Artichoke Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Does anyone here have any experience with Educational First tours? I've been asked to plan one of the European trips, and while I've been pleased with the info so far, I can't ignore the negatives that I've read online. I'm hoping to hear some of the Hive's firsthand experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not helpful, but I had a chuckle when I read your title. Over on LC we use EF to mean Executive Function, as in the portion of the brain affected by ADHD. I was imagining what a tour of that would be like... :lol: Good luck on your travel! Sounds fun! :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I have not been on one, no. But I am planning a trip for our CC group in a few years, so I have been researching as well, and they have consistently bad reviews. I have already crossed them off my list because of so many negative reviews, and not enough positive. When I was in high school, we went to Europe with NETC, and my friend (who went with me) is now a Spanish teacher at our old high school and said they still use them, and she hasn't had any complaints. I still can't decide between ACIS and NETC- they seem to be the best though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 I have not been on one, no. But I am planning a trip for our CC group in a few years, so I have been researching as well, and they have consistently bad reviews. I have already crossed them off my list because of so many negative reviews, and not enough positive. When I was in high school, we went to Europe with NETC, and my friend (who went with me) is now a Spanish teacher at our old high school and said they still use them, and she hasn't had any complaints. I still can't decide between ACIS and NETC- they seem to be the best though. Thanks! This is certainly helpful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 You're welcome!You should come back and post a review when you start the process :) Sounds like you're going before me.... reviews are sorely needed ;)My take away, from the reviews, both bad and good, was that EF tours was one of the cheapest options. They got costs so low by staying in lower rated hotels, much farther outside city limits than other companies. They also served a lot of junk food for meals, ie. chicken fingers, burgers and pizza.It seems the people who gave them positive reviews didn't mind these things and were happy to save some $$$, and after all, it's "just" for teenagers, and they aren't picky :-/The people who gave it negative reviews did not like the food and the long travel times to and from the hotels, and didn't feel they got the "immersive" tour they wanted.Those are deal breakers for me, so I crossed them off. Is that what you are picking up from the reviews? Or no?I remember having a very good time on our trip, with NETC. We stayed inside city limits, in decent hotels, and had lots of regional food. Our tour guide was wonderful, we even had a slight crush on him ;) Our transportation (buses and trains) was clean and comfortable, and the pace was fast- but not grueling.Even so.... I still think ACIS looks a bit nicer, and I like the tours they offer a bit better.... but they are a little bit more expensive..... like I said, not sure which one I'm going to pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I went on an EF tour in 2001 and it was fantastic. We went to Venice, Florence, and Rome. The only place we didn't stay in the city was in Venice. We stayed outside the city, but got to ride a boat over to one of the islands which was a cool experience in and of itself. In Florence we stayed in a hotel located in one of the plazzas not to far from the Duomo. Everything was in walking distance. We ate really good Italian food on that trip. Not burgers, fries, or nuggets in sight. There was also lots of downtime for everyone to explore (and eat!) on their own which was really great. All in all I have nothing to complain about with the EF tour I took. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddavies Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 My stepson went on an EF tour to London, Paris, and Barcelona in 2009. It was organized by his high school, so he did have a great time, but his complaints made me glad that I hadn't seen the movie Taken before he went. His experience was much like the reviews *lifeoftheparty* mentioned. The junk food didn't bother him, but the accommodations did. Their hotel in London and hostel in Barcelona were mediocre - small, clean, but about 30 minutes from the city. In Paris, however, they stayed in a hostel in the 19th arrondissement. This is apparently a very low-income, high crime, mostly immigrant area of Paris, and my stepson said that any time they mentioned where they were staying to people they met in Paris, they were warned not to leave the hostel at night or alone, and not to let the girls go out without them. They did end up having a very frightening experience inside the McDonald's next to their hostel, in the middle of the afternoon, when several men approached and harassed the girls until another local intervened. The hostel itself was terrible - bunkbeds so unsteady the kids chose to sleep together on the bottom bunk, water leaking from the shower into bedroom, day-old French bread as their breakfast, etc., but the fact that EF would put a group of kids in that neighborhood makes me wary of ever sending a kid on a tour with them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Well, I have mixed feelings about EF. I taught for them for a few ESL workshops. The state leadership was a nightmare. We have hosted students for them or years. My sister works for EF-she loves it. Never done a tour, but working with them was horrible. I will never do that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 We did an EF tour two years ago. I designed my own tour (kind of) for a group of 35+. We went to Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, and Naples. We were crazy busy touring churches and museums - that was our choice as it was a Latin class field trip. Our complaint was that we ate so early! Like at 5:00. We had nothing planned after dinner which was fine as it gave the kids some down time. We stayed far from the city center in Rome, but the first hotel was great - big and pretty grounds. The hotel in Sorrento was fantastic - great pool, beautiful in every way. The last hotel we stayed in was disgusting (back in Rome); our guide was not happy either and he called to complain. But we were there one night; less than 24 hours. So not a big deal. EF was easy to work with and refunded money back to a client with health problems. Our guide was great (we had a sub guide for two days - not as great) and very helpful. This trip was orginally suppposed to be a small group (10 - 15) people and I had planned the trip on my own with my Italian friend. It was impossible to plan for more than 15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Thanks for all of the replies! I'v skimmed through the replies but am looking forward to reading more in depth after we get back from a field trip. Anyone else have any experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 It seems to be the same with people here. Some had a good time, some had an awful time. Online, I have found way more bad reviews than good. (Not so with the other 2 companies I mentioned.) To me, that's too much of a gamble when you're spending thousands of dollars, and for some people, it might be a once in a lifetime trip. Personally, I won't be taking that chance. We're going to use one of the other companies. Again op, whatever you decide, please keep us updated on your experiences with the process :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 DD did an EF Tour to Costa Rica with a high school group. No problems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 My stepson went on an EF tour to London, Paris, and Barcelona in 2009. It was organized by his high school, so he did have a great time, but his complaints made me glad that I hadn't seen the movie Taken before he went. His experience was much like the reviews *lifeoftheparty* mentioned. The junk food didn't bother him, but the accommodations did. Their hotel in London and hostel in Barcelona were mediocre - small, clean, but about 30 minutes from the city. In Paris, however, they stayed in a hostel in the 19th arrondissement. This is apparently a very low-income, high crime, mostly immigrant area of Paris, and my stepson said that any time they mentioned where they were staying to people they met in Paris, they were warned not to leave the hostel at night or alone, and not to let the girls go out without them. They did end up having a very frightening experience inside the McDonald's next to their hostel, in the middle of the afternoon, when several men approached and harassed the girls until another local intervened. The hostel itself was terrible - bunkbeds so unsteady the kids chose to sleep together on the bottom bunk, water leaking from the shower into bedroom, day-old French bread as their breakfast, etc., but the fact that EF would put a group of kids in that neighborhood makes me wary of ever sending a kid on a tour with them again. Thanks for such detailed info. It's stories like this, especially about the rooms, that are concerning me the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 It seems to be the same with people here. Some had a good time, some had an awful time. Online, I have found way more bad reviews than good. (Not so with the other 2 companies I mentioned.) To me, that's too much of a gamble when you're spending thousands of dollars, and for some people, it might be a once in a lifetime trip. Personally, I won't be taking that chance. We're going to use one of the other companies. Again op, whatever you decide, please keep us updated on your experiences with the process :) . I think I'll take a look at the companies that you mentioned. I'll keep you updated with my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindahaines0203 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I have led 8 tours and have been very happy with EF. My question is for anyone who led large groups with EF or any tour company for that matter. How do you handle the tip money? I collect it before we leave the US but then am stuck carrying all that cash around for the length of the tour because my bank charges me 3% fee to withdraw it. If I did not collect it before leaving the students might not 'save' the tip money or they may lose it. Any thoughts as to what you did would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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