Prepare your students for their adventures abroad with EF. Review the following information with your students to help them understand what to expect on tour.
Group travel
Group travel is a great opportunity for students to make friends from other states and cities.
Unless you choose to travel as a private group, you will be traveling with other students and
teachers from the United States and Canada. Keep in mind that traveling with others requires thoughtfulness,
a good attitude and flexibility with tour and departure dates.
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Tour and departure date flexibility
EF is dedicated to making travel affordable for as many people as possible. That’s
why we always offer the lowest prices. We combine groups with similar tour and departure
dates, so whether you’re a group of six or 60, you benefit from the same low price.
In order to combine groups, we ask for your top three tour choices and some date
flexibility. We make every effort to provide you with your first choice, but we
may have to offer your second or third choice, or a comparable tour. Based on your
requested tour date, we’ll ask you for a date range within two days of the originally
requested date for tours departing October through April, and within four days for
tours departing May through September.
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Travel documents
Remind travelers that they will need to obtain their own passports and/or visas. Non-U.S. citizens must check their requirements and obtain any necessary travel documents. Stress that travelers are responsible for meeting the requirements of each country on your itinerary as well as countries they will travel through (including airports through which you will only transfer).
For more information please see
travel documentation.
Special travel requests
Group special travel and tour extension
Group special travel and tour extensions must be added at the time of enrollment. Re-confirm who will participate in any special travel arrangements you’ve made, including a stay-ahead or a stay-behind, and who will stay for the tour’s extension.
Individual special travel
Encourage those with special travel requests to submit them by 120 days prior to departure (deadline is 99 days prior to departure for 2009 tours, 110 days prior to departure for 2010/2011 tours). This includes individual stay-aheads/stay-behinds, flying from an alternate domestic gateway and
making one’s own flight arrangements (land only). Travelers should
log in to the travelers website and request special travel online.
Remind these travelers not to finalize any plans (or purchase airline tickets) until the tour and date have been confirmed (around 70 days prior to departure). Once your tour and dates have been confirmed,
travelers should re-confirm special travel. Please note that special travel requests are booked separately from the group itinerary and therefore travelers may fly on an alternate round trip itinerary.
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Travel insurance
Talk to your group about insurance. We recommend that you require all travelers to sign up for the
All-Inclusive Insurance.
Our experienced group leaders find that this gives both themselves and their travelers’ peace of mind.
Ensure that everyone who wants the All-Inclusive Insurance is signed up by 75 days prior to departure.
If it’s already later than 75 days prior to departure, let them know they can still sign up for Medical and Accident Insurance and Baggage
and Property Insurance up until the day before departure.
Read more about insurance »back to top
Rooming
Student rooming
Students under age 23 will share rooms with two
or three other travelers of the same gender, either from their own group or from other groups with whom they are traveling. Each room will contain single
beds or occasionally shared double beds, or a combination of the two. Hotel styles
and room configurations vary among destinations, so students who share a room
in one city may not do so in the next. Even so, we recommend that you have an idea
of your students’ rooming preferences before you depart for tour.
Students under the age of 23 who wish to have twin rooms will be charged an additional
fee. Please submit this information on the
rooming list
(also found in your EF Group Leader Binder).
Adult rooming Adults (travelers 23 years or older at the time of
the tour) will be roomed in twin rooms (with two single beds) with other adults
of the same gender. Double accommodations (one large bed or two single beds pushed
together) are also available. If any adults
wish to have a single room, a single room supplement will be added to their account.
Refer to the
rooming list
(also found in your EF Group Leader Binder) for details and exact prices,
as supplements vary by destination.
Should you have a family in your group wishing to room together, tell your tour
consultant and note this on the
rooming list
(also found in your EF Group Leader Binder). In some countries, hotels are not always able to accommodate
such requests.
Rooming on night trains and ferries (if applicable)
Explain to
your travelers that sleeping compartments on trains are very small and there are
no single or double rooms. Adults and students will room in couchettes of up to
six shelf-like beds that fold down from the wall. Bathrooms are located outside
the compartments in the corridor. Single rooms are not available on overnight ferries,
overnight trains or tours to Africa. Email your group about rooming requests or
collect their requests at your meeting.
The deadline to submit rooming for all adults
and non-standard student requests is 70 days prior to departure
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Hotels
A good night’s sleep is important, so count on superior tourist-class hotels with private baths. And rest assured, we inspect every hotel personally to ensure it’s comfortable,
clean and safe..
Some common differences from North American hotels:
- Rooms and beds are usually smaller and have single and/or shared double beds.
- Rooms seldom have air conditioning or
televisions.
- Not all European hotels have elevators.
- Shower pressure tends to be much weaker and, in some countries, the showerhead may
be a detachable, hand-held device, directly above the toilet or sink. Few hotels
have shower curtains.
- Many European hotel bathrooms do not provide face towels. Students may want to bring
their own.
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Meals
Travelers should expect food and portion size to be different than what
they are accustomed to at home.
Breakfast typically includes cereal, bread or rolls, jam, juice, coffee and tea.
Lunch is the chance to make culinary discoveries of your own – ask your tour director
for recommendations. Included dinners will either be familiar dishes or local specialties.
Advise your group that they will be expected to pay for soft drinks and other beverages
at dinner. Table water is always provided free of charge; bottled water is provided
only in those countries where deemed necessary by locals (e.g. Egypt).
Due to the challenges of serving a large group, you will usually receive a pre-set
meal rather than ordering from a menu. Speak with your tour consultant prior to
departure to verify which meals are included and to confirm any specific dietary
requirements.
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Tour pace
Students should bring comfortable footwear. Many sightseeing tours are on foot,
so you will do a lot of walking. In addition, the use of public transportation often
involves a lot of stairs and walking to and from the train platforms. Remind your
travelers--both students and adults--that our educational tours are generally
fast-paced.
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Optional excursions and activities
Your tour will offer optional excursions that take place during free time. Optional excursions can be purchased before tour for a discounted price (deadline is 50 days prior to departure) or purchased on tour. However, keep in mind that certain excursions must be pre-booked. In the
My Tours section of you online account you can view the optional excursions offered on your tour. Optional excursions are based on a minimum of 20 paying participants. If possible, we will combine you with other tour groups to achieve this minimum. In addition to these excursions, your Tour Director may also offer special activities (i.e. gondola ride in Venice) while on tour, based on the interest of your group. These activities may only be purchased on tour with cash.
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Punctuality
No matter where you travel, there is a tremendous amount to see and do – and a limited
time in which to cover it! For that reason, most EF itineraries are packed with
activities. It is crucial that everyone makes punctuality a priority; for wake up
calls, sightseeing tours, meeting times etc. It takes just one person showing up
late to throw off a whole day’s schedule. Please remind your students how important
it is that they follow instructions and tell them to wear watches if possible.
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Transportation
Inform students that flights may consist of multiple legs and, if you are a large group, everyone may not travel on the same itinerary.
Public transportation is more commonly used abroad than it is in many parts of North America. To travel to local activities or free-time options, EF groups generally find it easy to use public transportation. Your tour director will help you to learn the maps and routes.
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Exchanging money
We recommend bringing the equivalent of $50 in the currency of your destination for expenses upon arrival. Do not bring travelers’ checks since they can be difficult to cash. ATMs are the most convenient way for cash withdrawals since they accept a wide number of bank and credit cards. All travelers should check with their banks to ensure that their cards will work abroad.
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Spending money
We recommend telling students that they should plan on approximately $40-$60 per day for spending money, depending on where your group is going.
The guidelines below are divided by region.
The lower amount covers enough for lunches, soft drinks, postcards and stamps, while the higher amount covers some museum entrances during free time and souvenirs.
These recommendations do not cover optional excursions or gratuities.
Europe
$45-65
Australia, New Zealand, Africa
$50-75
Costa Rica
$20-30
Japan
$50-75
China and Asia
$30-40
Mexico, Central/South America
$30-40
We advise buying optional excursions pre-tour and discussing with your tour director which extra activities you’d like to fit in during free time. Your tour director can give you a good indication of the cost for such activities.
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Tipping
While all non-discretionary gratuities are included in the EF Program Fee, it’s customary to tip the tour director and coach driver as a token of appreciation at the end of the tour. We recommend:
- $6 (€4) per person per day for the tour director
- $3 (€2) per person per day for the coach driver
- $10 (€6) per person per day for the cruise staff (if applicable)
Many group leaders also tip local guides for half-day sightseeing tours. On a full-day excursion, giving a small tip to both the professional local guide and the day’s driver is typical.
We recommend using local currency for tipping as it is difficult for tour directors to cash traveler’s checks or Visa gift cards. We suggest you deposit the tip money into your bank account and withdraw it in local currency at the end of the tour, then present it to your tour director and bus driver in tip envelopes provided by EF.
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Packing
Your group members should pack as lightly as possible; as much as will fit in one
suitcase and an EF back pack. Please make it clear to your participants that they
will be responsible for loading their luggage on and off buses and trains and into
hotels.
Learn more about what to
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