Post Payment Charges?

One of our daughters and I were going to go with her French class on an EF Tour but when I looked into the sights we were going to "see" by driving by and when I looked up the locations of the hotels which were not near any of the sights, I calculated how much it would cost us to do the trip on our own. Needless to say, we spent way less and I was able to show her all my favorite sights.
Just a suggestion John before you hand over even more money!

Which tour company is the school using? It is unfortunate that sometimes schools, not for profits, etc. will jump at an inexpensive cost, but then by time all the other charges are added in, they could have gone with a better provider and come out the same or better. As another poster responded, cruise companies typically have the footnote of legal ability to impose an additional fee if the price of oil exceeds $XXX at time of sailing.....but even when it has, I've never seen them impose such fee. I'm guessing it is a stop-gap, just in case oil tripled in price. Seems I heard (maybe not factual, as one hears a lot that is not correct) that many large transportation providers contract their fuel costs for several months at a time. But to answer your questions: Haven't seen after-paid-in-full fees imposed for Rick Steves' trips (he doesn't do that), Tauck Tours (they don't do that), Silversea (has the footnote right) or even Carnival (years ago when we traveled w/ them). My sister used to go on high school tours as a parent, and she shared some bad memories (hotels being switched to a lesser/poor quality at the last minute, kinks in plans, etc.). Some of what you are paying in the base price is likely a percentage to serve as a fundraiser for the school or covers the accompanying teacher(s)'s cost to take the journey. Curious which tour company? I think Odessey and Globus may do some school trips.

John, I've certainly never heard of anyone being assessed extra charges after they've fully paid for a tour. It may be common with some firms, but sounds a bit irregular to me, especially the "adult surcharge". This is one reason I prefer to take RS tours. I'm sure the others will be able to offer some further comments on whether these practices are "normal". Cheers!

No way to answer your question. If this is a school trip, then there is a contract between the school and the tour company. If the contract permits pass through charges, then it is authorized. We participated in two school trips and that was common. Generally the idea is to keep these trips as inexpensive as possible but you cannot expect the tour company to take unexpected hits unless they have built a margin into their budget. You "beef" is with the trip organizers - assume the school. It is all controlled by the contract. For school type/related trips, this is ot uncommon.

It's a little unusual, some cruise ships reserve the right to slap on a fuel surcharge anytime up to your sailing date (even after you have paid in full). It may also be true of some airlines or charters. If it happens the school is going to send the cost back to you. If everyone really is two to a room, the adult surcharge is worse. Maybe when you're on the trip, there will be times when larger numbers of kids have to share a room (or a bathroom).

You probably just have to grin and bear it. Most likely the tour company advertises a rate based on standard pricing which itself is based on a negotiated ticket price with an airline or a ticket consolidator. Fuel surcharges go up and supposedly down, and are handled as a fee, much like some taxes and airport fees. Probably in the fine print of agreement it notes that these will be passed on, as would probably if a specific airport had a very high fee. The Adult surcharge is also probably unique to youth trips. While the reason given may be the rooming situation, and it may well be the major cost, if you read the fine print again, or were to get a full explanation, they probably do not tie themselves down to just the room. I suspect that it probably compensates for an adult admission to some venues (where students would be reduced or free), maybe some adjustment for meals, or any other aspect where they have seen adults costing more on average than a student. It would be comparable to a "single supplement" on other tours or cruises. Myself, if I were herding around a group of teenagers on a tour, I would pay the adults to come along and keep them in line!

Bet you is an EF tour, hear not much good about them, cheap price but you get what you pay for, they sure have the school market cornered though.