Traveling with EF Tours

Depending on the location you are traveling to, EF will either provide breakfast and dinner OR breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Based on this it is advised that students budget $35-$55 for each day of tour. This will be for lunch (if not provided), souvenirs, snacks, or anything else students want to get throughout the day.

ATMs are located in a majority of places that EF travels to but they will only work if the student has access to a debit card and knows the pin number. This is super important because we don't want students traveling around with large amounts of cash on them, instead they should be able to pull out money when needed. 

Major credit cards are accepted at most stores and restaurants around the world BUT there are still some places and activities that will require cash so bringing a credit card and debit card is ideal.

❤️ Helpful hint: any time you use your card you will be asked if you want to pay in U.S. dollars or the local currency and there is only one correct answer. ALWAYS CHOOSE TO PAY IN THE LOCAL CURRENCY. This allows your bank to convert the charge at the current exchange rate instead of losing more money later through dynamic currency conversion. 

Travelers under the are of 20 will share rooms with one to four other tour participants of the same sex, either from their own group or from other groups with whom they are traveling. Hotel styles and room configurations are different in each new destination, so travelers who share a room in one city might not have the same roommates in another.

Adults traveling on tour will be paired up with one other adult of the same sex. 

Room upgrades are available through EF in the form of family rooms (no more than 3 people) or single rooms.

Except when noted, EF will use first-class, superior tourist-class, or tourist-class hotels.

Hotel rooms abroad are often less modern or standardized than those in North America but each room will have a private bathroom included.

Some differences from North American hotels: 

• rooms are usually smaller and have multiple single and/or shared double beds.

• Rooms might not have air conditioning or televisions 

• Not all hotels have elevators

• WiFi might not always be available or only accessible in the lobby. 

• Shower pressure tends to be weaker than in North America and in some countries the showerhead might be directly over the toilet or the sink. 

Food and eating habits will be different then what you are accustomed to at home. You will be expected to pay for soft drinks, bottle water, or any other beverages with your meals. 

Breakfast is usually not the stereotypical full spread that Americans are used to. It will usually just include cereals, breads, jams, meat, cheese, juice, and coffee.

Dinners tend to be smaller portions than American's are used to. Make sure to bring extra money for snacks if you are still hungry.

EF is a fast paced adventure. Many of the sightseeing tours are on foot so expect to do a lot of walking. 

On average we walk about 8.5 miles per day 😱

Tips should be collected at the last meeting you have before the trip. 

The suggested guidelines are as follows:

• $8/person per day for the Tour Director

• $3/person per day for the Bus Driver

• $1-$2/person for each Local Tour Guide