Below are a few of our most common questions. This page will be updated frequently as we get asked questions about the program so check back often!
Do I need to travel with my student or can they go by themselves?
Students can travel with us all on their own. That's what Ms. King & Ms. Everett are there for to chaperone all the students. If parents want to travel, they are more than welcome to travel as well on any of our trips. Siblings of students can also travel. If a sibling is not a Lively student and is between the ages of 6-11, they will require a parent to attend with them. If a Lively student has an older sibling they can travel with us without a parent chaperone. Children aged 0-5 cannot travel with EF.
My student is an 8th grader, but the trip won't happen until next year. Is that ok?
As long as the student is a Lively student when they sign up for the trip, it doesn't matter what school they attend when the trip happens. Recently, we went to London and one of the students had switched schools but still traveled with us to London on the trip. If your student ends up as a 9th grader in high school when the trip happens, that is totally fine. One of our students on the Italy trip in July 2025 had just finished their freshman year of high school and they went with us and had a great time.
Are there any options to help me pay for the trip?
EF offers a few different payment plans to make the trips more affordable breaking the cost into easy automatic monthly or bi-monthly payments. They also offer a tour fundraising page to make it simple for friends and family to contribute towards a tour balance. 100% of the money donated to your page gets taken off your cost. They also offer scholarships which you can apply for once you've joined a tour.
Are the trips all-inclusive? Once I pay the cost listed, are there any other expenses I should expect to have to pay?
For the most part, these trips are all-inclusive. Look at each trip specifically because sometimes all meals are included and sometimes only breakfast and dinner is included which means a student would need money for lunch.
Things that are usually not included unless specifically stated: gratuities, baggage fees, room upgrades (singles), additional travel insurance, passport/visa fees, souvenirs/keepsakes, and any specialty beverages (water is usually included).
Can my student request a specific roommate (another student on the trip)?
Students can request a specific roommate with their group leader (either Everett or King). Both students have to request each other for the request to be granted. Also, it depends on the specific hotel accommodations as to whether there are 2, 3 or 4 students in each room. So there may be additional people in the room as well.
Will travelers be sharing hotel rooms with students from other schools?
Students traveling with Lively will be sharing rooms with other students traveling with Lively. They will not be sharing rooms with students from other school groups traveling with us. If a former Lively student is traveling with us (i.e. they signed up for the trip when they were still a student at Lively) --- then those travelers might be together with your student as they are all traveling specifically with Lively.
Can we make our own flight arrangements? (i.e. travel to/from the destination separate from the group)
Yes, you can work with EF on this. We had students on the Italy trip in July 2025 that met up with us when we arrived and then different students that were picked up by their parents to continue traveling in Europe at the end of our trip. EF will definitely work with you. If you don't travel with the group, they will not cover the cost, but it is possible to do and you should get a credit back.
If you don't see your question answered here, please feel free to reach out to our two teachers who travel: