WorldStrides

Louisiana 4-H Fashion Board SEW Thrilled with NYC Trip

We could not have asked for more from our 5 day NYC trip...EVERY detail was perfect, but not set in stone so that we could tailor our experience to what the group wanted. Being a fashion focused group meant that we were very interested in the Garment District and shopping to bring back unique items. We had a PHENOMENAL tour guide, David Beach, who was BEYOND knowledgeable, answered every question that the youth threw at him and every detail was perfect. The Radio City Music Hall tour, Broadway workshop, shopping in Chinatown and the two Broadway shows were mentioned ALOT by our travelers as favorite activities. Having the bus for transportation was a nice perk, as well as, having the security guard each night at the hotel. The breakfasts at the Hotel Edison were yummy and we got to try out all four of the voucher meal options. We experienced so much of New York and everyone felt like they definitely got their money's worth!!!! On a side note, everything was perfect until we started back home and then we had major issues with our flights. Even with this, the Worldstrides Emergency Team was there to find us SEVEN hotel rooms (even with the World Cup Finals and the President being in town going on 2.8 miles from where we needed to be) and set up Uber rides to get us back and forth to the airport. They were always a phone call away and always followed up with us. Our bad review is for the airlines, not Worldstrides or Explorica!!!!!!

Our guide Osh was fantastic

Our guide Osh was fantastic! He kept checking with everyone to see if they were enjoying the trip and was always getting ahead of logistical issues before they posed any problems. The excursions were very cool, can’t wait to take our next trip!

Will not recommend this trip to anyone

My son was on a trip where the two bus drivers that were contracted ran into each other and caused an accident on a major freeway. The kids were required to stay in the bus, which I understand, but there is no air-conditioning in the middle of a heat wave and my son said it was so hot that it made him sick. Then they missed out on going to Philadelphia, which was the biggest draw of this trip and there are many other activities missed. I understand it was out of your control, but just the fact that a contracted bus driver could run into the other bus and cause this much disruption and a trip is ridiculous. Then on top of that I wasn’t even communicated about my son being an accident. He texted his sister and that’s how I found out. Then he had items missing that the bus driver supposedly put on the bus, but then they were never found. We put in a claim and nobody ever contacted us. For the amount of money I paid for this trip. I am highly disappointed and will be filing a claim for a refund. My son was super excited about this trip but when he came back, he told me he wished he didn’t go.

Central Europe

I was the main chaperone on our tour. The initial communication with Explorica/World Strides (as travelers were enrolling) was consistent and great, but then we got passed around between contacts and I had a hard time getting in reliable communication, leaving several of our questions unanswered, or appointments for calls that were requested not fulfilled (they told me we would have a call, but then stopped engaging in communication about when and just dropped it). Initially, several hours on the first day were spent waiting for the other groups and travelers arriving from other places. It could have been nice to have another arrangement for our group (we were 27 as apposed to the other 9) to get transportation to the first hotel or location to start the cultural experience. It left many travelers frustrated and some too exhausted to go on the first excursion after all that. The tour director was not as helpful as we imagined. He was the contact person for the hotels and drivers, but only did a little bit of guiding. He was a great person, just not as proactive for a tour director, as the group and I were expecting. We had some chaotic moments that seemed like they could have been avoided. A few times there were mix-ups with rooming, as the sheets I filled out upon request from the tour director were not considered by the hotels (not sure where the lapse was there). One hotel was short by one room, and it took over an hour to get it sorted out. When everyone is exhausted, that can be stressful. Finally, our tour ended with a very long return trip that had us spending a night in Canada. No transportation from and to the airport, nor meals were pre-arranged by Explorica/World Strides, and I had to be on top of that. There was also a mix-up with that last hotel name vs. address, which left some travelers quite disappointed, as they expected a pool, and then we spent the night at a Hilton offshoot. Ultimately, the general itinerary itself was good: We started in Paris, had a short stop in Basel, next Lucerne, then Innsbruck, and finally Munich. The time in Paris was sufficient, though we all would have liked to spend more time at the Louvre (only had 1.5 hours, which is almost silly). We had flexibility in Lucerne, which was nice. Innsbruck looked very pretty, but we spent more time there than was needed, given the lack of activities or a tour. However, the hotel in the mountains was everyone's favorite stay, and travelers would have enjoyed more time there, perhaps a second night, to explore nature the next day - hiking, walking, etc. It was just so beautiful there. The Neuschwanstein area was nice, and travelers enjoyed the tour through Hohenschwangau and the amazing views. We had an excellent Munich city tour, with a very engaging guide! That was the energy we all were hoping for from our tour director.

It was pretty good and had amazing…

It was pretty good and had amazing visuals but it felt really rushed.

Continues to need improvement in commutation

After working with Worldstrides for 1.5 years on this adults only trip, they still have work to improve on . You have to be on top of them to make sure they dont cut corners or forget what you requested. They cater more to teens that dont care where they stay, how many miles they have to walk nor how the food tastes so they can get away with that with them. For adults, its different.

The length of the trip is not sufficient.

I’ve taken several World Strides trips so I’m familiar with the types of hotels that are chosen as well as meal choices. However, now that the trip is done and I realize that the 4 days in Australia and the 2 days in New Zealand were not enough, I wonder why you wouldn’t have discussed that fact with our trip leader? Surely somebody in your company has traveled there and knows enough about those areas to point out that fact. Thankfully I started the trip 6 days ahead of the group because, in no way, was 1 1/2 days enough for Hawaii. With having to travel that far, I’d think you’d discourage such short stays. I’m hoping you respond to my comments because I am curious as to how you calculate the amount of time that should be spent in a particular city/country.

Greece

Our guide, Marieke, was incredible. She was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, and always willing to help. The places and sites were amazing.

We got booked on basically the same…

We got booked on basically the same tour as another massive group. The hotel was packed, we could hardly find room to have breakfast when we went. And the other group was poorly behaved and had multiple complaints at the hotel, and was loud and cursing on the trains - we were unfortunately lumped in with them and got looks from the locals. Often showed up to experiences at the same time as them as well. Tours should be spaced out with such large groups

Lucas was great

Excellent from start to finish

Excellent from start to finish. Tour Director was knowledgeable and had an amazing personality. Accommodations were beyond what I expected, and the tours felt VIP. The entire experience was beyond exceptional. I have been doing tours with another company for many years, and now this is my second time using Worldstrides. Both times I have been impressed beyond belief. They are hands down the best.

I was disappointed in the itinerary…

I was disappointed in the itinerary change however I still had a wonderful trip. My Washington guide Bernadette and my guide in France Nicolas were both amazing! I would book another trip with them for sure! There were quite a few mishaps, but we all worked together to resolve them. The record-breaking heat wave no one could’ve predicted that.

We had an amazing tour director and…

We had an amazing tour director and Kayla as always is great to work with. Our trip was wonderful.

The trip was action packed

The trip was action packed. The tour guide was very knowledgeable however I thought it would have been more interesting to hear about more local history

What an amazing trip

What an amazing trip! So many places to see in DC and Virginia. Everything was so well communicated and the staff was so kind and friendly.

Excellent Guide

Great - thank you Charo

In many ways the trip was amazing

In many ways the trip was amazing, however, with the extreme heat and amount of fast walking required, it was exhausting, and, at times, dangerous. We had 3 or 4 in our group, including myself, that had heat exhaustion and also falls that, luckily, caused only minor injuries. Our tour guide just kept on going with little concern for the injured. Also, he was the most unorganized tour guide I've encountered. I know no one has control of the weather, but with 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit temps every day, I think some alternatives, or, at least, a slower pace should be available.

The people that we met and traveled…

The people that we met and traveled with.

We had an amazing experience

We had an amazing experience. The trip was comprehensive but affordable. We really liked the hotels and their locations. We had a very knowledgeable tour director and a friendly long-term bus driver. When our plane was rerouted to another city upon arrival due to a tropical storm, the Explorica assist team was very quick to communicate and support us. I was very happy with our tour.

The flights on this trip were terrible

The flights on this trip were terrible; the company did not consider the travelers at all. Just because you are trying to put two groups together doesn't mean that you need to make one group travel more. The places we saw were amazing, but the itinerary was vague and way too much free time. I should say too much we will meet you somewhere and you find it on google maps.