Student tours through EF

I have done one EF tour. However, it was the "custom" tour not the standard tour and there is a difference. Since I was the chaperone my "breakaway" options were limited. (After tour one I quit using them and did the next one on my own, but...)

The big problem is that the "standard" tour often has the hotels located way away from where you want to be and the meals aren't great from what I have read.

In my tour director days, a good friend used to lead tours with them. She only had good things to say about the company. It also seemed like most groups were very happy with them as well.

Regarding "breaking away," it depends on what you mean...do you mean "free time," or do you mean leaving the tour completely to do what he or she wants. Free time is allotted. Abandoning the tour, if under 18, is not allowed.

By "breaking away" I mean taking my group where I want rather than following the scheduled itinerary.

Andy - My wife & daughter did an EF tour in 2008. They did New York, London, & Paris. They liked it just fine. They said the tour guide was extremly knowledgeable. My wife said during the daytime you were with the tour group, and there was some free time at night.

Andy, if you're the teacher leading the tour, then talk to EF about customizing it to what you want.

Andy,
Our tour was very customized to us. At the time there wasn't a standard EF tour that went to the Girl Guide centers in England and Switzerland for example.

It cost a little more, but was well worth it. So you can "design" the tour you want your group to have.

Andy, my daughter and I went on two ef trips w/ her 6th grade teacher and 12- 28 students (some parents) the kids LOVED it (lots of friends and sleep overs for 16 days!) as a mom, it was ok-rooms not great. some days we had 3-4 hrs to sight see or shop. it was a good way to get your feet wet on europe touring. we have done two trips on our own since.

My son went on an EF tour to Spain as a sophomore with his high school. The following year he and I went on another school-sponsored EF tour to Germany, France, Austria. Since I had gone on a previous European tour with another company, I found myself comparing it to the high school tour.

Some of the hotels used were not the quality I would have picked. Paris was the worst, more like a hostel and somewhat 'prison-like' (for lack of a better word), with heavy steel doors to all the rooms, and sparse furnishing. The accommodations improved a bit as the tour progressed, with the exception of Berlin.

Breakfast was always included but the hotels seemed to be 'chincy' on what they offered; I guess they figured American kids just liked cereal and milk, and there wasn't much more than that. I was used to the wonderful European breakfasts of rolls, cheeses, eggs, etc... Also, the kids had to pay for their first dinner meal at the hotel, which came as a surprise and was kind of expensive. The tour guide told us he'd reimburse each of us 10 Euros (the meal cost 20+Euros). However, later he offered a river trip as a substitute instead (but we ALL had to participate).

Anyhow.... while the experience wasn't horrible, it did leave me with an unfavorable view of these types of programs. These companies make a lot of money on these trips and I think they cut corners when they can.

In fairness, I think the kids' standards were probably a lot lower than my own.

I've been on 7 EFs tours over the past 10 years, 3 as a student in high school, and 4 as a college student - I am taking my 8th trip this coming March!

One of the most important things we've found over the years is the tour director. Back in 2004 we had a wonderful tour guide, who we specifically requested for each trip since, and even though now he is 'retired' from EF, he still leads our tours.

EF is really great if you know what you want to see and they can customize the tour for you. Or once you are signed up, talking with your tour director he/she can slightly change things to meet your needs.

My favorite part is the Go Ahead/Stay Behind - for a very minimal fee, a person can change their departure date...for my last three tours I've gone ahead of the group and spent a week or so on my own, then meeting up and doing the tour.

The bad parts - I would not recommend having another group being combined with yours; to me, it is well worth it to pay the extra money and have your own tour. Hotels can be far from the city center, but you do have the option of paying extra to be closer.

Why do people take these tours? Really curious.

EF Tours are specifically designed for school groups.

Do they do any regular tours that are not student oriented? If so, perhaps the quality is different. I just think other tour companies offer better tours. Probably better for students who aren't as picky as an older adult.

They are officially: EF Educational Tours--International Travel for Teachers and Students.

EF stands for "Education First"

They market themselves to teachers/educators. Here's what they say on their website:

EF Educational Tours helps educators like you enrich what you teach in the classroom with international group travel. Your students actually "learn it by living it" by experiencing the world’s very best historic, cultural and natural sights.