"Explorica is an unmitigated nightmare"

The trip to Japan had 7 participants from the high school. We agreed on the price and paid monthly for nearly a year. Then suddenly an additional $1144 custom tour fee was added after we'd paid for 10 months. The official explanation was that because our group was so small this fee applied. Had Explorica made that fee known up front then we all would have made a different calculation on the value of the trip, but they didn't. Instead, Explorica sat on all our money for a year.

The trip leader consulted with Explorica and was told we'd need to increase the size of the group but we were now inside 90 days till travel time - and that made it impossible to get new participants who could afford the price essentially all at once. Our group discussed options, then the date was changed to an incompatible date for us in an attempt to buy time to grow the group size and avoid the additional $1144. Everyone involved ended up canceling. Thankfully we purchased their 'cancel for any reason' insurance option that *guaranteed* 75% of the $399 sign-up fee would be refunded.

It took nearly 6 weeks for trip funds to be returned but that didn't include the $399 sign-up fee. For that refund Explorica sent us to their insurance company, TripMate who, after filling out all their forms and waiting for weeks, denied our claim. TripMate concluded that changing the date of the trip to an incompatible date did not meet their criteria for a refund. And so they sent us back to Explorica. So much for 'cancel for any reason.'

I called Explorica and reached their Yucatan, Mexico call center and explained. Oh, yes. They will now process the 75% refund of the $399 sign-up fee now that TripMate had rejected the claim in a completely unnecessary process. But wait, there's more. Explorica cannot begin that refund until they receive forms from TripMate. Mind you, they don't actually request these forms based on my call. No, they simply wait until TripMate decides to send them before processing the refund. That should take another 6-8 weeks.

I don't appreciate:

* getting an unannounced surprise $1144 fee dropped on my payment ledger just as I made what I though was the last payment

* not being informed of that fee in advance of signing up

* jumping through hoops to get a refund when I'd purchased their insurance. Refunds should then be automatic

* waiting over 3 months to receive all that I'm due

Think long and hard if this is the kind of business experience you want to have.

"Overpriced, and deceitful"

I signed up to go on an Israel trip with WorldStrides/Explorica in May of 2024, but because one of our leaders had to back out, we requested a refund of our money. (This happened about a week before the war broke out.) Because I didn’t purchase the insurance, they are trying to charge me a cancellation fee of $399. I would understand if I was backing out, or if we were closer to our deadline, I would understand charging the fee, but the trip was cancelled on us. That’s a better deal than my sister, who DID purchase the trip insurance, and they’re trying to keep $735 of her money, and if she fills out paperwork, they’ll only keep $435.
When I asked them about it, they decided to ignore us. I have been waiting for a response for 3 days, to no avail. Frankly, there are tour companies that do an excellent job, for a fraction of the price, and I’ve been able to find comparable trips for $3,000 less than this company. Teachers, consider EF Tours if you want to take a class on a trip. I had a fantastic time with them.

"Try elsewhere"

I would not recommend the Costa Rica trip or going through Explorica. The guides in Costa Rica were so helpful and kind, but in the planning process, we were told that we would not have a lot of down time. When we got there, we had 4 hour chunks of afternoons free with nothing to do. For example, one of the hotels we stayed at was far from town and across from a beach that was not safe for swimming, so the kids had to stay in the hotel. They booked us with super tight layovers, and when we contacted the number for support with getting the kids on an overbooked flight, the associate on the other end said there was nothing they could do. I've heard that other people have had success with Explorica, but I'm not sure that it was for me.

"London and France 2023"

After we landed in London in July 2023, the whole group of 26 people waited THREE HOURS for the bus to take us to the hotel. We stood for three hours, after a long fight. About 15 big groups arrived after us and were picked up within 15 minutes. Our tour director was not able to make the necessary calls to get our bus. we lost three hours of sightseeing in London. We spent 6 days in France, and our tour director spoke no French (five words to be able to greet us in French in the morning), and had not been to any of the places we visited in France. We were very disappointed and did not learn much.

"Poor communication"

Planning the trip started off well, with a trip coordinator who was quick to reply to questions and extremely knowledgeable. Then, things went downhill when two other trip coordinators were assigned to our trip in her place. Any time I emailed them, I did not receive a reply from either of them. I could sometimes reach the main coordinator by phone, but could not get ahold of him by phone or email for 3 business days when Explorica canceled one of my participants from the tour without ever informing me that a payment had not gone through. They had emailed the family, but the family didn't see the email in time and her trip was canceled as a result. When I contacted the company, they said they would reinstate her once the payment was made, but she was not guaranteed the same accommodations as the rest of the group! They also charged her a $145 late enrollment fee, which our coordinator said he would wave, but it was still showing up on the account balance just before we went on tour. Then, 3 days before the trip, another participant was informed that her trip would be canceled if payment was not made in full. Her mother had mistakenly thought Explorica over-charged her, so she had called the company, who then gave her a refund on a payment. This created an outstanding balance for her daughter. Again, I could not get ahold of our coordinator, nor could I reach anyone at customer service. Another problem is that mass emails were sent out to parents, asking if they wanted to sign up for the Toledo or Morocco excursions when I had specifically communicated that my entire group would ONLY be taking the Toledo excursion. Luckily, no one in my group signed up for Morocco. On top of that, when we arrived in Atlanta I found out that Explorica had booked a tour of Atlanta for us during our layover; this had never been mentioned before and did not appear on Day 1 of our itinerary so I was completely caught off guard. Additionally, I was supposed to receive a refund for my son's trip (free place) shortly before going on tour, but we have now returned from the tour and I still haven't received it.

Overall, I am disappointed in the lack of communication from Explorica. Trip leaders should always be informed before a participant's trip is canceled. I would also expect tour coordinators to reply to email messages, and leave an auto reply phone message if they are going to be unavailable for several days. Having just one coordinator would be preferable, in my opinion.

Fortunately, our tour guide in Spain was very good and the trip went well despite all of the pre-tour issues.

"Way over priced for the experience"

Booking our trip to Coast Rica was exciting. In the booking, we were told we would go to an Elementary school which was a huge part of why I was going. When on the trip, we were told by the guide that the schools stopped letting visitors come 3 years back due to COVID. Why are they still promoting this? Our flight was delayed arriving to Costa Rica because of storms so we missed an excursion. We had also paid for a Yoga day on the beach that was canceled due to lack of people signing up. When I emailed Explorica upon returning, I was told they were looking into refunding us for the missed excursions and then I was ghosted. No one will respond now. So I paid for excursions that either weren't ever happening or got canceled.
The trip was WAY over priced for the experience we got. Will never book or refer people to book through Explorica

"Costa Rica"

Our trip director, Aura, and bus driver, Gerardo, made a great team. The itinerary for Costa Rica was full of fun adventures that challenged our group participants.

"Not good on logistics"

Explorica combined our group of 14 with 3 other groups so that we became part of a group of 50 traveling around Spain, which was just too many. This made any rest stops, meal stops, etc., so much more time consuming and crowded bus rides more uncomfortable. When our transatlantic flight arrived in Madrid, we nearly missed our connecting flight to Barcelona and had to literally run through the airport, yet there was a later flight that would have worked better; when we arrived in Barcelona, we ended up waiting in the airport for all the other groups to arrive anyway. Then when we finally got to our hotel, we could not check in, so we spent the day walking around in Barcelona. Some people were literally up for more than 36 hours before we finally got into our hotel rooms. Many people's clothes and shoes worn on the flight were not appropriate for walking around an entire day in extreme heat. There was also a problem with the AVE train. After boarding, our entire group was told to get off the train and our tour director had to schedule an alternative means of transportation to Cordoba. What should have been a 2 hour train ride ended up being a 4+ hour bus ride plus extra time spent waiting in the train station. These kinds of scheduling issues definitely hampered my opinion of Explorica as a travel company.

"The travel support was amazing"

The travel support was amazing. Despite airline issues, Explorica worked to make sure we had connecting flights in place before we landed late in London.

The guide was very helpful and even humored all of the shopping my group wanted to do.

"Everything about our trip was perfect"

Everything about our trip was perfect! The tour director was so charming, knowledgeable and fun! We got to see all the big tourist spots as well as some local areas. This trip was unforgettable and my group was happy all around. I would absolutely do it all over again.