EF Explore America

FRAUD! SCAM! AVOID AT ALL COST! Booked through my daughter's school. They offer expensive protection insurance so that you can cancel at any time, but when you cancel 150 days out, they still keep $500 per person booked! It was my daughter and I. We are relocating and can no longer go on the trip. They kept $1000, and they are holding MY funds for 6 weeks before refunding me my money. Every time I try to call in, they can not help me. Worst experience. I will NEVER book through them again. Give me my money back!

If I could give a zero I would. I put the deposit down for trip for next year. Went home and talked with my child and she informed me that she did not want to go and in less than 24 hours canceled her spot. They told they would cancel her spot but the deposit was non-refundable. I don't understand if it was less than 24 hours that I put the deposit down. CONSUMERS BEWARE. If I had read the reviews before I put the deposit down I would not have done so. I will also be putting in a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Horrible customer support! They work with this fraudulent company named Till that takes the money that is supposed to go to the kids and then won't release it back to the parents after the trip. We also deposited the money that our son had saved for the trip onto his "card" which was never shipped and is not accessible. His trip is over and $200 is now just gone. Our school also did fund raising and they didn't give us any credit towards our bill and they kept the $65.90 that he raised.

Travel dates were changed, after being posted for several months, to dates that we are not available for. Advised it will cost $1000 $500 each childto cancel, even though it’s still 6 months away, even though we have the travel insurance. Then told travel dates are not confirmed until mid February, but cancellation cut off is beginning of February. Cancelling after that date is a $3000$1500 each charge, which maximizes their ability to penalize people. Will never use this company again! Just use a certified travel agent.

I signed up for one international trip for my son which went well and one domestic trip for my daughter. The domestic trip To NYC and DC for my daughter was cancelled for no reason in April 2023 and no one informed me about anything. I'm still waiting for my refund. If they cancelled in April, why am I still waiting for a refund 5 months later? And the $514 in fees and insurance is non refundable. I didn't cancel the trip so why do I have to lose $517 for a trip no one is going on? What a rip off!!

Do not book with this company. They do not refund anything if you are not able to go. They probably only refund if you are either dying or dead. Cancelled 4 months in advance and I was denied a refund even though we bought the insurance to protect us against this.

Haven't travelled yet, but already not impressed. Of course they book the cheapest flight itinerary possible, despite the high price they charge for the trip. Our itinerary from CLT to LAS includes a layover in STL. The layover is not a problem, except its only a 45 minute layover. Are you kidding me? We're supposed to de-board an entire group of teenagers and chaperones, and get to the next gate within 45 minutes? And that's without any delays in take-off or arrival. Hoping I'm wrong and we get lucky with the gates being near each other, but I fly enough for work to know 45 minutes will be virtually impossible for a group of teens who aren't familiar with airports. I was initially seduced by the marketing and convenience of these trips, but even before seeing this itinerary, it became obvious that these are extremely over-priced trips, that could easily be replicated on your own at a fraction of the cost. I'll reserve final judgment til after our trip in June, and will be updating my review accordingly, but right now and consistent with the other Google reviews, this is a pure profit taking opportunity by EF, with the students and chaperones suffering through the resulting travel and itinerary logistics arising from EF maximizing their profits.

I strongly advise against hiring this company for group travel. Despite the high cost, their service and execution are extremely disappointing. The reviews echo my sentiments. Life is too short to deal with such subpar experiences; I suggest working with another vendor and steering clear of this company.

This was absolutely a scam. They came to my son's school promising a trip and we signed him up for 2024. They abruptly changed it to 2025 four months out and kept $395 when I cancelled. I am angry I didn't Google these reviews sooner.

I wish I read these reviews prior to booking. Committed to a trip that cost $1934 & after not sending me an invoice for 4 months last one being June They increased the price to $2464. A $530 increase! Mind you these are nor itemized on the invoice as late fees or anything. Will be filing a complaint with the Attorney General's office. Shady business practices, I'd steer clear of them.