"Could have been better organized"

Most of the trip was reasonably organized, but here were several times when travel plans appeared to have not been thought through very well. Coordinating bus drivers between London and Scotland wasn't ideal- we were told that we had to leaver by 6am and then we got to a rest stop and waited over 90min for the driver transfer. Also, our flights home were scheduled with transfer times that were unrealistic - there was no way for a group of 30 to get through the customs/security process in the Chicago airport in less than 2 hours... Seems like something travel agents should know?

"The trip seemed way overpriced for what…"

The trip seemed way overpriced for what was provided which was mediocre accommodations.

"It was very good"

It was very good. Osh was great. The only thing we didn’t like was the high pressure sales pitch at Kusadasi, Turkey. All else was very nice.

"$5,000 pp trip done cheaply"

This was our third trip with Explorica. The trip appeared to be planned on a budget, despite the high cost. The accommodations and itinerary didn’t reflect the price we paid. Our Scotland experience fell short on expectations— which were based on previous trips with this company. (Which we found out later that there are new owners)

We were very disappointed with the lodging, particularly the last hotel. Situated about 7 miles out of town, in the middle of a field, it lacked a proper lobby. The on-site restaurant was underwhelming. One night we came back thinking we’d eat dinner there and the restaurant closed early. Couldn’t even get bar items. Our rooms were clean, the staff was friendly but the grounds were littered with debris. We spent four nights here! Unacceptable. The rooms were less than $50.00 a night. Lodging in Glasgow was also remote and with the same company (cheap). Our hotel at Inverness was in a perfect location and we were able to explore and have leisure evening experiences. This also had a few issues to attend to like lugging our luggage up and down 64 steps and our room smelling like pet urine.

On our return flight, we had a seven hour lay over in Boston. Once at the airport, we found out there was an earlier flight home that could have been booked. There were seats available but we were unable to switch because we were on a group ticket.

The itinerary was sketchy from the start. The first day in Glasgow was filled with local freebies. The second day was mostly spent on a bus, with a disappointing drop-off at a dumpy mall next to a loch. A lake we could have easily seen at home. We were there two hours wondering why we were even there. Going back to Glasgow would have been a better option instead of driving us all over so we could see two lakes. The terrain was beautiful.

Like who takes a group of thirty to Culloden with no pass to the museum? What if it were raining? Sit on the bus for an hour? We purchased a pass but we didn’t have time to visit the battlefield. Ran out of time. DIdn’t have enough time at Stirling Castle, either. The recommended free tour gave us a remaining 30 minutes to zip through the castle. We were told many times that we had one hour to find a restaurant, eat and get back on the bus….really? We were so close to the Kelpies! Why couldn’t that have been included?

Explorica did try to compensate for their oversights and lack of planning. They gave us $40 for Ubers (stretch that out over seven days), a single portion of gelato, and a round of drinks at dinner. The Scots are very welcoming, generous, and kind. The scenery is stunning! I just wouldn’t recommend Explorica as your travel company.

"5 Stars"

Our tour guide was knowledgeable and attentive. The itinerary was robust and engaging. This was our first experience with this particular company but will not be our last.

"Miscommunications that could have been avoided."

Activities were excellent. Our guide Clementina was EXCELLENT. She helped handle several snafus that could have otherwise been avoided were there to have been better communication regarding currency exchange realities, tips and flight seating. There were some serious miscommunications (it sounds like between World Strides and our director which causes some significant unneccesary stress. The first very large miscommunication was surrounding currency and tips. Our director asked us to change all tips into local currency when we could have collected them and given them in USD. (This caused a significant amount of stress for us as we tried to get money and were charged significant fees. We were only allowed to take out $35 at a time and were charged close to $10 each time. There were some members of the group who brought 4 family members so the fees were extra large.)

There was also some serious miscommunication surrounding the ticketing of flight seats internationally for minors. They were spread out all throughout the plane. This was particularly challenging for chaperones and those travelling with young children (ages 8-15). This could have been considered a significant liability should a minor been accosted or abused without an adult on duty nearby.

Most of the food was excellent. The accommodations were great. The guides and local transportation excellent!

"Worst canceled trip experience"

I booked a school trip with World Strides to Boston for my child and myself and paid extra for trip insurance fees. Their customer service are friendly, however, we didn't find out trip details until about a week before the trip. We found out the flight to Boston involved a connecting flight from Nashville to Chicago, then a flight to Boston. This had our group getting on a bus in the middle of the night to make the early flight to Chicago. A couple of hours before meeting we found out all flights to/from Chicago were canceled for the next morning. Our trip leader was on the phone with World Strides for awhile but due to the connecting flight set up, World Strides was not able to rebook flights for the group that didn't involve splitting up the group and cutting out a day of the trip. To our great disappointment, the trip was canceled and not rescheduled. World Strides offered the choice of using credit for a 2025 Washington trip or getting a refund, even those that did not pay for trip insurance. I requested from World Strides that the the $ 400 trip insurance be refunded also. Several emails later, I was told those fees could not be refunded. I was told several times I would be refunded the rest by late July. When I was not, I called and was told due to a refund policy change it would be 3 more months -longer than the new 12 week policy. After many emails and some calls I was finally refunded- about three months after the trip was canceled. The whole refund process was lengthy, took a lot of effort from me to finally get refunded, and I lost $ 400 on trip insurance fees. I do not recommend using World Strides.

"More than just an awesome itinerary"

The trip itineraries are awesome, but each tour is different because of the excellent guides! They really try to get to know each person on the bus and connect with them as individuals. This makes the whole group feel seen and valued, regardless of the destination.

"CHEAP accommodations and planning "

1) The last hotel stop was for 4 nights - half of our trip. The location was NOT near the central town of Edinburgh we were visiting. The hotel didn’t have amenities to allow the group to meet up on their own and mingle. This hotel was CHEAP! Not for tourists - but rather a cheap stay for local trades working in the area to stay at.
2) Hated the 7 hour layover on the return flight.
3) Some stops were really of no value and could have been skipped to give time to those that were.

"The tour guides and hotels were great"

The tour guides and hotels were great! So many middle seats on the plane rides were definitely disappointing