Washington DC, Gettysburg, Arlington, Mount Vernon Tour Recap June 2019 EF Explore America Senior Account Rep: Michael Furhmann Tour Director: Drake Pearson Bus Driver: Donnie Artis Hutchinson Community College (KS) Tour Leaders: Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato and Denny Stoecklein What a tremendous, fun, educational adventure! Well planned and well organized with a brisk, but not overly taxing, pace. This tour was a great value that included expert guidance from our tour director and bus driver who met us when we landed at Washington Dulles, and stayed with us for the duration of our tour. Tuesday, June 11, 2019 1. Meet at Wichita ICT at 5:20 a.m. and check in for flights to Denver and DC 2. Greeted at Dulles IAD by our Tour Director - Drake and our driver - Donnie 3. Bags loaded on the bus and off to the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall 4. Guided tour of Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial (military parade), The Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial 5. Check into Silver Spring MD Double Tree Hotel Wednesday, June 12, 2019 1. Buffet Breakfast at Double Tree Silver Spring 2. Charter bus to Gettysburg for guided tour with Rick (absolutely exceptional!) 3. Lunch at Gettysburg Visitors' Center 4. Movie and Cyclorama 5. Eisenhower Farms 6. Gettysburg Museum 7. Family style group dinner at Buca Di Beppo Thursday, June 13, 2019 1. Buffet Breakfast at Double Tree Silver Spring 2. Guided tour of Arlington National Cemetery a. Visitor Center b. Changing of Guard at Tomb of Unknown Soldier c. Memorial Amphitheater d. JFK and Robert Kennedy burial sites e. Challenger Astronauts Memorial f. Audie Murphy burial site 3. U.S. Marine Corp Iwo Jima Flag Memorial (round-a-bout) 4. Mount Vernon Estate, Gardens, Mansion, George Washington Tomb 5. Group Dinner at Hill Country BBQ Friday, June 14, 2019 1. Buffet Breakfast at Double Tree Silver Spring 2. The White House 3. Guided tour of Tidal Basin Memorials a. Thomas Jefferson b. Franklin Delano Roosevelt & Eleanor Roosevelt c. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr 4. Holocaust Museum 5. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and Farmers Market 6. Capitol Building guided tour 7. Library of Congress 8. Supreme Court 9. Embassy Row (bus drive) 10. Vice President's House (bus drive) 11. National Cathedral (bus drive) Saturday, June 15, 2019 1. Buffet Breakfast at Double Tree Silver Spring 2. National Archives 3. Newseum (far exceeded our expectations) 4. Wait, wait, wait, wait for delayed flight from Reagan National Airport to Houston 5. Become overnight residents at Bush IAH Sunday, June 16, 2019 1. Breakfast at Bush IAH 2. Fly to KC MCI 3. Ride charter bus from KC to Wichita ICT courtesy of United Airlines 4. Home to rest and gleefully reflect on our memorable adventure Everyone associated with EF Explore America proved to be trustworthy, caring, capable, and committed from beginning to end. It was an honor and a pleasure to experience this tour with an outstanding group of consistently patient, magnanimous and cheerful Kansans! We made wonderful memories together! read more

EF Explore America is the best! I am a teacher and have taken hundreds of students and parents from our community on annual tours to Washington, DC; Philadelphia and NYC over the past 16 years! The quality of our tours, accommodations and meals is absolutely top notch! I have dealt with many of the employees from upper management levels to customer service. This company not only takes care of it's customers, they treat you like a friend or family member! They demonstrate integrity, and one year, even refunded money to my students several months after a tour (after realizing they had inadvertently overcharged us). I didn't even realize there was an error until I was contacted and received a check! EF Explore America could have kept that money and nobody would have ever known! Other than quality, price for the product you receive, is probably the top reason to use EF Explore America to arrange student tours. Participants can enroll for $99 and then opt to be a part of a monthly payment plan. This makes it virtually affordable for all people of all socio-economic levels. EF Explore America has given hundreds of my students and parents a week of amazing memories that have led to tradition of travel for many families in our community! Thank you EF Explore America! read more

My son and I have taken two trips via EF Explore America tours, and thoroughly enjoyed our experiences. We went on their Hawaii tour this past summer, and on the East Coast tour (Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Washington DC, and New York) in the summer of 2012. The hotels, food, transport, tour guides, and list of sites was exactly what was promised. They really went ABOVE AND BEYOND in every sense of the word. They also have accommodating payment plans to help those you cannot afford the trips in-full. I normally don't post reviews on sites like these, but I was SHOCKED by what Nancy S. left her in remarks. That was not even close to my experiences with this company! In fact, because of EF Explore America I may never travel alone ever again! Their tours are pain-free, stress-free, worry-free, affordable, and extremely convenient. My son and I have already signed up for another tour coming up in 2015 through his school, and I am LOOKING FORWARD to it. Keep up the good work EF Explore America! read more

I just finished my first season as a tour director for EF Explore America. While I can't speak as a customer, I can say that as an employee the company is outstanding and the level of service offered is pretty amazing. Truly great people that are intent on ensuring that their clients enjoy amazing travel experiences. As an inside perspective, I can tell you that the amount of time and effort behind the scenes dedicated to making sure the tours operate without issue is phenomenal. If you choose to go with Explore America you can feel confident that people are working hard to make sure you get more than your money's worth. Finally, speaking as a tour director, it is very important to me that my travelers have an absolute blast and come away from the tour with memories that will last a lifetime. I work hard to make this happen. I think you'll find this attitude among all of my fellow tour directors as well. Go with Explore America. You'll be happy you did! read more

EF Explore America is an outstanding company with phenomenal customer service. I have led over 120 students on multiple trips to Washington D.C., New York City and Boston. Each and every time Explore America delivered more than promised to my students and parents who traveled with us. The hotels and flights have always met or exceeded expectations. We have a full-time tour guide and bus driver with us 24-7. The tour guide maximizes our time and provides great background information throughout the tour. Our bus drivers have always been professional and efficient. Each driver has thoughtfully provided us with chilled water as we disembark or board the bus. The restaurants have be delightful and travelers enjoy the diverse and tasty meals. I hope that you have an opportunity to utilize the amazing educational tours that Explore America can provide to parents and students in your community. read more

My son got to go with his fellow 8th graders to Boston & NYC. This was his first big trip without us, and we were a little nervous. EF and our gracious chaperone teachers were incredible!!! They handled all the meals so I didn't have to fret about my son missing meals b/c he lost his money. They handled hotel security- there was a guard on their floor, so we didn't have to be nervous about intruders, or kids acting crazy. They handled the tour- with a knowledgeable tour guide who lives in the area. They handled the itinerary - packing in as much as humanly possible in those 5 days. I couldn't have been more pleased with the entire process. And my son just got back from his trip, beaming with happiness! I would hands down 100% recommend this company!!!! I can't wait till my younger son gets his turn! read more

So My daughter was supposed to go on an Eastern trip with her 8th Grade class from Pahrump NV to back east. She is in 9th grade now. However because of Covid her trip was Cancelled. I requested a full refund and they are charging me $350.00 out of the $2810.00 that I've already gave them, they said I will receive my Money in 4 to 6 weeks from today 9/7/21. However they always took their money on time out of my checking account with no Delay. They stated on the phone today that I will receive $2460.00 in 4 to 6 week from now. We're in a pandemic and this company is stealing our money. I just left a voice mail on Governor Charlie Bakers Phone. I pray that this message gets notice and I receive a full refund. Upset Customer, Rachel Lucero read more

The Boston STEM tour was a blast! An excellent balance between learning, sightseeing, and fun! As an experienced traveler, and having led group trips in the past, I feel I am qualified to rate this trip as an overwhelming success! From day one I felt very supported and my tour consultant was extremely helpful in accommodating my special requests and minor changes to the standard tour. He checked in all along the process, up to check in at the airport and throughout the trip until we arrived home. The thoughtfulness and expertise of the EF logistics team shined as all of our transitions were seamless from transportation, hotels, meals, and of course the scheduled events and activities. read more

Our school's Washington D.C. trip was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EF tours is putting profits and greed ahead of customer service by charging a $750 fee if we want refund instead of a future travel voucher. These are unprecedented circumstances and EF should be helping us instead of keeping $750 that would help us during this time. Their "coverage" talks about families having to cancel, but says nothing about the company canceling the tour. They offer a travel voucher for future use. After this, why would I ever use them?! I'm sure the company has insurance about this kind of thing. Practice good customer service! Refund ALL our money. read more

My son went on a trip to DC and NYC with his junior high school. He had a great time! The planning and preparation before the trip were excellent. He said the tour guides were informational without being boring. As a parent, I always felt like my son was in great hands. It was face paced, but that's kind of important when you're working with a bunch of teenagers. Too much down time and bad things can happen! Luckily, they didn't have time for any of that and my son came home with lots of amazing stories. We enjoyed the trip and organization so much that I've signed him up for a trip to Europe in 2 years! Yay! read more

SCAM ARTISTS AT THEIR FINEST!!! COVID-19 has caused trip cancellations for everyone. With Trip Protection... EF Explore America is still going to charge me a $750 fee to cancel + additional charges. This trip was cancelled because of COVID-19, not because of us, and the claim that they have an insurance company to handle it after the fact is a complete lie, as we've now learned that their "insurance company" is automatically denying all claims. What a trash company. Seriously, with all the unprecedented sickness, job-loss, and shutdowns, this company has the audacity to do this? Despicable. read more

Parents, teachers, and schools - PLEASE STAY AWAY! EF Explore America is stealing money from families during a national crisis. My son worked tirelessly shoveling walks, pet sitting, and mowing lawns to pay for a portion of his trip to DC and now we're being told we're out $750 for a trip that is not occurring, despite having purchased the travel protection plan. Airlines and hotels are graciously refunding people in-full given the current circumstances and this company is choosing to profiting from a state of emergency. Please do not consider this organization for your travel plans!! read more

We are another family that is negatively impacted when our child's 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. was cancelled due to COVID-19. This company REFUSED to give back the full deposit under these extenuating circumstances. I hope ALL schools in the U.S. find another company to use in the future, one that puts their customers first and doesn't focus on short term profits and exploitation during a national crisis. Perhaps if this company loses enough business, they will learn the meaning of good customer service. read more

When EF Explore decided to NOT refund our grandkids money for their 8th grade field trip I was beside myself. Even though the $99 insurance was paid they used a little loophole to EXCLUDE THE VIRUS as a reason for refund!! IF there were negative ratings I couldn't give a lowest rating to people who take advantage of a WORLWIDE CATASTROPHY . I realize they are probably hurting for money same as everybody else but to steal funds is INEXCUSABLE!! Give this company a WIDE BERTH orr BUYER BEWARE!!! read more

A great, worry-free way to travel with a group of students. EF and our tour director took care of all the details. This was my fourth trip with EF and I would highly recommend them. We had a group of 18 on the Washington, DC/ New York City trip. What prospective travelers need to know is that there will always be bumps in the road and unexpected changes, but I have never been disappointed in how the team at EF have handled any situations that have come up. read more

This company is not For the American people when my daughters 8th grade trip got canceled due to COVID-19 this company refuses to refund our FULL payment. They are withholding $450 which is 25% of the full cost of the trip. They cancelled the trip when we were standing in the airport getting the children checked in! This is an outrage! As of June 2020 there is a class action lawsuit for California residents ! Do not purchase any travel from this company read more

*****I had a negative experience when I first contacted customer service to address an issue I had with my refund due to cancellation. I was contacted by Marissa and this issue was resolved. The invoice was explained to me, the refund was appropriate. I hope my daughter gets a chance to travel sometime in the future with Explore America, it was nice to speak with someone who was more than willing to resolve this issue.****** read more

I took a group of students on the Eastern Seaboard Trip. It was a wonderful trip! We saw more than I ever imagined. Yes, our days were full and long, but well worth it. Our tour guide was wonderful. She was organized, full of information, and kind. I did think that our evening meals might have more choices, but we were never hungry. Would recommend for travelers between 7th grade and up. read more

Our tour guide, Jolie, was amazing. She was engaging and professional. And the kids loved Bob, our driver. Kids were happy, that's what matters. People on here complaining about this and that, stop. You want a hotel in the middle of NYC rather than stay an hour away? Then, be prepared to spend about 1,500 more dollars for the trip. We learned many inspiring things on this tour. read more