there to help in any and every way up until we entered the security checkpoint at the airport. He even told us that he would wait there until our flight took off, just in case someone had a problem. I can’t think of a single thing that EF could have done better under these circumstances, and my travelers seem to agree with me. Thanks to everyone who helped with this crisis!

Genuinely care about my students, my community, my family

Every single time I go and do one of these experiences where I’m in contact with people from the company, I feel this deep resonance in caring about the experience of students, and making sure that those students are really experiencing everything that the world has to offer. The personal relationships that I’ve managed to build with people at this company—who genuinely care about my students, my community, my family—is inspiring to me. It means a lot to know that there are people working every single day who want what I want for my students and my community. And they’ve shown that to me. I’ve had conversations with my Tour Consultant, I’ve had conversations with the Regional Director that has worked with me, and they will remember students by name that I have mentioned. And that just means a lot to me as a teacher. When a company like EF can show that they care about my kids as much as I care about them, I know I’m working with the right people.

They think of everything and nothing is too much trouble

Can't wait to plan our next trip

I can't say enough good things about EF and its staff. They clearly have my student's best interest in mind when planning their tours. This first tour with them has been fabulous. Arianna and Devon made the process seamless. EF staff genuinely cares about introducing as many students as possible to travel. The value and lessons learned you won't find in textbooks. I can't wait to plan our next trip!

They helped with everything

Very personable, professional, and empathetic people. They helped with everything. Isabel was so patient and helpful with the process of funding our trip. Amanda is an amazing tour guide. She knows her information and is enthusiastic about her work. She's open to suggestions and is devoted to making the tour an educational and thought-provoking experience.

EF will take care of you

Support through it all

I have made a couple of hospital visits with students on tour, changed tour dates due to soccer championships, and, on my last trip, I had to get two of my travelers back home immediately due to a death in the family. EF had a representative in front of me making flight arrangements within 15 minutes—and that was in the heart of Paris during peak tourist season. I knew that although the coronavirus was going to change everything, we would be taken care of by a team of professionals. Knowing that EF had my back allowed me to be a source of stability and reassurance for students and parents on my 2020 tour. 

Plans change. World events are unpredictable. Before making a commitment to taking a trip with us, read EF reviews from travelers who’ve encountered the unexpected before or during their tour.

Learn about all our policies

EF did it in a day!

Just today my Japan trip was rerouted to Belize for 72 people. EF did it in a day! This proved the commitment to safety and support of all the GLs, families, and students. I have been traveling with EF since 2006. I have always been impressed (that's why I am still with them), but their handling of the recent COVID-19 has been fantastic! I will keep traveling with my students with EF forever! They have worked quickly and mindfully while rebooking our group. They have been supportive every step of the way. Thank you for giving us options and for really standing behind your word.

Fully trust everyone on staff

Program is organized, flexible, and the pacing is great for students. There is enough to see and do to keep them going and it is great for adult chaperones too. Representatives from EF are quick to act and work with our tour guide to solve any issues that come up. I fully trust everyone on staff to take care of our students and ensure they have a great experience.

Contingency plans for everyone

A month before our departure, mainstream news was just getting a hold of the information regarding the virus outbreak. It was very shortly thereafter we heard from EF with options for travelers should they be very concerned about traveling. The travel advisories, at this time, were all only at a Level 2 for the countries we planned to visit, and those had been issued months before due to possible terrorism and protest issues, not due to the virus. Yet, here was EF giving my travelers options to ease their nerves—recognizing that for many, this was a once in a lifetime experience that might be greatly marred by their fear. My group was so impressed to be offered these choices, recognizing that, had they made these plans on their own, they would have few choices beyond travel or lose all the money paid out. EF went so far as to allow customers a chance to change their plans up to a week before their departure. I was so impressed with the amount of communication and calls I received from the company in this time. All of it reassuring me, and therefore my travelers, that EF was our watchdog—that they had our backs, and they had contingency plans for everyone.   

Share your story

If you’ve traveled with us before, write your own EF Explore America review. Hearing from people who’ve been there and done that is a big help for those considering traveling with EF.

Suggested companies

Ef education first, passports travel, explorica us.

EF Educational Tours   Reviews

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Reviews 4.4.

14,365 total

Most relevant

Two for Two! EF Tours is Excellent!

Each of my children have now gone on an EF Tour - one in middle school and one in high school. Both experiences have been fantastic. EF does an excellent job outlining the timeline, providing appropriate and timely reminders, and the onsite tour guides have been excellent at their jobs, friendly and memorable. I would wholeheartedly recommend them and plan on taking more trips with them in the future.

Date of experience : 29 April 2024

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF…

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF Educational Tours! Everyone involved, from the guides to the drivers went above and beyond. There was one guide who was exceptional, her name is Maria. She took such great care of their group and my daughter thrilled to have met her. I was confident in my daughter's safety, her care, and well being in EF's hands. Thank you for such an incredible eye opening experience!

Date of experience : 14 April 2024

EF continues to be the BEST!

I just got back from my 14th student tour and this one, like all the rest, was fabulous! Our Tour Director was top notch and attended to every detail of our tour, while being super nice and personable. The itinerary highlights were spectacular and the pace was perfect; a good blend of scheduled activities and free time. I highly recommend this tour as well as any tour with EF.

Date of experience : 07 May 2024

My son had an incredible experience in…

My son had an incredible experience in Japan and it was all thanks to EF Tours. The process was seamless from start to finish and I felt comfortable as a mom sending my son halfway around the world because of their attention to detail. I couldn’t recommend them more highly!

Date of experience : 30 April 2024

Special and Sparkling HS trip to Spain-Portugal

This was a HS trip from MA to Spain and Portugal. Our daughter attended with a large group and all tours according to her went off without a problem. The hosts and drivers were excellent as all experiences and they switched hotels x4. We had no issues with the auto-debit and pre-trip communication. Overall, a A plus experience!

Trip of a lifetime for my child!

Fantastic experience for my son. He loved every moment! The tour guide was amazing, fun and very knowledgeable. As the parent, I felt very secure knowing I could reach EF Tours at any time and have my questions answered and it was so easy to set up a payment plan. Any time I had questions, a LIVE person would respond right away! EF Tours rocks!

Date of experience : 02 May 2024

The Best Travel Partner a Teacher Could Ask For

EF tour is not only creating amazing opportunities for students but they are doing it in a way that makes it nearly dummy-proof for teachers to provide these opportunities. The entire process, from setting up the trip, promoting, and enrolling has been made streamlined by EF and the outreach and response has been amazing at my school. I can't recommend EF enough for any teachers or schools interested in educational travel. They make it easy, affordable, and offer hands down the best support for group leaders to make the process easy and enjoyable. Thank you EF for all you do!!

Date of experience : 06 May 2024

Life Changing

Great experience - life long memories! EFTours has brought our young adults on 3 separate journey where they learned more about the world and themselves. Coming from a small island, these trips really showed my kids just how big the world out there really is!

Date of experience : 29 March 2024

Everything great except the game at the…

Everything great except the game at the beginning … it became too competitive and noone wanted to talk to anyone by fear of being eliminated… ridiculous! My daughter said she only talked to the people she knew because of the game.

My daughter was quite nervous in preparation for her first trip overseas and you did a wonderful job making all the kids feel safe and comfortable, allowing them to have a great experience and get the most out of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you.

Left on our own

We were offered support in our country of travel and then told two hours later that there was nothing they could do for us. I asked to speak to the manager of the emergency traveler hot line and was told that she refused to speak to me.

A-1 Service with EF Educational Tours

The communication from start to finish was amazing. All questions were answered in a timely manner. The information to give students and parents were supplied and gone over so everything went smooth.

"A vibe"

Our daughter went on a tour with her school, and she loved the EF tour guide and the random EF associate who was on the tour with them. She said they were fun and "a whole vibe." The bus was comfortable and didn't make her car sick at all. The one complaint was that the dinner reservations did not have a lot of vegetarian options and/or the options were weak.

Date of experience : 04 May 2024

Our first tour

Our school had a great experience with EF Tours. Having a Tour director with us the entire time enabled us to optimize our experience in the countries. The students really enjoyed seeing the history we learn about and immersing themselves in the culture with food and shopping.

Thanks for taking my money and other…

Thanks for taking my money and other students money! Do not advertise entrance to the Colosseum and Vatican if you are not able to access into them. Our tour was booked year in advance. EF Tours should be ashamed of themselves. We will not recommend EF in the future to McClancy High School and other schools.

Date of experience : 10 April 2024

A wonderful experience!

My daughter had a wonderful experience on this trip. She was safe, engaged, and very, very happy with the whole trip experience. Thank you for providing the structure and support for this amazing opportunity!

I thank God

I thank God, and the EF Tours organization for providing such a great experience for my niece, Shaziah and also, her classmates, teachers and chaperones. Shaziah was very excited about the tour, and very thankful. She had her moments of up’s and down, however, she had a good time, at the different stops, bonding with others. Hopefully, this trip has given her a view of other countries and peoples, who are not from the Bronx.

Date of experience : 03 May 2024

Guidelines too Restrictive

Some of the guidelines felt too restrictive for our age group. For example, being required to wear lifejackets in shallow waters when trying to snorkel. I did enjoy the variety of activities.

Date of experience : 15 April 2024

Great trip to Costa Rica

Everything was well communicated and well planned. All the excursions happened as promised. The tour guide was phenomenal (shout out to Roy in Costa Rica!!). The food was kind of boring, but I assume that's because it was geared towards middle school students. We were kept busy from sun up to sun down and had a great time!

Date of experience : 22 April 2024

Reply from EF Educational Tours

Yes! We know how a great tour director can impact the travel experience. We're glad to hear your tour director was a great fit for the group! Yes, to accommodate both adventurous and less adventurous travelers, we aim to offer a blend of local cuisine and familiar dishes. Thank you so much for sharing your kind words. We hope to see you on another tour again soon!

I am a parent

I am a parent, and didn't go on this trip. That said, it looked and sounded like every day was jam-packed with amazing sights and experiences.

Suggested companies

Ef education first, passports travel, explorica us.

EF Educational Tours   Reviews

In the Tour Agency category

Visit this website

Company activity See all

Write a review

Reviews 4.4.

14,365 total

Most relevant

Two for Two! EF Tours is Excellent!

Each of my children have now gone on an EF Tour - one in middle school and one in high school. Both experiences have been fantastic. EF does an excellent job outlining the timeline, providing appropriate and timely reminders, and the onsite tour guides have been excellent at their jobs, friendly and memorable. I would wholeheartedly recommend them and plan on taking more trips with them in the future.

Date of experience : 29 April 2024

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF…

What a wonderful experience my child had with EF Educational Tours! Everyone involved, from the guides to the drivers went above and beyond. There was one guide who was exceptional, her name is Maria. She took such great care of their group and my daughter thrilled to have met her. I was confident in my daughter's safety, her care, and well being in EF's hands. Thank you for such an incredible eye opening experience!

Date of experience : 14 April 2024

EF continues to be the BEST!

I just got back from my 14th student tour and this one, like all the rest, was fabulous! Our Tour Director was top notch and attended to every detail of our tour, while being super nice and personable. The itinerary highlights were spectacular and the pace was perfect; a good blend of scheduled activities and free time. I highly recommend this tour as well as any tour with EF.

Date of experience : 07 May 2024

My son had an incredible experience in…

My son had an incredible experience in Japan and it was all thanks to EF Tours. The process was seamless from start to finish and I felt comfortable as a mom sending my son halfway around the world because of their attention to detail. I couldn’t recommend them more highly!

Date of experience : 30 April 2024

Special and Sparkling HS trip to Spain-Portugal

This was a HS trip from MA to Spain and Portugal. Our daughter attended with a large group and all tours according to her went off without a problem. The hosts and drivers were excellent as all experiences and they switched hotels x4. We had no issues with the auto-debit and pre-trip communication. Overall, a A plus experience!

Trip of a lifetime for my child!

Fantastic experience for my son. He loved every moment! The tour guide was amazing, fun and very knowledgeable. As the parent, I felt very secure knowing I could reach EF Tours at any time and have my questions answered and it was so easy to set up a payment plan. Any time I had questions, a LIVE person would respond right away! EF Tours rocks!

Date of experience : 02 May 2024

The Best Travel Partner a Teacher Could Ask For

EF tour is not only creating amazing opportunities for students but they are doing it in a way that makes it nearly dummy-proof for teachers to provide these opportunities. The entire process, from setting up the trip, promoting, and enrolling has been made streamlined by EF and the outreach and response has been amazing at my school. I can't recommend EF enough for any teachers or schools interested in educational travel. They make it easy, affordable, and offer hands down the best support for group leaders to make the process easy and enjoyable. Thank you EF for all you do!!

Date of experience : 06 May 2024

Life Changing

Great experience - life long memories! EFTours has brought our young adults on 3 separate journey where they learned more about the world and themselves. Coming from a small island, these trips really showed my kids just how big the world out there really is!

Date of experience : 29 March 2024

Everything great except the game at the…

Everything great except the game at the beginning … it became too competitive and noone wanted to talk to anyone by fear of being eliminated… ridiculous! My daughter said she only talked to the people she knew because of the game.

My daughter was quite nervous in preparation for her first trip overseas and you did a wonderful job making all the kids feel safe and comfortable, allowing them to have a great experience and get the most out of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you.

Left on our own

We were offered support in our country of travel and then told two hours later that there was nothing they could do for us. I asked to speak to the manager of the emergency traveler hot line and was told that she refused to speak to me.

A-1 Service with EF Educational Tours

The communication from start to finish was amazing. All questions were answered in a timely manner. The information to give students and parents were supplied and gone over so everything went smooth.

"A vibe"

Our daughter went on a tour with her school, and she loved the EF tour guide and the random EF associate who was on the tour with them. She said they were fun and "a whole vibe." The bus was comfortable and didn't make her car sick at all. The one complaint was that the dinner reservations did not have a lot of vegetarian options and/or the options were weak.

Date of experience : 04 May 2024

Our first tour

Our school had a great experience with EF Tours. Having a Tour director with us the entire time enabled us to optimize our experience in the countries. The students really enjoyed seeing the history we learn about and immersing themselves in the culture with food and shopping.

Thanks for taking my money and other…

Thanks for taking my money and other students money! Do not advertise entrance to the Colosseum and Vatican if you are not able to access into them. Our tour was booked year in advance. EF Tours should be ashamed of themselves. We will not recommend EF in the future to McClancy High School and other schools.

Date of experience : 10 April 2024

A wonderful experience!

My daughter had a wonderful experience on this trip. She was safe, engaged, and very, very happy with the whole trip experience. Thank you for providing the structure and support for this amazing opportunity!

I thank God

I thank God, and the EF Tours organization for providing such a great experience for my niece, Shaziah and also, her classmates, teachers and chaperones. Shaziah was very excited about the tour, and very thankful. She had her moments of up’s and down, however, she had a good time, at the different stops, bonding with others. Hopefully, this trip has given her a view of other countries and peoples, who are not from the Bronx.

Date of experience : 03 May 2024

Guidelines too Restrictive

Some of the guidelines felt too restrictive for our age group. For example, being required to wear lifejackets in shallow waters when trying to snorkel. I did enjoy the variety of activities.

Date of experience : 15 April 2024

Great trip to Costa Rica

Everything was well communicated and well planned. All the excursions happened as promised. The tour guide was phenomenal (shout out to Roy in Costa Rica!!). The food was kind of boring, but I assume that's because it was geared towards middle school students. We were kept busy from sun up to sun down and had a great time!

Date of experience : 22 April 2024

Reply from EF Educational Tours

Yes! We know how a great tour director can impact the travel experience. We're glad to hear your tour director was a great fit for the group! Yes, to accommodate both adventurous and less adventurous travelers, we aim to offer a blend of local cuisine and familiar dishes. Thank you so much for sharing your kind words. We hope to see you on another tour again soon!

I am a parent

I am a parent, and didn't go on this trip. That said, it looked and sounded like every day was jam-packed with amazing sights and experiences.

Moscow Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025

Our 60 most popular moscow trips. compare tour itineraries from 45 tour companies. 308 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating., popular moscow tours.

St Petersburg & Moscow in Style - Winter

• Explore the majestic St Petersburg & Moscow on private city tours
• Admire the rich Russian history, art and architecture
• Travel to Moscow on a highspeed train
• Enjoy the local cuisine in stylish restaurants

Lower Volga Voyage

• Visit magnificent Red Square and Kremlin and examine the collection at theKremlin’s State Armory.
• Experience Russia’s diverse musical traditions at lively folk music performances
• Explore Volgograd, the site of the decisive battle of World War II’s eastern front

Volga Dream Russian River Cruise

St Petersburg & Moscow in Style - Summer

White Russian - 7 days

• Discover Moscow's UNESCO-listed Red Square, home to spectacular St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum and the historic GUM Department store
• Explore the grounds of Moscow's mighty Kremlin, with its numerous governmentbuildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the giant tsar bell
• Celebrate New Year's Eve in Moscow!
• Take in the highlights of St Petersburg including a guided tour of the exquisite Church on Spilled Blood, Peter & Paul Fortress and Cathedral
• Take a guided tour of the remarkable Hermitage Museum at the Winter Palace

Vodka Shot - 6 days

• Explore the beautiful city of St Petersburg, including the exquisite Church on Spilled Blood, Peter & Paul Fortress and Nevsky Prospekt
• Marvel at the dazzling array of art and exhibits in the world-famous Hermitage Museum, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg
• Discover a lavish residence of the tsars on a day trip to Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo (winter: mid-October to April) or Peterhof Palace and gardens (summer: May to mid-October)
• Take in the highlights of the capital on a walking tour, visiting Moscow's famous Red Square, home to the historic GUM Department Store, Lenin’s Mausoleum and spectacular St Basil’s Cathedral
• Take a guided tour of the Moscow Kremlin, Russia’s political power house. Stroll around the grounds of this fortified complex, visit the Kremlin's cathedrals and see the mighty Tsar Bell

Route of the Romanovs - 10 days

• Learn about the last days of the Romanovs in Yekaterinburg, visiting the sites where Tsar Nicolas II and his family were assassinated and buried
• Straddle two continents at the famous obelisk Europe/Asia border marker in Yekaterinburg
• Experience the Trans-Siberian railway on an overnight train journey from Moscow to Yekaterinburg

New Year's in Moscow - 9 days

• Visit Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo on Christmas Day and marvel at the incredible Amber Room
• Spend a night in Novgorod, an ancient city by the Volkhov River - explore the kremlin, cathedral and other sights and enjoy a traditional Russian banya (sauna)

All Moscow , expedition cruises, self guided adventures and vacation packages. Find the best guided and expert planned vacation and holiday packages. Read more about Moscow

Small Group Moscow Tours

Back in the USSR - 7 days

Russian Revolution - 9 days

• Visit historic Novgorod, an ancient city which straddles the Volkhov River. Explore the attractive riverside kremlin and experience a traditional Russian banya (sauna)

The Snowball - 6 days

• Visit Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo and marvel at the incredible Amber Room

Mood for Moscow - 4 days

• Head underground to visit a Stalinist-era Soviet Bunker on an optional excursion
• Stroll to the vibrant Izmailovo Market, which lies behind the walls of an ancient Kremlin, and shop for an array of souvenirs

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Moscow reviews & ratings, capitals of the north.

some hotels could have been better

It was jam packed with every place I wanted to go and see. I especially love my photo of us setting out on the night time river cruise in St Petersburg and the Peter...

I really did not buy much and what I did buy was small gifts for others .

Johanna-Marie

Good hotels, some better than others. Interesting itinerary

Too rushed. Optional tour rather too short

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Moscow ranked 3rd best megacity in the world according to the UN

Moscow was ranked third in the UN–HABITAT City Prosperity Index . UN experts analyzed the following developments in 29 major cities of the world: infrastructure, equity and social inclusion, quality of life, productivity, environmental sustainability and urban governance and legislation. 

The Russian capital scored 67.98 points, coming third after Singapore (75.49) and Toronto (68.29). The top 10 also included Sydney, London, Paris, Madrid, Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.

However, Moscow topped the Infrastructure Development Rating with 83.2 points, overtaking Hong Kong (78.16). The Infrastructure Development Index takes into account housing and social infrastructure, information and communications technology, urban mobility and other indicators. 

Moscow also ranked first in the Quality of Life Dimension Ranking, which accounts for a total of 14 indicators, such as health, education, recreation, safety and others. 

“The recognition of our city as a world leader in the quality of life and infrastructure development is a fair assessment of the huge positive changes in Moscow. The UN-Habitat index doesn’t give Moscow any formal advantages, but it helps to destroy existing stereotypes and proves that we are on the right track,” said Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

A final full version of the report will be published on March 31, 2022.

If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

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Rating Action Commentary

Fitch Affirms City of Moscow at 'BBB'; Outlook Stable

Fri 09 Apr, 2021 - 5:03 PM ET

Fitch Ratings - Moscow - 09 Apr 2021: Fitch Ratings has affirmed the City of Moscow's Long-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at 'BBB' with Stable Outlooks. A full list of rating actions is below.

The affirmation reflects Fitch's unchanged assessment of Moscow's risk profile at 'Low Midrange' and debt sustainability at 'aaa', supported by the city's intrinsically strong resilience to downside shocks. Fitch expects the city to maintain sound debt sustainability that is commensurate with its Standalone Credit Profile (SCP) assessment of 'a+', while its ratings remain capped by the Russian sovereign IDRs (BBB/Stable).

The City of Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation. It has a high concentration of value-added output and high-earning residents, largely due to its capital status and role as the country's political, economic and financial centre. The city's socio-economic profile is sound, with GRP per capita exceeding the Russian region median, by more than 3x in 2017-2019.

Fitch's ratings are forward-looking in nature, and we will monitor developments in the public sector for the severity and duration of the coronavirus pandemic, and incorporate revised base- and rating-case qualitative and quantitative inputs based on performance expectations and assessment of key risks.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

Risk Profile: 'Low Midrange'

The 'Low Midrange' risk profile is based on five key risk factors assessed at 'Midrange' and one at 'Weaker'. This reflects a high risk relative to international peers that the city's ability to cover debt service by its operating balance may weaken unexpectedly over 2021-2025 either because of lower-than-expected revenue or expenditure overshooting expectations, or because of an unanticipated rise in liabilities or debt service requirements.

Revenue Robustness: 'Midrange'

The city has a strong and expanding tax base, with taxes averaging 85% of total revenue in 2016-2020. Due to the city's high fiscal capacity, federal transfers are a minor source of total revenue (2016-2020: on average 3%). This is materially lower than for most Russian local and regional governments (LRGs). The city is the country's largest and most important market, with a high concentration of value-added output and high-earning residents and is attractive for investors. It is therefore more resilient to potential revenue shocks than most of its domestic peers.

Revenue Adjustability: 'Weaker'

The city received 68% of its 2020 total revenue from corporate income tax and personal income tax, which are exposed to economic cycles. The federal government holds tax-setting authority for these taxes, which impairs the city's fiscal autonomy. Fitch assesses Moscow's ability to generate additional revenue in response to possible economic downturn as limited as the city retains tax-setting power only over regional taxes that amounted to 7% of total revenue in 2020.

Expenditure Sustainability: 'Midrange'

The city's main spending responsibilities are the local economy, education, healthcare, certain social benefits, public transportation and road construction. Non-cyclical spending, primarily on education, healthcare and utilities, dominates the spending structure and accounted for 52% of the city's 2020 expenditure, followed by moderately cyclical (local economy and transfers, 30%) and cyclical (social support, 18%). Moscow is not legally required to adopt anti-cyclical measures, which would inflate expenditure related to social benefits in a downturn. This supports our 'Midrange' assessment of expenditure sustainability.

Expenditure Adjustability: 'Midrange'

The proportion of Moscow's spending items with low flexibility (education, healthcare and social support) in 2020 was 51%, significantly below the national figure of 61%. Some of the city's payments exceed the federally imposed minimum, which provide some flexibility. Moscow continues to demonstrate a strong funding capacity, financing with its own resources capex that averaged 25.6% of total spending in 2016-2020. The city retains flexibility in capex as some planned investment could be postponed or terminated to counteract negative pressures from economic cyclicality and budget rigidity, in case of stress.

Liabilities & Liquidity Robustness: 'Midrange'

Moscow's debt management policy is historically prudent, while national regulation subjects the city to restrictions on debt stock volume, new borrowing limits, and limits on annual interest payments. Derivative debt instruments are not permitted for LRGs in Russia.

Despite being exempt from the external borrowing restrictions imposed on most Russian LRGs, Moscow has no plans to resume external borrowing in the medium term. The city relies on its own resources to fund capex, as its debt stock is at a historically low RUB30 billion (1.1 % of current revenue at end-2020), which represented by a domestic bond maturing in 2022. The city is not exposed to material off-balance sheet risks.

Liabilities & Liquidity Flexibility: 'Midrange'

The city maintains a sound liquidity position, which however has gradually been depleted in 2019-2020 due to a capex-driven deficit. At end-2020, unrestricted cash amounted to RUB162.5 billion (2019: RUB296.6 billion). Excess cash is deposited with domestic banks, earning the city financial revenue of RUB65 billion in 2020 (2019: RUB94.8 billion).

For extra liquidity, Moscow could borrow from domestic banks or tap debt-capital markets. Nonetheless, counterparty risk of domestic liquidity providers is assessed at 'BBB'.

Debt Sustainability: 'aaa category'

The assessment reflects a combination of a sound payback ratio (net adjusted debt/operating balance); a fiscal debt burden (net adjusted debt-to-operating revenue) corresponding to a 'aaa' assessment; and a strong actual debt service coverage ratio (ADSCR; operating balance-to-debt service, including short-term debt maturities), equivalent to 'aaa'.

According to Fitch's rating case, the payback ratio, which is the primary metric of debt sustainability for type B LRGs, will remain below 5x over the five-year projection period. For the secondary metrics, Fitch's rating case projects that the fiscal debt burden will remain below 50% and the ADSCR above 4x in 2021-2025.

Derivation Summary

As with other Russian LRGs Fitch classifies City of Moscow as a type B LRG, as it covers debt service from cash flow on an annual basis. The city's SCP is unchanged at 'a+', which results from a 'Low Midrange' risk profile and a 'aaa' debt sustainability. The city's SCP factors in Moscow's favorable comparison among peers in the same rating category. Moscow's IDRs remain capped by the Russian Federation's (BBB/Stable).

Short-Term Ratings

The Short-Term IDR of 'F2' reflects the city's strong liquidity coverage ratio and 'Midrange' liabilities and liquidity robustness and flexibility.

Key Assumptions

Qualitative Assumptions and Assessments:

Liabilities and Liquidity Robustness: 'Midrange'

Liabilities and Liquidity Flexibility: 'Midrange'

Debt sustainability: 'aaa'

Support (Budget Loans): 'N/A'

Support (Ad Hoc): 'N/A'

Asymmetric Risk: 'N/A'

Sovereign Cap: 'BBB'

Sovereign Floor: 'N/A'

Quantitative assumptions - Issuer Specific

Fitch's rating case is a "through-the-cycle" scenario, which incorporates a combination of revenue, cost and financial risk stresses. The key assumptions for the scenario include:

- 4.1% yoy increase in operating revenue on average in 2021-2025, including a 5.9% increase in tax revenue during the same period;

- 3.9% yoy increase in operating spending on average in 2021-2025;

- Negative net capital balance of RUB827.6 billion on average in 2021-2025; and

- 6.7% cost of debt and five-year weighted average maturity for new debt.

Rating Sensitivities

Factors that could, individually or collectively, lead to negative rating action/downgrade:.

- A downgrade of the Russian Federation's IDRs.

- A multiple-notch downward revision of the city's SCP below 'bbb', which could be driven by material deterioration in debt metrics, particularly a debt payback sustainably above 5x accompanied by the ADSCR weakening toward 1x under Fitch's rating case.

Factors that could, individually or collectively, lead to positive rating action/upgrade:

- An upgrade of the Russian Federation's IDRs.

Best/Worst Case Rating Scenario

International scale credit ratings of Sovereigns, Public Finance and Infrastructure issuers have a best-case rating upgrade scenario (defined as the 99th percentile of rating transitions, measured in a positive direction) of three notches over a three-year rating horizon; and a worst-case rating downgrade scenario (defined as the 99th percentile of rating transitions, measured in a negative direction) of three notches over three years. The complete span of best- and worst-case scenario credit ratings for all rating categories ranges from 'AAA' to 'D'. Best- and worst-case scenario credit ratings are based on historical performance. For more information about the methodology used to determine sector-specific best- and worst-case scenario credit ratings, visit [ https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/10111579 ].

Liquidity and Debt Structure

The city's debt stock is at a historically low level with a RUB30 billion (1.1% of current revenue in 2020) domestic bond maturing in 2022, which is below an accumulated cash balance of RUB162.5 billion. Therefore, the city had a net cash position at end-2020. It is not exposed to material off-balance sheet risks.

References for Substantially Material Source Cited as Key Driver Rating

The principal sources of information used in the analysis are described in the Applicable Criteria.

Public Ratings with Credit Linkage to other ratings

The City of Moscow's ratings are linked to the Russian sovereign's IDRs.

ESG Considerations

Unless otherwise disclosed in this section, the highest level of ESG credit relevance is a score of '3'. This means ESG issues are credit-neutral or have only a minimal credit impact on the entity, either due to their nature or the way in which they are being managed by the entity. For more information on Fitch's ESG Relevance Scores, visit www.fitchratings.com/esg

• senior unsecured

VIEW ADDITIONAL RATING DETAILS

Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com

PARTICIPATION STATUS

The rated entity (and/or its agents) or, in the case of structured finance, one or more of the transaction parties participated in the rating process except that the following issuer(s), if any, did not participate in the rating process, or provide additional information, beyond the issuer’s available public disclosure.

APPLICABLE CRITERIA

• International Local and Regional Governments Rating Criteria - Effective from 27 October 2020 to 3 September 2021 (pub. 27 Oct 2020) (including rating assumption sensitivity)

ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES

• Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form
• Solicitation Status
• Endorsement Policy

ENDORSEMENT STATUS