Explorica US (explorica.com) has a 3.8 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 100 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Travel & Vacation and its reputation is mixed. 66% of reviews are 4 stars or higher and 17% are 1 star; The business has replied to 96% of negative reviews. Last updated 2026-08-10.
The parts of the trip that were beyond Explorica's control, were excellent: Italy, the weather, and the Italian guides. However, there were some significant concerns we had: the most significant was how our tour started. We were supposed to begin in Venice, but you took us to Amsterdam for a 7 hour layover and then flew us to Milan to board a bus to drive 4+ hours to Venice. So our kids were 30+ hours on the road without any tour. This was a colossal mistake. We lost an entire day of our trip because of this. I had also specifically requested that we get varied meals for supper (with protein and vegetables). 3/6 of the suppers that were organized by Explorica were just noodles in a plain tomato sauce. The one meal was manicotti with a tomato sauce... it was rough. I love food and love all sorts of foods. I struggled to eat it. Two small manicotti with, literally, three teaspoons of a whipped mousse for dessert. Many ordered in another supper after we got back from supper because it was so weak. The final concern we had was with our first hotel in Venice. The location (near Venice Beach) was excellent, but the condition of the room: cold showers for some, a metal cot-style bed (mine being held together with Tuck-Tape) with a thin mattress, and a really weak breakfast (minimal options compared to all the other European breakfasts we have seen on other tours).
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-14
Dear David,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed Italy, the guides, and the destinations themselves; however, we’re very sorry for the challenges you encountered at the start of the tour, as well as your concerns around meals and the initial hotel stay in Venice. We understand how frustrating disruption, long travel times, and unmet expectations can be—especially on an international student trip—and this is certainly not the experience we strive to provide. Your feedback has been shared internally, as it’s incredibly important in helping us improve future tours. We sincerely appreciate your honesty and thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention.
Kind regards,
The WorldStrides Team
Costa Rica Tour was great with Aura Tripovich as our tour director!
Tour director, Aura Tripovich, did an outstanding job leading our group through Costa Rica. Hotels were good. Food was great! The only restaurant that was not as good was the "Green Room" in Jaco, Costa Rica. The fish taco were less than adequate. It seemed like the other dishes were o.k. Sites visited were great. Horseback riding was excellent. Kayaking was great. Ziplining was awesome as well. Overall the food was culturally sound and for the most part was really good. We enjoyed the various locations. The airport hotel was convenient and were good accomodations and the food was good. The hotel in Arenal was good. The located in Arenal was right next to the town center and was very conveniently located next to various businesses such as ice cream shops, and bakeries in the central park location. The hotel in Puntarenas along the beach was an awesome location with respect to the ocean views. There was a pizza business near the hotel, which some groups took advantage of the last night in that specific hotel. Overall, Aura Tripovich, did an excellent job and made our trip run smoothly. She had a professional touch, while also being able to communicate some important items with the seriousness they require. The bus driver (Hilbert) was also a great driver. He has the bus temperature at an excellent level of coolness for my group. He was very friendly and helpful with all of our luggage. Both Hilbert and Aura did an excellent job on our tour. I give them my highest recommendation.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-14
Dear Mitchell,
Thank you so much for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review. We’re thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed your Costa Rica tour and that Aura Tripovich and Hilbert made such a positive impact on your experience. It’s wonderful to know the itinerary, activities, and accommodations met your expectations, and we appreciate your specific feedback on dining as well. Your kind words and recommendation mean a great deal to us, and we’ll be sure to pass along your praise to Aura and Hilbert. We hope to travel with you again in the future!
Warmly,
The WorldStrides Team
Had a great time in NY and DC saw lots of cool stuff there really life changing for my first time there
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-14
Dear Customer,
We’re so glad to hear you had such a wonderful experience in New York and Washington, DC! It’s great to know the trip was meaningful and impactful, especially as your first visit. Thank you for traveling with us and for sharing how memorable the experience was—we’re proud to be part of moments that leave a lasting impression.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team
L
Lori · 1 review · Verified · Experienced 2026-04-11 ·
★★★★★
Our trip was magnificent!
Our trip was magnificent from start to finish. It was perfectly planned and executed. Do not hesitate to use Explorica for travel! They are able to get deals and events that you can’t get yourself!
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-14
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear your trip was such a great experience and truly appreciate you choosing Explorica.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team
I had an amazing trip to Belize with my tour guide Dino who showed us amazing sites and locations with the history behind it!
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-14
Dear Customer,
We’re delighted to hear you had such an amazing experience in Belize! It’s wonderful to know that your Tour Director, Dino, made the trip even more special by sharing incredible sites and bringing their history to life. Thank you for traveling with us and for taking the time to share your experience—we’re so glad it was a memorable one.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team
E
EJ · 5 reviews · Verified · Experienced 2026-04-06 ·
★★★★★
Once again explorica delivers a great…
Once again explorica delivers a great experience that students really love. The students were able to see many things with a wonderful guide and they really enjoyed the experience and it was painless for the chaperones and the parents enjoyed the updates in the tour center.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our services. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and motivates us to continue delivering exceptional service.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
Explorica is the way to go when it comes to student travel!
Explorica is the way to go when it comes to student travel! They support you leading up to the trip with excellent communication and ideas! They support you even more on the tour-we had a couple get food poisoning and have to be hospitalized. Explorica was there every step of the way! Their insurance covered the costs and their people covered the stress! They even got our people back on tour after missing their flight-FANTASTIC! The guides they have on staff are amazing! They make you feel like family and are so proud of their country! They got to know us and added things to our tour they knew we would enjoy like chocolate tastings!
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-14
Dear Customer,
Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful review! We’re honored to hear how supported you felt before and during your tour. While unexpected situations can arise, we’re proud that our team was there every step of the way—helping manage the logistics, easing the stress, and ensuring everyone could safely continue the experience. It’s especially rewarding to know our guides made such a personal impact and enhanced your tour with meaningful, memorable moments. We truly appreciate your trust in Explorica and are grateful you chose to travel with us.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team
Some hotels were below par. Some dinners not good.
It would have been nice if these things were consistently good.
Otherwise happy with the tour
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Traveler,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience with us. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this situation has caused. Your concerns are taken very seriously.
We value your business and hope to regain your trust. Thank you for choosing WorldStrides, and we look forward to providing you with an improved experience on your next journey.
Best Regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
There was hardly any programing provided in the cities we visited. The kids had to pay to enter or participate in “optional” programing or have up to 8 hours of “free time”.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Patricia,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, Patricia. We’re truly sorry to hear that the level of included programming did not meet your expectations during the tour.
Our goal is always to provide a balanced itinerary that blends guided activities with scheduled free time, but we understand that this can feel disappointing if the experience does not align with what was anticipated. Your feedback regarding optional activities and extended free time is important and has been shared with our operations team for review.
We would appreciate the opportunity to look into your tour details more closely and address your concerns directly. Please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] with your booking information so we can follow up with you.
Best Regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
B
Ben · 1 review · Verified · Experienced 2026-03-29 ·
★★★★★
All around great experience
All around great experience with the Rome & Sicily itinerary. Will definitely be booking future trips with Explorica!
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our services. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and motivates us to continue delivering exceptional service.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
A
Anne · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-03-28 ·
★★★★★
Action packed, meaningful experiences
Both of my daughters travelled to the East Coast in the 8th grade with Explorica and had a great time. No major hiccups during travel. Accommodations were good overall, though one of the hotels had issues with the shower not working. The kids are kept very busy from sun up to lights out with non-stop activities to maximize their experience (great for that age group). Not much time given to eat, and kids are left to fend for themselves buying fast food- with the benefit of them appreciating my home cooking upon their return.
Amazing how much they packed in, and yet the experiences were meaningful, especially the memorials, and due attention was given to teaching history and making it alive for them, which is the whole point of the trip.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your positive feedback! We're happy to hear that you had a great experience with our program. Your compliments are a great encouragement to our team.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
All the time traveling is a very nice experience. Italy is a beautiful city full of art. For sure I will visit it again.
I would like to say that to be in the bus for 6 hours was no good. I could be preferred to visit a near city. The trip is short, but if you add some "day lost" is sad. We practically lost the first (2nd) day in the middle of nowhere waiting for the other group arriving.
Go from central to north Italy and back, it is a lost of time too.
The breakfast and some dinners I could qualify like "poor options" (no flavor cereal as unique option? sad).
I am not complain, but I think it could be better.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Lourdes ,
Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent experience with Explorica. We truly value your insights and take all customer concerns seriously.
Thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We look forward to providing you with a better experience on your next journey.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
K
Kevin · 1 review · Verified · Experienced 2026-04-05 ·
★★★★★
Flight delays. Lost a day and a half of tour.
We had massive delays with our flights and the Explorica emergency help line was very little help. They mostly just phoned us back to see how we had solved the issues for ourselves.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear about the significant flight delays and the impact they had on your tour experience.
Flight disruptions are understandably frustrating, and we regret that the support you received did not meet your expectations during that time. Our emergency support team is intended to assist travelers during unexpected situations, and we’re disappointed to hear that you felt unsupported.
We’d like the opportunity to review what happened and your interactions with our support team so we can improve future experiences. Please contact us at [email protected] and include your reference number so we can follow up with you directly.
Best Regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
D
Dawn · 1 review · Verified · Experienced 2026-04-05 ·
★★★★★
Working with pro's!!
EXPLORICA has a wonderful crew of professionals that make traveling with a group super easy. They help navigate, answer questions that in return helps the families with booking their students trip.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-08
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our services. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and motivates us to continue delivering exceptional service.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
Definitely wasn’t happy with the flight layovers. While I know at times they may be necessary, I feel like a 6 hour layover is excessive.
In addition, the hotels that we stayed in were bottom of the barrel.
Also, if you’re going to have people in an airport for 8 hrs, then fly for 9.5 hours, the itinerary for the first day should be minimal to no activities as we were exhausted from the plane ride and we went more than 24 hours without showers.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Tracey.
Thank you for taking the time to share your review. Your comments are essential to our continuous improvement, and we truly value your honesty and feedback.
We understand that your recent experience with WorldStrides fell short of your expectations, and for that, we sincerely apologize. Our team is committed to addressing the issue and ensuring it does not happen again. Here are the steps we are taking:
1. Investigation: We are thoroughly reviewing the issue you raised to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
2. Training and Improvement: We are implementing additional staff training to enhance the quality of our service.
3. Resolution: We aim to make things right and would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly. Please feel free to reach out to our customer service team at your convenience.
Thank you for choosing WorldStrides, and we look forward to the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
The activities and expertise of the leader were fantastic. What wasn't so great was that I had asked for the tour to be in German, or at least German language focused, and our tour guide spoke English with us. I asked the company as well as the tour guide to even do a blended German and then repeat in English, and they did not. I don't like that getting my students to learn German and enroll in my curriculum is a challenge, and then when they go to the country where they learned the language, they are taught to speak English with the Germans. I did not like that at all. I feel it did not support their language learning goals at all.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you for sharing your review with us. We’re genuinely sorry that your Explorica experience fell short of your expectations. Your feedback is crucial for our ongoing improvement, and we truly value your honesty.
Thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We look forward to providing you with a better experience on your next journey.
Best regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
The tour was well organized with…amazing visit centers
The tour was well organized with specific educational visits for the students and parents alike. Our Tour Director was amazing in the way he related with the students. This Explorica Tour got me to plan another tour next year, by popular demand from students and parents.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-08
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our services. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and motivates us to continue delivering exceptional service.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
N
Nola · 1 review · Verified · Experienced 2026-03-29 ·
★★★★★
Greece: March 2026 Trip
Our cruise was canceled and the tour company would not reschedule.
Had to pay for our own lunches/snacks when they would have been covered on the cruise.
Out of the 5 hotels we landed up staying only 2 of them were nice. The hotel on Santorini shower and bed were terrible.
Sitting on a ferry for 8 hours was a waist of time when we should have been enjoying excursions.
The fast ferry was extremely rocky. There was a teen that landed up trowing up for hours after this trip. I will never do this ride ever again. There was an employee of the superjet that was one of the rudest people I have ever seen. Getting help from the 800 number on the tour was not easy.
Our main tour guide Catherine was amazing. We also liked Yiota the local tour guide at the Acropolis. We made great friends with other people in our tour group from Florida and Canada. We saw some amazing ancient sites and places on this tour.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Thank you for your detailed feedback, Nola.
We sincerely regret the challenges you experienced during your Greece tour, particularly regarding the cruise cancellation, hotel accommodations, ferry experience, and difficulty reaching support.
We understand how disruptive itinerary changes and uncomfortable travel conditions can be, and we’re sorry this impacted your overall experience. Your comments about meals, transportation, and customer support are taken very seriously and will be shared with the appropriate teams for review.
We do appreciate you recognizing Catherine and Yiota for their exceptional work, and we’re glad you were still able to enjoy meaningful experiences and connections during the trip.
If you’re open to it, we would welcome the chance to review your tour details further. Please reach out to us at [email protected] so we can follow up with you directly.
Best Regards,
The WorldStrides Team.
A
Andrea · 7 reviews · Verified · Experienced 2026-04-06 ·
★★★★★
6 years of adventures
I have taken 6 trips with explorica and I have the best program consultant, for the last 11 years, she has really helped me and it is partly because of her, that I am so loyal. Of course the trips are great. and the Tour director was fabulous too. But my feeling towards Explorica is from my experience with her.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-08
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your positive feedback! We're happy to hear that you had a great experience with our program. Your compliments are a great encouragement to our team.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
M
Maria · 1 review · Verified · Experienced 2026-04-04 ·
★★★★★
My trip to Costa Rica truly surpassed…
My trip to Costa Rica truly surpassed all my expectations. Every single day was filled with amazing activities, each one more exciting than the last. It was the perfect balance of adventure and learning.
The students were highly engaged throughout the entire trip, constantly curious and eager to participate. It was incredible to see how much they learned from each experience, both academically and personally.
Our tour guide was absolutely incredible—knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and always making sure everyone was having a great time while learning about the culture and environment.
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience that I would highly recommend.
Reply from Explorica US2026-04-09
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our services. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and motivates us to continue delivering exceptional service.
Best regards,
The Worldstrides Team
