EF Educational Tours

[Anonymous]

I have seen posts on here in the past stating that the international trips being advertised thru mcps are very expensive and some think they should not be advertised by the school. I had never seen the advertisements in the past but received one from my freshman. No prices can be found on the website or flyer. Has anyone actually done one? Any idea of cost and any reviews?

[Anonymous]

There usually is a link or QR to the site/presentation for the particular trip that contains all the details(itinerary, cost, any deadlines or payments).

Cost will vary greatly depending on where the trip is to and when it is. For example is it a winter break, spring break, or summer trip. Is it going to Costs Rica or Japan.

[Anonymous]

My kid did it. It was a great experience. It is pricey but given the value, not unreasonable.

[Anonymous]

My kid has done it. In my opinion, it’s only worth it if you want to send your kid somewhere where it would be challenging to travel on your own (e g China, my kid was looking forward to that trip, propaganda and all) or if you want them to travel internationally but are unable to do it yourself, so they have to go on their own. Otherwise, a family trip makes more sense.

[Anonymous]

My kid went on a couple of these. Expensive, but she really enjoyed them. The principal at our HS changed the policy and wouldn’t let them be advertised after she had already done a couple. I think the rationale was it was insensitive to kids that couldn’t afford the trips to see them advertised.

[Anonymous]

Both of my kids took trips with EF Tours and had a great experience!

[Anonymous]

I went with my kid’s school. EF has a lot of negative reviews online so I was nervous, but it was a great trip. I can’t remember the price but it was reasonable considering all that goes into these trips plus cost of food. Food is very meh and hotels are not luxury, but not gross. I would recommend for a kid. It’s a great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has done it. In my opinion, it’s only worth it if you want to send your kid somewhere where it would be challenging to travel on your own (e g China, my kid was looking forward to that trip, propaganda and all) or if you want them to travel internationally but are unable to do it yourself, so they have to go on their own. Otherwise, a family trip makes more sense.

A teacher marketed an EF trip as: "you can have a week free of your kids, I will take care of them and have done this a few times before and they always are ok." Weird. Don't families want to stay together for breaks and travel together? Weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has done it. In my opinion, it’s only worth it if you want to send your kid somewhere where it would be challenging to travel on your own (e g China, my kid was looking forward to that trip, propaganda and all) or if you want them to travel internationally but are unable to do it yourself, so they have to go on their own. Otherwise, a family trip makes more sense.

A teacher marketed an EF trip as: "you can have a week free of your kids, I will take care of them and have done this a few times before and they always are ok." Weird. Don't families want to stay together for breaks and travel together? Weird.

Not always, especially if your kids do not get along. Be thankful that your family enjoys traveling together and stop judging others.

[Anonymous]

My son was going to go to Ireland through EF but the trip was cancelled in 2020 because of covid. Fortunately, I did pay extra for the trip insurance so I got a full refund minus the insurance cost.

Obviously, I can't share an experience but I did note the cost was about twice what you would pay if you just took a trip on your own. I was willing to pay more for the tour guide and his experience with friends who were also signed up for the trip.

Happily, my son got to visit Europe last summer to visit family which makes up for the lost trip.

[Anonymous]

Mine went last year over spring break and it was awesome. They loved the independence of being abroad with their friends. It was probably more expensive than if we had booked it ourselves, but the ease of having someone else plan and be responsible for every last detail plus letting them have the independence and experience of international travel in a low risk (chaperoned) setting was priceless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have seen posts on here in the past stating that the international trips being advertised thru mcps are very expensive and some think they should not be advertised by the school. I had never seen the advertisements in the past but received one from my freshman. No prices can be found on the website or flyer. Has anyone actually done one? Any idea of cost and any reviews?

Great trip. Much less expensive than doing it on your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid went on a couple of these. Expensive, but she really enjoyed them. The principal at our HS changed the policy and wouldn’t let them be advertised after she had already done a couple. I think the rationale was it was insensitive to kids that couldn’t afford the trips to see them advertised.

These kids are turning into such fragile coddled failures. So sad.

[Anonymous]

I was a chaperone for a similar tour company. I was a teacher but didn't have to recruit students (which I would have felt uncomfortable doing). The trips are well planned and students do unique experiences, like repelling down castle walls, eating dinner at a host family home, learning how to draw anime, learning native dances,etc. I went to Japan and also to Greece, Italy and France. My trip and meals were free but it was definitely work. The students seemed to have a blast and the older high schoolers were much easier to take a long then the middle schoolers.

Some families paid for the trip, some of the kids raised their own money by working and some kids had help from religious organizations.

[Anonymous]

I think they are great trips, especially if it is someplace harder to arrange on your own. I went with my kid to the Galápagos Islands - they really took care that every place we went had been vetted for distilled water and proper cooking. Yes they are pricey, but I can’t imagine it being much cheaper on your own when you include the transportation, tour guides, tipping, etc.