WorldStrides

Travel to Germany as a student

I went as a student while traveling to Germany and we were well token care of. Thank you so much. It was a memorable experience

The World Strides staff in DC

The World Strides staff in DC, Our tour guide Matt Haas was amazing, he really made the trip great for our students. My account manager, Casey Costanza, is always there to help and plan an amazing trip. The people I work directly with are why I keep planning trip with the company.

I think communication is a plus and…

I think communication is a plus and you' all do a great job with it. Weather it's keeping me informed or the parents.

Melanie our tour director was AMAZING

Melanie our tour director was AMAZING! She was attentive to everyone. Her working knowledge of all the areas we toured was impressive. I have been on numerous trips, she was top notch and 5 stars!!!

France- Paris to Nice

Although it was wonderful to be on vacation in France, I have a few comments that hopefully will improve the quality of the experience in the future. 1. In Paris tickets for experiencing the Eiffel Tower were not purchased in advance. Due to the heat the lines were long and we were unable to go up the tower to see the views. 2. The food for the first group dinner provided by the tour SUCKED! That was not a French cuisine. 3. The restaurant picked for our last group dinner was too far from the hotel we were staying at. Although we took a tram part way to the restaurant, we still had to walk a long way to get to the restaurant. 4. Not enough time in Nice to see sights. Only had an hour to go to the beach and then attend dinner. 5. Even though using the Metro in Paris there was still a tremendous amount of walking and we didn’t have time to see everything listed on the itinerary. I did enjoy the sights we were able to explore. The Louve tour was very nice and the guide was knowledgeable. Our tour guide was exceptional, accommodating and knowledgeable.

Regarding our Flight reservations

Regarding our Flight reservations, we paid money for me and my three sisters to sit together, or at least that is the way it was explained to my sister. We were told if we paid $120 per person, we could sit together, of course that did not happen. My sister was on the phone with your company; continuously being told they would take care of things and did not. I advised my Tour Leader of my concerns regarding my hip replacement and issues with my knees; we were walked excessively fast in the heat of the day. I know it wasn't but so much that could be done about that, but the fast walking was an issue when most of us were in our 40's to 70 years old. There were also good times we had on the tour once we arrived at our locations, it was not all bad. The Tour Guides were great, just didn't take my concerns under consideration while walking, later towards the end of our tour the excessive fast walking did slow down.... Really beyond the seating fiasco and the excessive fast walking, it was a good tour.

Our guide Edgardo was insightful

Our guide Edgardo was insightful, fun, and such a good person. He really helped immerse the students in the culture.

Wonderful trip with a few hiccups

Worldstrides did a wonderful job planning the trip. However we had a few issues. One dinner was supposed to be at a mall cafeteria, but we showed up as they were closing. Then we also were going to go on the USS Constitution in Boston, but they had closed for renovations the day before. Our bus broke down and we spent four hours in the parking lot of a Wawa. Wish that the tour guide would have been a little more forceful in finding a solution. We would love to have better food options as well.

The daily activities that were planned…

The daily activities that were planned for our group was truly amazing and I will never forget this trip. I also enjoyed our assigned tour guide who was filled with knowledge. It was a pleasure to know him. (Kamelo)

Our tour guide rocked it

Our tour guide rocked it! He was extremely knowledgeable and made all of our experience fun and safe!

Great itinerary! Tour guide Pablo was great! I really enjoyed the beach time the last two days of the trip. La Costa Dorada was beautiful!

Our tour guide made wonderful suggestions for our free time. We all had a wonderful trip. I really enjoyed the beach time the last two days of the trip. La Costa Dorada was beautiful!

France/Spain

Too many subway trips and the food selection in France was terrible. As much money paid I felt ripped off…not for me ever again

👍Can't wait to go again

Neglible Travel Support

Overall, our students had a wonderful experience in New York, and there were several aspects of the trip that I appreciated. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and helpful, and the events and activities were well chosen. One small criticism: I was disappointed with the Day 1 group meal at Dallas BBQ. Despite the name, it wasn't really barbecue, and serving a Dallas-themed restaurant to a group from Houston felt like a missed opportunity. When students travel to New York, they should experience something that feels distinctly New York. My primary concern, however, is not about restaurants or itinerary choices. It is about what happened after our flight was canceled. When our Saturday flight was canceled and we became stranded in New Jersey, we immediately contacted WorldStrides/Explorica. Unfortunately, from that point forward, we felt almost completely abandoned. The response we received was essentially, "Call us when you have a new flight." At the very moment we needed an advocate, we were left to navigate the situation ourselves. For hours, we stood in United's customer service lines while simultaneously spending countless hours on the phone, repeatedly being transferred or disconnected. I cannot understand why no one from WorldStrides/Explorica was also on the phone advocating for our group. United is one of your travel partners. Surely your company has channels and relationships that could have helped move the process along or at least share the burden. Instead, every call, every hold, and every dead end fell to me. Ultimately, it was not WorldStrides/Explorica that solved our transportation problem. It was a personal friend who happens to be one of United's highest-tier frequent flyers. Through that connection, I was finally able to reach someone with the authority to rebook our group. Without that fortunate personal connection, I honestly do not know how much longer we would have remained stranded. Even then, one student's family had to purchase a separate ticket so he could return home in time for important medical appointments. They absorbed that additional expense themselves. Another complication was that our travelers had been booked under four separate reservations rather than as one unified group. That made it much more difficult for United to assist us efficiently during the disruption. I do appreciate that WorldStrides/Explorica covered our hotel accommodations for the additional three days. That was the right thing to do. However, paying for hotel rooms should not have been the extent of your crisis response. During those three days, no one from your company called simply to ask how we were doing, whether our students were safe, or whether there was anything else your team could do to advocate on our behalf. No one checked in. No one offered guidance. No one shared updates. We were simply left on our own. That lack of communication was, frankly, the most disappointing part of the experience. I am not asking for compensation. I am saying that when schools entrust a company with student travel, they expect more than reservations and hotel payments. They expect a partner who will actively support them when things go wrong. This is also not an isolated incident. It is the second time my program has experienced inadequate travel support from WorldStrides/Explorica during a disruption. Because of that pattern, I will be seriously comparing other student travel companies before planning our next trip. The quality of a travel company is not measured when everything goes according to plan. It is measured by how it responds when the plan falls apart. Unfortunately, this experience did not inspire confidence.

Difficulties at the very beginning with…

Difficulties at the very beginning with the ease of sign-ups really started us off on the wrong foot. Didn't really recover the trust from participants, especially when so many dropped.

Noemi

Noemi, our tour manager, was fantastic! The itinerary was great!

Hope you don't need help.

When the flight home was cancelled we received no support with re-booking flights and were left to sort it out on our own. A hotel was provided for the group but no follow up was made. In the 3 days we were sat waiting for the new flights home nobody from the company contacted the group to check in. And in fact we all received "welcome home" emails while our children were still stranded on their trip. When I send my child on a school tour I expect help when things go wrong not a good luck and a wave.

Experience of a lifetime

All of the tour guides were very nice and were good that their jobs. They were fun to be around, and I actually learned stuff from them. The overall experience was amazing. I loved seeing the Galapagos, Quito, Lima, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu. I would totally do this trip again someday. The food was very good as well.

The tour guide was largely indifferent…

The tour guide was largely indifferent to the group. The plans kept changing. When we were told that it was a five minute walk, it was actually a 15-20 minute walk. 15 minute walks were around 45 minutes. We were turned over to local tour guides who did not take us to interesting or photogenic sites, but droned on about how buildings were constructed. We were not there to learn about structural engineering.i know there is nothing that can be done about the temperatures, but when people are getting sick from dehydration and nearing heat exhaustion, adjustments need to be made. I was sickened by the heat and excessive walking, as was a friend on the trip. Several people had falls. Thankfully, none serious. As a result of dehydration, I’m now under medical care for blood clots. One in the group referred to our daily routine as “the death march.” We were left at a restaurant at 10:00 PM , to walk back to the hotel on our own. In a foreign country, not speaking the language. We were told that the hotel shuttle could only take a few people, and only make two trips. REALLY??? We were not given porter service Italy is a beautiful and interesting country, but I feel our group was cheated out of what could have been a phenomenal experience. This was the most haphazard and unorganized trip I have ever taken. I have traveled a lot, both domestically and overseas. This is without question the worst travel experience I’ve ever had.

Life-Changing Expierence!

Our guide, Alex Sanchez, was wonderful and directing us to places of interest and was very helpful with a stubborn, ill-behaved teen. The whole trip was an amazing experience! I highly recommend WorldStrides! Alex met us at the airport and made sure the whole trip was smoothly!