Where to start. The flights were filled with long delays. The hotels for the most part were out of town and in areas you wouldn’t want to venture out in the evening. They put us in one hotel with old, dirty rooms with air conditioning not working in ours. Got moved after requesting another room at 11 pm. Tour guide really wasn’t a tour guide. Dropped us off the bus, walked us to a meeting point, and gave us a time to be back. Not sure what he cost us but it was not worth it. The food at every dinner, whether at hotel or restaurant, ranged from inedible to subpar. Kids were living on gelato because they couldn’t eat the food. Adults as well. Need to limit stops in a day. Three towns in 8 hours across a country is too much. Didn’t have time to even explore. I have been on other tours and for the same price I had great flights, accommodations and outstanding food. This company needs to do better.
What went wrong? How much time do you have? From being picked up at Zurich after an overnight flight from Dallas and being dropped off in 98 degree weather in the morning, told to hang out and discover Zurich when all anyone wanted was to rest. Our tour guide was giving us directions in down town Zurich, right under the statue of Swiss hero William Tell and never mentioned his name. That was a sign of things to come... Fast forward to 3pm and we have to fight through considerable Zurich traffic to go back to airport a third time after another groups flight was delayed. That's not World Strides issue but there was no alternative plan. All while we were on a really hot bus. The whole week we were with this driver he would not prestart or air condition the bus before we started driving. He was a substitute driver and wasn't familiar with the bus. This IS a World Stride issue. Do better! Our bus was like an oven everytime we got on it. All the other buses were running while people were off touring. Ours got turned off and got hot at every stop. We took a 45 minute Uber when we got to the airport and figured out the plane was still late. We just wanted, needed to lay down at that point. Granted this was all during the hottest June ever in Europe but the lack of planning or alternative plans was appalling. Another issue throughout the trip is where we stayed. I fully understand this is a HS budget friendly trip and I don't expect to stay in city centers but the commutes in big cities to reach very marginal hotels seemed unnecessary. The breakfast food, again with minimal expectations, often disappointed. How hard can coffee be? We had such a bland meal in Italy, it was heartbreaking. In Italy!! Our poor guide Sandra came up and asked us how the meal was and there was just dead silence. Honestly, and I pretty much eat anything, some of the food was unpalatable, including the paella in Barcelona. You would think...by this time I knew the trend well and skipped the paella for a more flavorful meal but my tour mates panned it. Another issue was our luggage. twelve days in Europe and we could only bring a carry on. I get it, small hotels, easier storage, less to lose but literally all the other HS tour groups had full size suitcases. That fit into their pre air conditioned buses. I don't want to lament the whole tour. The glacier in Switzerland was great. Barcelona is a great town, even in the summer heat. I love Arles France, skip Genova Italy, industrial port town at best, there was nothing of note there. Roussillon was a wonderful little artist enclave that was truly enjoyable so there were great moments too. Being driven around to four countries, not having to deal with immigration was great. We got to see Spain play in the World Cup on tv in Spain and the French play in France. Overall though the tour was lacking. In planning, in details, in accommodations, food, sight seeing, efficient travel. It made me wildly aware of the HS student tourist industry and how they take advantage of these kids and parents. I will leave you with this story. We pulled into a budget hotel in Arles France. The tour had not been going well on a few levels and Explorica was well aware. They decided to upgrade us from the a budget to luxury room in Arles. To begin with the hotel was in a very dirty part of town with public housing on one side of the hotel. There was literally trash all around the perimeter. The hotel was split in half budget and luxury. Luxury was a stretch. The luxury being the kids could use the pool. Other than that it's the same hotel. When 40 roll into registration it can take awhile to get your keys. When I finally got my key I headed up to the elevator but some of our kids were already coming down saying the rooms were not cleaned and the beds still dirty from the guests before. Some other people said their keys weren't working. When I opened my door the first thing I saw was a tower fan. This can't be good I thought and immediately
In Puerto Rico, our guide, Alberto, and our driver, Adam, were both incredible and went out of their way to make sure we all had an amazing experience. They were always prepared and on top of everything. Would highly recommend.
Disappointed With Lack of Support After My Child’s Belonging Was Lost
I am very disappointed with how this situation was handled by Explorica (WorldStrides). After my daughter returned from her school trip, we discovered that she had accidentally left her iPad in her hotel room. I immediately tried to get help locating it. Using Find My iPad, I could see that the device was still at the hotel. When I contacted WorldStrides for assistance, I was initially given the wrong hotel information, which caused additional delays while I tried to find the correct hotel myself. After locating the correct hotel and contacting them directly, the hotel eventually confirmed that they had searched and found my daughter’s iPad. I provided all the information needed for the iPad to be returned, including my mailing address. However, more than eight days have passed with no updates, no shipping information, and no resolution. When I contacted WorldStrides again, I was told that it was my responsibility to communicate with the hotel. I explained that I had already done that, and that the hotel had confirmed they had the iPad but was not responding or arranging its return. I was told WorldStrides would contact the hotel, but I have not received any follow-up. As a parent, I expect a travel company responsible for arranging my child’s trip to provide support when issues arise. Lost items can happen, but communication, accountability, and helping families resolve problems are extremely important. Parents trust companies like Explorica with their children’s travel experiences. If a child’s personal belongings are not taken seriously, it raises concerns about how other situations involving student care and safety are handled. I hope Explorica improves its communication and customer support so future families receive the help they deserve.
We just got back from the UK, France and Spain trip. We are owed refunds on our hotel fees and 1 excursion. One of our hotels we woke up and were covered in ants! I mean thousands! Tiny rooms in dirty hotels was mostly the name of the game. We have traveled with World Strides previously to Costa Rica and we had the most amazing rooms. Also, the Toledo Spain sword excursion is a complete scam! He hit a sword 6 times with a hammer and we were led into a room and sold stuff like car salesman. Absolute waste of money! Miriam was Wonderful!
We had an unbelievable experience with Explorica. We started in Ireland and continued to travel into the entire UK. Sabi, our tour guide was amazing!! I'm honestly sad she was in and out of our lives so quickly. She was so knowledgeable and very quick to fix the unexpected hiccups that come with a big group traveling to 4 countries. I would definitely travel with this company again and I would request Sabi.
I was a chaperone on a fabulous trip to Dublin, Wales, London, and Paris. Our guide, Maddie, was amazing!! She was very knowledgeable, well organized, and fun! The entire trip from take-off to returning home was a breeze. The guides within the towns had amazing stories of history. The coach drivers were funny and drove with a breeze on those small streets. The hotel rooms were very nice and the meals were so good. I highly recommend traveling through Explorica.
My son went on a trip to Japan. Unfortunately he lost his passport on Thursday . They had a plan to go to the Embassy on Monday as their luggage was already shipped to their next destination in Japan. The company advised them to get off the bus told them they had to get off the bus even the tour guide was against it. The company that is based in the United States told them on Friday, which was Juneteenth to get off the bus and go to the embassy and not continue with the group. They missed five of their seven days. I had to send money for activities food, and Transportation because they did not cover it after I had already paid for food Transportation and lodging instead of allowing them continue with their tour. They could’ve just missed Monday, one day of their entire trip to go to the embassy. It was a total disaster. They also did not give them their luggage until four days later so they had to buy all new clothes all new hygiene all new everything! I’m furious
London, Paris, Italy, Greece trip June 8-22, 2026 Group of 27 travelers male/female ages 19-70 If not for the absolutely hardest working group guide, this trip would have been a complete disaster. Who ever put this trip together has no business working for Explorica or any other group/educational tour company. The majority of the provided food meals were a 2 out of 10. And I am being generous on that "2". I know the locations we were eating had better choices because we could see what others were eating. Some breakfast were nothing much more than bread and beans. We are pretty certain that several of our co-travelers were exposed to some sort of allergen or parasite from one of the hotels as they broke out with a nasty rash on lower leg areas. One of those travelers booked a flight back to the states in the middle of our trip due to the risk of infection. Nearly all of the hotels were located in less desirable areas of the city and required lengthy travel times to tour cites. Again, our tour guide went above and beyond the call of duty. I have been on 3 previous group trips and have never experienced such a poorly planned out trip. Do your research and check out the reviews before booking your next group tour.
I am writing to formally express my disappointment regarding my recent tour experience. Unfortunately, this was one of the poorest organized tours I have ever participated in. A significant portion of the issues stemmed from expectations that were communicated before the trip but were not reflected in the actual experience. From the outset, there was a substantial lack of organization and communication. We were not provided with a complete itinerary in advance, which made it difficult to plan accordingly and understand what to expect throughout the trip. Upon arrival, an excessive amount of time was spent navigating, walking in the wrong direction, or attempting to determine where we were supposed to be. It became evident that our tour guide lacked familiarity with the itinerary and destinations, resulting in missed opportunities and a diminished educational experience. Communication throughout the tour was consistently inadequate. We were not provided with the names of restaurants in advance or informed about meal arrangements. As a result, I learned quickly to eat substantial lunches because the dinners provided were often insufficient. Similarly, hotel information was not shared in a timely manner, and when it was, there was little to no guidance regarding available amenities or services. In many instances, our accommodations were located 20 to 30 minutes away from the sites we were scheduled to visit the following day, creating unnecessary travel time and reducing opportunities for exploration. The overall pace of the tour was rushed and poorly managed. We were frequently moved from one location to another without clear instructions or adequate time to appreciate the destinations. Due to communication failures, members of our group were occasionally left behind despite arriving on time. As someone visiting Europe for the first time, I found this particularly frustrating and unacceptable. On one occasion, I was publicly reprimanded for not receiving messages that had been delayed in the group chat, despite the issue being beyond my control. Another concern was the lack of accommodation for the needs of the group. Several participants faced challenges due to age, mobility, or physical limitations, yet the itinerary and activities did not appear to take those factors into consideration. Additionally, there was a student with a disability who did not appear to receive appropriate accommodations or support throughout the trip. My most serious concern, however, is the issue of safety. As a parent chaperone, I was fortunate enough to be present and capable of navigating situations independently. However, there were multiple occasions when participants were left without clear information regarding locations, meeting points, or schedules. Had I been a parent at home relying solely on the information being provided, I would have been extremely concerned about the welfare and whereabouts of my child. I am providing this feedback in the hope that meaningful improvements will be made to prevent future travelers from having a similar experience. Based on this experience, I would not use this company again, nor would I readily recommend guided tours through your organization. The lack of organization, communication, accommodations, and attention to participant safety significantly impacted what should have been an enjoyable and educational experience. Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope this feedback will be taken seriously and used to improve on future tours.
The trip was great. The financial management was an absolute disaster. It took six months to receive fundraising money that already belonged to families and two months to receive refund cheques. Cheques were mailed to the wrong address multiple times, some were made out to children instead of parents, and even cancelled cheques were sent out. I've spent more time tracking down money and correcting mistakes than I ever should have had to. For a company entrusted with thousands of dollars from families, this level of financial administration is simply unacceptable. Great travel experience. Terrible financial service. I would think very carefully before using Explorica again.
This trip was the most memorable going to UK, France, and Spain. We also had the best tour director ever, Valentina. She made this experience lovely. I would 100% recommend her to be a tour guide.
My Experience on this Explorica London and Paris trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Because of my background as a art teacher, it brought everything to life, from all my 19+ years of teaching. Explorica US created a seamless experience of adventures. The team worked around all the problems they faced, from strikes on mass transit to protest in London. Everything, right down to the selection of the restaurants that catered to everyone's need. I told my wife that this trip was our anniversary, our birthdays wrapped up in one trip. Would I do it again with Explorica US. Absolutely. Fantastic. Loved it.
What an amazing experience, best decision ever. Our trip was to Europe, we went all around the UK and Ireland. Our tour guide was Sabela and she did an amazing job, even with some of the people in our group being difficult and not listening she was always professional. The only down side was first our bus driver for Ireland, he was reckless, dangerous, disrespectful to our tour guide, and had bad road rage while driving. Luckily Sabela reported these dangerous situations and was able to get us a new driver. Lastly many of the people in our group paid extra to go see the Windsor Castle, but apparently a week before our trip it got canceled because the Castle wasn't even open that day. Every person that booked that excursive did not automatically get a refund, they had to contact customer service or write an email stating the issue to get a refund. Since this was so last minute our tour guide didn't even know, and we had nothing planned for that whole day. This wasn't to bad because we all had free time to walk around the city. Over all I had a wonderful time and I'm even planning on doing another trip in the future.
Our Ecuadorian guide Alfonso was the BEST! He was so knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics and could answer all our questions or could find out the answers about the topic if it wasn’t something he knew. He was very attentive to our group and took into consideration our interests and was able to make the trip more personalized. He was also very attentive if there were health needs that came up during the trip and helpful with advice. We had two other guides in the Galapagos who were just as knowledgeable! Richardo and Pablo. Richardo lives on Santa Cruze and Pablo on Isabela; you could feel the passion and love for their islands when they were talking about things on the tours. Everything was coordinated and organized so well! The hotels and places where we ate were fantastic!! All three guides made my visit absolutely amazing and unforgettable!! Thank you Explorica for the fantastic experience!! Would recommend 100%!
We had an incredible experience with Explorica for our group trip to Costa Rica! From start to finish, everything was well-organized, and the ability to customize our itinerary made a huge difference in creating a truly memorable experience for our students. A special shoutout to our tour guide, Jenny! She was absolutely wonderful. She struck the perfect balance of being friendly and personable while also incredibly knowledgeable. She made learning fun and engaging for our students, and her passion for Costa Rica really came through in everything she shared. Also couldn't have made the trip safely without our amazing driver Jose! They were both like family by the end of our 9 day adeventure. Our itinerary took us to some amazing locations... from the remote beauty of Tortuguero to the stunning Arenal Volcano. We had unforgettable adventures like kayaking and ziplining in Monteverde, and wrapped it all up with a beautiful beach day in Manuel Antonio plus so much more! Along the way, we got to experience the lush landscapes, incredible wildlife, amazing food, and unique culture that make Costa Rica so special. Overall, this was a fantastic trip, and I highly recommend Explorica for group travel. We’re so grateful for the experience and the memories we created!
