Stay away from EF Tours
Aug 1st, 2014, 07:35 AM
#21
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,900
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
justineparis--Well, for all the folks that I recruited, all this information WAS available, as I made very sure they knew very well what they were signing up for. I did my due diligence in research; I had first hand experience; I encouraged all the parents to read every word that EFTours has available, and I did not let anyone sign up until I had spoken directly about all the above, very openly, with the parents. So.....I'd say it was the "fault" of the local group leader and/or (don't take this wrong) the parent for not checking out thoroughly the info. Perhaps to recruit the most travelers, someone might gloss over some things (that is NOT in any way an accusation) or perhaps the group leader had no personal experience and didn't read carefully enough. But for everyone I've ever included, all the info IS available.
Now in all honesty, one thing that is not readily available is the specifics of hotel address and even exact dates and times of travel until about 60-90 days out, but this fact is also CLEARLY stated by EF and I make sure the parents know this also. (This is actually my least favorite thing about traveling with them, but I know why this is so and I think other tours may do this, to0.)
Now in all honesty, one thing that is not readily available is the specifics of hotel address and even exact dates and times of travel until about 60-90 days out, but this fact is also CLEARLY stated by EF and I make sure the parents know this also. (This is actually my least favorite thing about traveling with them, but I know why this is so and I think other tours may do this, to0.)
Aug 1st, 2014, 09:04 AM
#22
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As with any tour the devil is in the details - or the small print.
Anyone who signs a contract to pay so much without really looking into the details (especially when it involved an underge child) is simply abdicating their responsibility. Like buying a house without reading the contract (or making sure your attorney has done so).
Anyone who signs a contract to pay so much without really looking into the details (especially when it involved an underge child) is simply abdicating their responsibility. Like buying a house without reading the contract (or making sure your attorney has done so).
Aug 1st, 2014, 11:57 AM
#23
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 6,163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Texas bookworm - I don't doubt that you were responsible for the kids in your group. But I don't think every leader is as diligent.
I agree with you about the itinerary and the food. It was what it was. I had an overall very good trip on both my tours.
I do think that EF is not as upfront as they could be about the hotels. When we were in Rome, we were told we would be in Travertste. We had a last-minute change to a location very far outside Rome. It was €100 cab ride into Rome. It was in such an out-of-the-way location that our one cabdriver did not know where it was and he could not find it on his GPS device. It was a very isolated spooky hotel.
I agree with you about the itinerary and the food. It was what it was. I had an overall very good trip on both my tours.
I do think that EF is not as upfront as they could be about the hotels. When we were in Rome, we were told we would be in Travertste. We had a last-minute change to a location very far outside Rome. It was €100 cab ride into Rome. It was in such an out-of-the-way location that our one cabdriver did not know where it was and he could not find it on his GPS device. It was a very isolated spooky hotel.
Aug 1st, 2014, 12:44 PM
#24
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,551
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Texasbookworm, You did an excellent job explaining all of this.
Our school offered a trip through EF. We attended the meeting, but we had the advantage over most of the parents in the room in that we had already visited most of the places on the itineraries with our kids. We made up our minds on the spot that there was no way we were shelling out more for a "revisit", one that we knew automatically was overpriced,but still, we stayed because we were interested in the details.
Nytraveler is right that there was a lot in the fine print that should have been a red flag. But most of the parents in the room were NOT sophisticated travelers, even though this was a solid middle class/ upper middle class mix. As I know so many posters understand, people with money who only "do" country clubs often do not travel to Europe, so they were as naive as (or perhaps more so than) the people with less means in the room.
Therefore, I think this OP has done parents a favor.
But let's look at the most pertinent of the posters' points:
<b>This was the only shot the kid had at visiting Europe</b>.
Sure, our family could have done it for less per person with better meals and a better location. But we were a family of four. Some of those families in the room could never have afforded--or were fearful of affording--a trip on their own.
For the kids with means whose families never could get out of their comfort zone, these trips were very important.
The downside--the lack of supervision meant that after the trip we heard about horrible, disrespectful behavior. I don't care about who drinks what when--your kid either understands and accepts your rules or he doesn't. He will do that at home or away. I do have a problem with destructive and disrespectful behavior.
As to freedom. Well, a teacher we all regarded highly gave his kids a lot of freedom in annual trips to NYU. I think some of the parents back home would have been appalled at what he allowed. But here's the deal: he had two-hour "catch-points". If a student did not report back by such-and-such a time, he was sent back to the school at his own expense immediately and suspended. So in other words, 16, 17, and 18 year old were allowed to experience some freedom to explore, but little room to screw up. As a control-freak chaperone who had taught high school, I liked his style. He made sure he drafted a ton of chaperones who paid their own way just to sort of be on "stand-by". And that system worked.
Our school offered a trip through EF. We attended the meeting, but we had the advantage over most of the parents in the room in that we had already visited most of the places on the itineraries with our kids. We made up our minds on the spot that there was no way we were shelling out more for a "revisit", one that we knew automatically was overpriced,but still, we stayed because we were interested in the details.
Nytraveler is right that there was a lot in the fine print that should have been a red flag. But most of the parents in the room were NOT sophisticated travelers, even though this was a solid middle class/ upper middle class mix. As I know so many posters understand, people with money who only "do" country clubs often do not travel to Europe, so they were as naive as (or perhaps more so than) the people with less means in the room.
Therefore, I think this OP has done parents a favor.
But let's look at the most pertinent of the posters' points:
<b>This was the only shot the kid had at visiting Europe</b>.
Sure, our family could have done it for less per person with better meals and a better location. But we were a family of four. Some of those families in the room could never have afforded--or were fearful of affording--a trip on their own.
For the kids with means whose families never could get out of their comfort zone, these trips were very important.
The downside--the lack of supervision meant that after the trip we heard about horrible, disrespectful behavior. I don't care about who drinks what when--your kid either understands and accepts your rules or he doesn't. He will do that at home or away. I do have a problem with destructive and disrespectful behavior.
As to freedom. Well, a teacher we all regarded highly gave his kids a lot of freedom in annual trips to NYU. I think some of the parents back home would have been appalled at what he allowed. But here's the deal: he had two-hour "catch-points". If a student did not report back by such-and-such a time, he was sent back to the school at his own expense immediately and suspended. So in other words, 16, 17, and 18 year old were allowed to experience some freedom to explore, but little room to screw up. As a control-freak chaperone who had taught high school, I liked his style. He made sure he drafted a ton of chaperones who paid their own way just to sort of be on "stand-by". And that system worked.
Jul 18th, 2015, 12:22 PM
#25
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just completed a 14 (2 full days were travel) day trip to Spain, France and Italy with EF Tours (custom trip). My husband and I went with our 13 yo son. I will start with positives: tour guide IRIS was great and we were able to see so many places from Barcelona to Nice to Monoco, Assisi, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii and Capri. Motor coach travel was comfortable. Entry into museums, etc was convenient - group entry was immediate with no wait.
Negatives: Cost for family of 3 for 14 days (including 2 days of travel) was 14,400 U.S. dollars which would be fine if accommodations were better. Flight was economy. 9 hour flight in economy seating is uncomfortable at best. Travel was 24 hours each direction. Flight was from NO to Houston to Frankfort to Barcelona. Hotel information and final itinerary was not provided until one week prior to departure.
First day of arrival, after 24 hours travel, we were not allowed to check into room, shower or even brush teeth. We were forced to walk a mile to a train station for a ride into Barcelona for a 1.5 hour walking tour then a walk back to the train station for return trip to hotel with another mile walk from train station to hotel. Dinner that night was stewed chicken with potatoes and water to drink.
After @ 38 hours between travel and trip to Barcelona my initial reaction was to return home and not finish the trip. I was made to feel guilty and told stories about how much work was done to plan the trip. I'm sure that's the case but at what cost to the teachers? Did they have to pay full price for the trip? If not, how can they complain? How much you pay for something determines the value to you. In other words when you make a decision to purchase something you compare it to what you're giving up to make that purchase. If you're not giving anything up, how can you give an honest assessment? This goes for students as well, their parents are paying for the trip so they have no concept of the cost vs value.
A few days into the trip we decided we needed to make the best of the situation. I am happy we completed the experience but if I knew before booking the trip what I know now, I never would have gone. I would have booked myself and hired a guide. (lesson learned).
Hotels were mostly awful budget grade and 40 minutes or more from the destination city. As a result much time was spent in route to each destination for daily activities. Rooms varied in cleanliness (some really bad) and AC if they worked were not adequate for summer heat (105 degrees July 2015) Hotel information and final itinerary was not provided until one week prior to departure.
Food provided included breakfast and evening meal. All were ok but inexpensive options with chicken, potatoes or pasta. Wine and soda was extra cost. Best meal each day was lunch but this was paid by travelers so extra 800-1000 us dollars for 3 depending on your selection. Average was 15 - 20 per lunch per person. We walked an average of 7-8 miles per day which was difficult in heat (several people had fitbits and recorded steps and miles walked). We were rushed and not allowed a relaxed pace necessary to appreciate each location. I will return to Italy at some point but not with EF.
Understand with a group tour your day is scheduled and you are not able to make any decisions regarding when you wake, when and what you eat (except lunch) where you stay or when and how long you sleep. With a group I understand the need for a schedule but there was no flexibility regardless of situation - even if feeling bad or ill.
Negatives: Cost for family of 3 for 14 days (including 2 days of travel) was 14,400 U.S. dollars which would be fine if accommodations were better. Flight was economy. 9 hour flight in economy seating is uncomfortable at best. Travel was 24 hours each direction. Flight was from NO to Houston to Frankfort to Barcelona. Hotel information and final itinerary was not provided until one week prior to departure.
First day of arrival, after 24 hours travel, we were not allowed to check into room, shower or even brush teeth. We were forced to walk a mile to a train station for a ride into Barcelona for a 1.5 hour walking tour then a walk back to the train station for return trip to hotel with another mile walk from train station to hotel. Dinner that night was stewed chicken with potatoes and water to drink.
After @ 38 hours between travel and trip to Barcelona my initial reaction was to return home and not finish the trip. I was made to feel guilty and told stories about how much work was done to plan the trip. I'm sure that's the case but at what cost to the teachers? Did they have to pay full price for the trip? If not, how can they complain? How much you pay for something determines the value to you. In other words when you make a decision to purchase something you compare it to what you're giving up to make that purchase. If you're not giving anything up, how can you give an honest assessment? This goes for students as well, their parents are paying for the trip so they have no concept of the cost vs value.
A few days into the trip we decided we needed to make the best of the situation. I am happy we completed the experience but if I knew before booking the trip what I know now, I never would have gone. I would have booked myself and hired a guide. (lesson learned).
Hotels were mostly awful budget grade and 40 minutes or more from the destination city. As a result much time was spent in route to each destination for daily activities. Rooms varied in cleanliness (some really bad) and AC if they worked were not adequate for summer heat (105 degrees July 2015) Hotel information and final itinerary was not provided until one week prior to departure.
Food provided included breakfast and evening meal. All were ok but inexpensive options with chicken, potatoes or pasta. Wine and soda was extra cost. Best meal each day was lunch but this was paid by travelers so extra 800-1000 us dollars for 3 depending on your selection. Average was 15 - 20 per lunch per person. We walked an average of 7-8 miles per day which was difficult in heat (several people had fitbits and recorded steps and miles walked). We were rushed and not allowed a relaxed pace necessary to appreciate each location. I will return to Italy at some point but not with EF.
Understand with a group tour your day is scheduled and you are not able to make any decisions regarding when you wake, when and what you eat (except lunch) where you stay or when and how long you sleep. With a group I understand the need for a schedule but there was no flexibility regardless of situation - even if feeling bad or ill.
Jul 18th, 2015, 01:26 PM
#26
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,011
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It is a tightly scheduled, fast paced, cheap, big bus tour for kids that takes them to a lot of places. That is the product!
Parents often turn down slower paced tours because they, "want them to see a lot." Never mind that it is from a bus. It is a 100% sure bet that more students will sign up for tours to 5 or 6 countries in 2 weeks while almost no one will sign up for a 10 day to 2 week tour to 1or 2 countries.
Visits to that many places in that short of time is of necessity shallow with no lingering time.
The logistics of just getting to that many places requires careful timing. Drivers can be on duty only so many hours total. They can't linger at lots of places and continue driving.
Getting to a sightseeing place by a certain, reserved time, means getting on the road by a specific time.
Getting to the next hotel in time for dinner for a bus load of teens means getting back on the road at a specific time.
Hotels used are those that will take a bunch of teens. Small hotels can't and nicer hotels won't!
Food - cheap, boring, but a step up from Mickey D's.
Is the product expensive for what you get? Perhaps, but it never promises an in-depth, leisurely tour. Even a cursory read of the itinerary and a quick look at a map will make it clear that there is a lot of time on the bus compared with time sightseeing.
It is a big ticket purchase. People often do a lot of research before purchase of big ticket items. The same is necessary for travel products.
Parents often turn down slower paced tours because they, "want them to see a lot." Never mind that it is from a bus. It is a 100% sure bet that more students will sign up for tours to 5 or 6 countries in 2 weeks while almost no one will sign up for a 10 day to 2 week tour to 1or 2 countries.
Visits to that many places in that short of time is of necessity shallow with no lingering time.
The logistics of just getting to that many places requires careful timing. Drivers can be on duty only so many hours total. They can't linger at lots of places and continue driving.
Getting to a sightseeing place by a certain, reserved time, means getting on the road by a specific time.
Getting to the next hotel in time for dinner for a bus load of teens means getting back on the road at a specific time.
Hotels used are those that will take a bunch of teens. Small hotels can't and nicer hotels won't!
Food - cheap, boring, but a step up from Mickey D's.
Is the product expensive for what you get? Perhaps, but it never promises an in-depth, leisurely tour. Even a cursory read of the itinerary and a quick look at a map will make it clear that there is a lot of time on the bus compared with time sightseeing.
It is a big ticket purchase. People often do a lot of research before purchase of big ticket items. The same is necessary for travel products.
Jul 21st, 2015, 02:31 AM
#27
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,551
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SondraDee: Thanks for your post. Your information is very, very specific, and it provides the exact information of why the "bargain" is not a bargain. By not talking about the behavior of other kids on the trip, you were able to focus on the lack of value in the product provided. And Sassafrass's reply sums up beautifully the economic realities of the purveyor.
As I implied in my reply to the original post, parents would often ask my husband or me about whether or not they should let little Johnny go on an EF trip because we had traveled so much with our teens. It was hard for us to give advice to parents considering the EF trips without more or less insulting them about their
naiveté, and I would have to do a lot of hemming and hawing. Your post, SondraDee, would have made our response to queries a snap.
As I implied in my reply to the original post, parents would often ask my husband or me about whether or not they should let little Johnny go on an EF trip because we had traveled so much with our teens. It was hard for us to give advice to parents considering the EF trips without more or less insulting them about their
naiveté, and I would have to do a lot of hemming and hawing. Your post, SondraDee, would have made our response to queries a snap.
Jul 21st, 2015, 04:11 AM
#28
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,876
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The post which is very helpful seems to be also a school arranged tour ("teachers" mentioned). If you break out air fare at $800 each with 12 days on the ground, it is $1000 per day for 3 people. Plus lunches!!
For good tours, but poor hotels and food of the area, that is a high price. Teachers often get these perks for trips, but ones I have known about did ensure better arrangements than these. Beware--have they gone before and can vouch for the accomodations?
This amount rivals some pretty good tours we have been approached about. SO note to self--research the tour company for satisfaction.
It does remind me of the GREAT value of my college tour--6 weeks, bicycle and bus/hostels and hotels. Led by a darling Norwegian couple for a tour group. And going with a group of friends from College, along with others. You couldn't touch it now.
OH, including going on a Greek steamship to get there and back!!
For good tours, but poor hotels and food of the area, that is a high price. Teachers often get these perks for trips, but ones I have known about did ensure better arrangements than these. Beware--have they gone before and can vouch for the accomodations?
This amount rivals some pretty good tours we have been approached about. SO note to self--research the tour company for satisfaction.
It does remind me of the GREAT value of my college tour--6 weeks, bicycle and bus/hostels and hotels. Led by a darling Norwegian couple for a tour group. And going with a group of friends from College, along with others. You couldn't touch it now.
OH, including going on a Greek steamship to get there and back!!
Jul 21st, 2015, 05:45 AM
#29
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,387
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SondraDee
Thanks for your perspective. Like AlexandraZoe, being very specific helps.
I agree with TravelBookworm that one must expect to pay for having things planned, and to build in a profit margin for the firm that markets the tour. And if teachers are acting as chaperones for young kids, they probably more than earn that 'free' trip. But yes, it does add to the cost.
Regarding the long trip: in fairness to the hotel, they can't admit people into hotel rooms prior to early afternoon in most cases because the rooms are either still occupied or being cleaned. One option would have been to book an extra night, starting with the night before you arrived, at the first hotel so as to have a hotel room that you could check into whenever you arrived the following morning. This option could have been presented to you by whoever organized the tour, even if you didn't know the exact hotel at which you would be staying until very shortly before departure (they could still have arranged it.) However, that said, a) that would have meant paying for an entire night for only a few hours room use and b) it can be helpful to keep going, tired as you are on arrival, so as to force your body into the local time zone.
Regarding food: It is not uncommon for tours not to include drinks with meals but bill these separately, since depending on what is ordered there can be a lot of variation in the price (local soft drink brands are often much cheaper than international brand names, but kids are apt to order the Coke or Pepsi with which they are familiar.) And snacks and drinks on the go are usually not included, but yes, I agree that these add up.
Perhaps the most important benchmark for a tour is not the number of places visited but how many hours are spent on the road each day. More than an average of 2 -2.5 hours per day gets old, as you found, very fast.
The standard advice I give anyone trying to rate an itinerary is to compare it with what a fairly upscale company like Tauck tours attempts. Tauck's 'classic Italy' tour spends 13 nights all in Italy; their fastest France tour is 7 nights and many are 10 or 13 nights. This gives you an idea of how fast a tour must be that attempts France AND Italy, plus a bit of Spain, and cross Atlantic travel time in 13 or 14 nights. And your tour looks cheap by comparison - Tauck's Italy tour costs $7000 US per person triple occupancy, PLUS airfare and some meals and extra expenses, so 3 people would be easily be over twice what you paid. As for business class airfare, that is often many times the cost of economy. I am not disagreeing with your assessment that you didn't like the product, only trying to show a benchmark for comparison. The cheapest tour on the market often is a poor relative value.
Cheer up, you learned a lot about travel, and that is to your credit. Looking forward to hearing about your next trip, maybe with a different tour group, maybe independently.
Thanks for your perspective. Like AlexandraZoe, being very specific helps.
I agree with TravelBookworm that one must expect to pay for having things planned, and to build in a profit margin for the firm that markets the tour. And if teachers are acting as chaperones for young kids, they probably more than earn that 'free' trip. But yes, it does add to the cost.
Regarding the long trip: in fairness to the hotel, they can't admit people into hotel rooms prior to early afternoon in most cases because the rooms are either still occupied or being cleaned. One option would have been to book an extra night, starting with the night before you arrived, at the first hotel so as to have a hotel room that you could check into whenever you arrived the following morning. This option could have been presented to you by whoever organized the tour, even if you didn't know the exact hotel at which you would be staying until very shortly before departure (they could still have arranged it.) However, that said, a) that would have meant paying for an entire night for only a few hours room use and b) it can be helpful to keep going, tired as you are on arrival, so as to force your body into the local time zone.
Regarding food: It is not uncommon for tours not to include drinks with meals but bill these separately, since depending on what is ordered there can be a lot of variation in the price (local soft drink brands are often much cheaper than international brand names, but kids are apt to order the Coke or Pepsi with which they are familiar.) And snacks and drinks on the go are usually not included, but yes, I agree that these add up.
Perhaps the most important benchmark for a tour is not the number of places visited but how many hours are spent on the road each day. More than an average of 2 -2.5 hours per day gets old, as you found, very fast.
The standard advice I give anyone trying to rate an itinerary is to compare it with what a fairly upscale company like Tauck tours attempts. Tauck's 'classic Italy' tour spends 13 nights all in Italy; their fastest France tour is 7 nights and many are 10 or 13 nights. This gives you an idea of how fast a tour must be that attempts France AND Italy, plus a bit of Spain, and cross Atlantic travel time in 13 or 14 nights. And your tour looks cheap by comparison - Tauck's Italy tour costs $7000 US per person triple occupancy, PLUS airfare and some meals and extra expenses, so 3 people would be easily be over twice what you paid. As for business class airfare, that is often many times the cost of economy. I am not disagreeing with your assessment that you didn't like the product, only trying to show a benchmark for comparison. The cheapest tour on the market often is a poor relative value.
Cheer up, you learned a lot about travel, and that is to your credit. Looking forward to hearing about your next trip, maybe with a different tour group, maybe independently.
Jul 27th, 2015, 05:41 PM
#30
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As I stated, the places we saw were amazing and I'm happy we saw so much. I agree, next time I will do more research or actually, next time I won't do a group tour. Based on this experience, I learned we are to independent for that type of tour.
I'm mainly commenting to help others that may be offered a similar experience. I think the best advice is ask lots of questions and get it in writing. Since we were not provided an itinerary I should have asked more questions, LOL. I think I trusted more than I typically would have because it was through the school and because the teacher that planned everything had done this multiple times.
I don't want to give the impression that we didn't enjoy it at all because we did enjoy the beautiful country, architecture, Art and friendly people. Amazing things to see and so much history. I will go back!
The teacher that headed the trip did a tremendous amount of work and I think she deserved a reduced rate or free trip (don't actually know how that works) but the other 7-8 teachers did not do a significant amount of work. My child did not need a chaperone since my husband and I were with him as were the parents of many children on the trip. Bottom line, I think they need to be more transparent regarding who is paying for what in detail. I actually asked for a detailed line item invoice before the trip and it was never provided so I guess on some level I was already skeptical because of the lack of details.
My main point for these postings is to perhaps help others make a more informed decision. Make sure you fully understand what's included before jumping in. As another poster indicated, we do research for large ticket items like vehicles and we should do similar research when planning an expensive travel experience. I learned so much from this experience and I hope this gained insight may help someone else.
I'm mainly commenting to help others that may be offered a similar experience. I think the best advice is ask lots of questions and get it in writing. Since we were not provided an itinerary I should have asked more questions, LOL. I think I trusted more than I typically would have because it was through the school and because the teacher that planned everything had done this multiple times.
I don't want to give the impression that we didn't enjoy it at all because we did enjoy the beautiful country, architecture, Art and friendly people. Amazing things to see and so much history. I will go back!
The teacher that headed the trip did a tremendous amount of work and I think she deserved a reduced rate or free trip (don't actually know how that works) but the other 7-8 teachers did not do a significant amount of work. My child did not need a chaperone since my husband and I were with him as were the parents of many children on the trip. Bottom line, I think they need to be more transparent regarding who is paying for what in detail. I actually asked for a detailed line item invoice before the trip and it was never provided so I guess on some level I was already skeptical because of the lack of details.
My main point for these postings is to perhaps help others make a more informed decision. Make sure you fully understand what's included before jumping in. As another poster indicated, we do research for large ticket items like vehicles and we should do similar research when planning an expensive travel experience. I learned so much from this experience and I hope this gained insight may help someone else.
Jul 28th, 2015, 08:23 AM
#32
My son loved the 14 day middle-school trip he took with EF to the South Pacific. It was organized by a popular teacher, and chaperoned by several parents who accompanied their children. The itinerary was much too fast paced for me, but my son loved it, and now he has been to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii while his mother and I have not!
Apr 22nd, 2016, 12:21 AM
#33
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I might offer up the perspective of a student who did the EF Tour, in case anyone finds this topic while researching EF (as I just did!) I went to Spain & Italy my senior year of high school, so I was 17. Pretty much everything I read in the original post was completely accurate to my experience as well.... except I loved every minute of it.
Maybe my mom was a bit more lax than the OP (which I don't at all mean negatively), because when I was in 8th grade I was part of a student exchange program to Germany (where I now live, ironically!) that lasted three weeks. Talk about not being chaperoned!! I was treated just the same as my "exchange sister", which meant a hell of a lot of freedom - as parents in Europe generally give their children a lot more space and responsibility. So at 14 I was wandering around Germany with my 14 year old guide, no adult in sight. So compared to that, the EF Tour was like being on a leash.
As far as the price, I agree the tours are way more expensive than it would be if you just did it all yourself - something I only realize now, as an adult traveling on my own or with my husband. However, taking a family trip to Europe wasn't an option for my family; my mom was a single mom, she's never left the country, I have younger siblings, and her trying to organize a European vacation for us all would never have happened. The EF Tour was the only way it would have happened for me - and at 17 I had a job, so I contributed to the trip, my mom contributed, all I asked for for Christmas and my birthday the previous year was money to put towards a senior trip. So between all the parties involved, it wasn't too much of a financial burden on her!
So the supervision. I won't sugarcoat it for any parents out there reading - our chaperones (who were all teachers, our favorite teachers, no parents) would take us around, and then say "Okay, here's a map, meet up here in three hours." They made sure we were in groups of at least four, and then we were allowed to go wherever we wanted! The chaperones did their thing, and we did ours. Completely unsupervised. Like people have said, a lot of the trip probably depends on the teachers leading it - and since this trip was ONLY for juniors and seniors, maybe they gave us a bit more freedom. But we definitely had a hell of a lot of freedom.
They counted heads each night, but they didn't check people's bags - so some of the kids bought alcohol and then brought it back to the rooms! It was legal for them to drink, and so they did. They experimented! We stayed at one hotel where there was another tour group from France, and they invited us to go party with them that night. The chaperones turned a blind eye to it - one of them even asked me to go check on the party to make sure everything was all right (I was 17 going on 37) and I said, "Why don't you go check?" His reply was, "Don't you think the kids deserve to handle it on their own?" My reply at the time was a big fat resounding NO, because I was one of those kids who lived for school and was not on that trip to party - I was there to see the world. But looking back on it, I'm glad they left us alone. The trip wasn't just guided tours and museums, we were able to go around and talk to people, to try and communicate on our own without an adult to do it for us. We had to be our own advocate when it came to buying knockoff purses from the guy wandering around Rome with a giant satchel. We had to study up on our Spanish if we wanted to buy any souvenirs in Madrid. It was amazing.
I went on to get my college degree in Cultural Geography, and I was never afraid to travel on my own. I packed up and moved across the country because I drew a state out of a hat, I now live in Europe and am not afraid to buy a pocket dictionary and hop on a train to wherever - and that's 100% because my mom let me spread my wings when I was a teenager.
The OP said she didn't care if all the complaints were from parents - "Parents are smarter than teenagers." That's true! They are. I'm smarter today than I was then, than I was a year ago, than I was two days ago. But that's okay. Especially at that age, 17, I was just a few short months from moving out and doing it all on my own - I didn't need to be smarter than my mom, because I was still learning. I'm still learning now! And I can definitely say that a huge part of who I am/who I became was due to those trips, and the trust my mom put in me as a teenager to make my own way, make my own mistakes.
As a disclaimer to this, I will say that the teacher who led the trip was pretty dang clear about the fact that we would be allowed to have free time each day to wander around. And I will also say that a cheap hotel miles outside of the city is 100% preferable to staying in hostels in the center of the city - especially if you're worried about safety. And I will alsoooo say....I'm pretty sure we were on the same ferry! We all had our rooms (maybe 6 bunk beds a room) but the top of that boat was definitely a casino and cute older boys were definitely were offering the girls alcohol.
I completely respect any parents out there who don't trust their teenagers or the chaperones enough to let their kids go on a trip like this! I just want everyone to know, it changed my life and my perspective, and helped me find the confidence to travel the world as an adult!
Maybe my mom was a bit more lax than the OP (which I don't at all mean negatively), because when I was in 8th grade I was part of a student exchange program to Germany (where I now live, ironically!) that lasted three weeks. Talk about not being chaperoned!! I was treated just the same as my "exchange sister", which meant a hell of a lot of freedom - as parents in Europe generally give their children a lot more space and responsibility. So at 14 I was wandering around Germany with my 14 year old guide, no adult in sight. So compared to that, the EF Tour was like being on a leash.
As far as the price, I agree the tours are way more expensive than it would be if you just did it all yourself - something I only realize now, as an adult traveling on my own or with my husband. However, taking a family trip to Europe wasn't an option for my family; my mom was a single mom, she's never left the country, I have younger siblings, and her trying to organize a European vacation for us all would never have happened. The EF Tour was the only way it would have happened for me - and at 17 I had a job, so I contributed to the trip, my mom contributed, all I asked for for Christmas and my birthday the previous year was money to put towards a senior trip. So between all the parties involved, it wasn't too much of a financial burden on her!
So the supervision. I won't sugarcoat it for any parents out there reading - our chaperones (who were all teachers, our favorite teachers, no parents) would take us around, and then say "Okay, here's a map, meet up here in three hours." They made sure we were in groups of at least four, and then we were allowed to go wherever we wanted! The chaperones did their thing, and we did ours. Completely unsupervised. Like people have said, a lot of the trip probably depends on the teachers leading it - and since this trip was ONLY for juniors and seniors, maybe they gave us a bit more freedom. But we definitely had a hell of a lot of freedom.
They counted heads each night, but they didn't check people's bags - so some of the kids bought alcohol and then brought it back to the rooms! It was legal for them to drink, and so they did. They experimented! We stayed at one hotel where there was another tour group from France, and they invited us to go party with them that night. The chaperones turned a blind eye to it - one of them even asked me to go check on the party to make sure everything was all right (I was 17 going on 37) and I said, "Why don't you go check?" His reply was, "Don't you think the kids deserve to handle it on their own?" My reply at the time was a big fat resounding NO, because I was one of those kids who lived for school and was not on that trip to party - I was there to see the world. But looking back on it, I'm glad they left us alone. The trip wasn't just guided tours and museums, we were able to go around and talk to people, to try and communicate on our own without an adult to do it for us. We had to be our own advocate when it came to buying knockoff purses from the guy wandering around Rome with a giant satchel. We had to study up on our Spanish if we wanted to buy any souvenirs in Madrid. It was amazing.
I went on to get my college degree in Cultural Geography, and I was never afraid to travel on my own. I packed up and moved across the country because I drew a state out of a hat, I now live in Europe and am not afraid to buy a pocket dictionary and hop on a train to wherever - and that's 100% because my mom let me spread my wings when I was a teenager.
The OP said she didn't care if all the complaints were from parents - "Parents are smarter than teenagers." That's true! They are. I'm smarter today than I was then, than I was a year ago, than I was two days ago. But that's okay. Especially at that age, 17, I was just a few short months from moving out and doing it all on my own - I didn't need to be smarter than my mom, because I was still learning. I'm still learning now! And I can definitely say that a huge part of who I am/who I became was due to those trips, and the trust my mom put in me as a teenager to make my own way, make my own mistakes.
As a disclaimer to this, I will say that the teacher who led the trip was pretty dang clear about the fact that we would be allowed to have free time each day to wander around. And I will also say that a cheap hotel miles outside of the city is 100% preferable to staying in hostels in the center of the city - especially if you're worried about safety. And I will alsoooo say....I'm pretty sure we were on the same ferry! We all had our rooms (maybe 6 bunk beds a room) but the top of that boat was definitely a casino and cute older boys were definitely were offering the girls alcohol.
I completely respect any parents out there who don't trust their teenagers or the chaperones enough to let their kids go on a trip like this! I just want everyone to know, it changed my life and my perspective, and helped me find the confidence to travel the world as an adult!
Apr 26th, 2016, 11:43 AM
#34
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,551
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
whyhellolizzie,
I liked your post, and after reading yours, I hurried up to read what I had written eons ago.
Thank goodness! We really are on the same page (as was texasbookworm and SondraDee and some others).
You are the proof that kids who have certain priorities keep to those on these trips. You wanna party and drink? You are going to party and drink. You want be on your own to experience life in a city for a few hours? You are going to be on your own to experience life in a city for a few hours.
As I emphasized and you emphasized, EF is not a financial bargain if one has the opportunity to seek alternative travel arrangements. But if EF offers the one kid in the family that cannot plan or pay for such a trip a shot to see something beside his own backyard, the EF trip could be priceless.
I am so very happy that you used this experience to enlarge your own world in such a great way! Congratulations.
AZ
I liked your post, and after reading yours, I hurried up to read what I had written eons ago.
Thank goodness! We really are on the same page (as was texasbookworm and SondraDee and some others).
You are the proof that kids who have certain priorities keep to those on these trips. You wanna party and drink? You are going to party and drink. You want be on your own to experience life in a city for a few hours? You are going to be on your own to experience life in a city for a few hours.
As I emphasized and you emphasized, EF is not a financial bargain if one has the opportunity to seek alternative travel arrangements. But if EF offers the one kid in the family that cannot plan or pay for such a trip a shot to see something beside his own backyard, the EF trip could be priceless.
I am so very happy that you used this experience to enlarge your own world in such a great way! Congratulations.
AZ
Apr 26th, 2016, 12:07 PM
#35
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm pretty sure I took an EF tour the summer before junior year of high school. One other girl from my high school went - it was to Amsterdam and Germany. I dont' remember much, Our parents drove us to JFK and we too were on a different flight. In Amsterdam there was no one waiting for us to take us to our hotel - pretty scary for two 15 year olds from a small town, but I made a decision to take a taxi to the hotel. I remember they played Beatles music on the bus; I dont' remember any cultural attractions. In Amsterdam I met a pen pal at a nice restaurant/cafe on my own. We were in Hamburg, Heidelburg, Dinkelsbuhl, Berlin. Dinkelsbuehl was quaint and small - and we were there a number of days. In Belin I remember sitting at a cafe (by myself) writing letters and observing things. I dont' remember the food. There was no supervision.
I do remember a young girl (13) going to a nightclub, and I went to one too and danced with an Army man and drank rum and coke.
all in all, not a really memorable trip - but it was the first time I flew and flying them (in the 60s) was special - I even bought a special outfit and we had menus! I flew KLM.
I think my parents would have had a fit if they knew what it was like.
I do remember a young girl (13) going to a nightclub, and I went to one too and danced with an Army man and drank rum and coke.
all in all, not a really memorable trip - but it was the first time I flew and flying them (in the 60s) was special - I even bought a special outfit and we had menus! I flew KLM.
I think my parents would have had a fit if they knew what it was like.
Apr 30th, 2016, 06:49 AM
#36
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have had a consistently poor experience with EF Tours as a parent of a child registered for the trip to Italy.
The company is remarkably unprofessional and provides a sub-par level of client service. I've been flabbergasted at the poor level of customer service - 7 months after registering (and paying nearly $4,000) they provide zero information or support about the product we've purchased.
Clearly, the focus is on selling, not servicing existing customers - totally disappointing experience and poor value for money.
The company is remarkably unprofessional and provides a sub-par level of client service. I've been flabbergasted at the poor level of customer service - 7 months after registering (and paying nearly $4,000) they provide zero information or support about the product we've purchased.
Clearly, the focus is on selling, not servicing existing customers - totally disappointing experience and poor value for money.
Apr 30th, 2016, 09:03 AM
#37
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,011
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Canadiantravelbliss,
Is your child going with a teacher or other adult group leader? If so, that is who you should be speaking with. Except for payments, companies usually do not work with each individual. That adult leader should be your contact person for the company.
Before you signed up, you should have received an information packet from the teacher about the trip and what it does and does not provide, the itinerary, etc.
Then, you signed a contract with the company. It delineates the itinerary, rules, possible changes, etc. It is a pretty long contract. Since you must have signed something, you can't possibly have zero information.
While I am not crazy about EF, and much preferred other companies, many complaints are because the purchaser was very casual about the trip in the beginning. When you are spending 3/4 Thousand dollars for something, a fair amount of research is necessary.
Hope you get answers to your questions from the group leader, but if not, post your trip here on Fodors and any specific questions you have. There are teachers here who have used EF and other student travel organizations, and they can probably answer at least some of your questions.
Is your child going with a teacher or other adult group leader? If so, that is who you should be speaking with. Except for payments, companies usually do not work with each individual. That adult leader should be your contact person for the company.
Before you signed up, you should have received an information packet from the teacher about the trip and what it does and does not provide, the itinerary, etc.
Then, you signed a contract with the company. It delineates the itinerary, rules, possible changes, etc. It is a pretty long contract. Since you must have signed something, you can't possibly have zero information.
While I am not crazy about EF, and much preferred other companies, many complaints are because the purchaser was very casual about the trip in the beginning. When you are spending 3/4 Thousand dollars for something, a fair amount of research is necessary.
Hope you get answers to your questions from the group leader, but if not, post your trip here on Fodors and any specific questions you have. There are teachers here who have used EF and other student travel organizations, and they can probably answer at least some of your questions.
May 28th, 2016, 04:01 PM
#38
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am a student, a sophomore in highschool and I went on a 12 day EF Tour Trip (London, Paris, Rome, Milan, and Capri) I couldn't be more happy with how it went. I really learned so much about the countries I visited. To say that EF is bad for your children is no where correct. If your child is not mature enough to follow the rules, then don't send then on the trip. The tour director is not his/hers mother, they have shaparones for these things. My trip went great. The food was good and the hotels were nice! They weren't close, but sometimes you would use the Public Transportation or even a bus that EF has provided. By taking Public Trasportation, I was exposed to a new view. It showed me what it was really live to live there! I believe that's what the whole tour should be about. For parents, I would just set the rules for your children and make them clear. You have time to be on your own, but you always have to have an adult and you know where you are, as for the guide tells you. EF does an exceptional job, I was pleased and will take a tour again if the oprotunity comes along!
Aug 15th, 2016, 01:05 PM
#39
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I wish I had researched this tour company before I paid almost 4K for one student 10 day (2 are travel). The customer service was horrible, the girls were rude and defensive. Numerous responses to me were stating "What do you want to hear mam?" Seemed to be their go to when pressed to fix something which they never did. It was horrible. In Switzerland they said that one of their buses were stolen and had to use a smaller uncomfortable one. All while the teachers and parents were on the larger more comfortable one. I called EF tours about it and they said the bus was functionally acceptable. The tour company does not care about anyone but the teachers since they are the conductors and bring the students to the tour and they travel for free. Some hotels were nice others would have 3 to 4 teenagers in a room with a bathroom down the hall. My son said in many places the food was horrible. The adults were always served first and in some cases the kids were getting their food while the adults were saying they had to leave now.
There are some good tour companies out there - just not this one.
There are some good tour companies out there - just not this one.
Aug 15th, 2016, 01:51 PM
#40
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7,960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Read my post on your other thread. I am glad you found this thread now.. but also sad because I know its a lot of money to feel like you sort of wasted.. I am sure your son got some value out of the trip( fun with friends).. but its not a great tour company for sure.. and the prices are unreasonable .
