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NWR: Student trips abroad

fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
5000 Comments Fifth Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper
in Texas-Dallas and Ft. Worth
Did anyone here ever go on their school Europe trips in high school?  I realize that they are not really "school sponsored" but the reviews I am reading on the EF Educational Tours are terrible, bordering on frightening.  Just wondering if any of you had any experience as a student or a teacher.  We were planning to let my daughter go next year but I am rethinking it now.
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Re: NWR: Student trips abroad

  • Mariah09202008Mariah09202008
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I always wanted to go on one of those...I really wish I had at least done it in college.  But alas....

    Honestly, I think it would be an amazing trip.  But if my child wanted to go, I'd probably be the parent that asks to be a chaperone.  I just don't think I'd be able to sleep at night (hello-Natalie Holloway!) until my child made it home safe from the trip.  I think if you trust the teacher enough and the people who are going it would be fine....and definitely an experience she'll never forget!
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  • llc2011llc2011
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I went back in the summer before 8th grade and it was with EF.  We had a group of about 8 kids and 3 or 4 teacher/parent chaperones.

    I didn't have any problems with the company, but being young I probably wouldn't have known anyways and the teachers would have been the ones to deal with it.

    I had a blast on the trip! We went to London and Paris and the only part I hated was the long flight back home.  If you have the money to do it, I would totally agree that it would be a wonderful learning experience for a kid. My dad was going to come with, but at the end it ended up being too much for both of us to go.  If I was sending my child on the trip, I would want to go too, but that's more because I love to travel haha.

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  • shananaginsshananagins member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I took a group to Europe several years ago and it was great, but I didn't use EF.  I've heard horror stories about them too. 

    The things I've heard though have been problems with organization and scheduling, not safety concerns.  She would probably get more of the 'Europe experience' from a family vacation since you could set your own agenda, but  the experience of going on a trip like that with their friends, and without parents is pretty awesome! I went to NYC my junior year and I REALLY loved it!  I don't know if that trip was with EF or another company.

    One thing you could try, when I went to NYC my parents told me they would pay for a small amount, and if i really wanted to go I had to earn the rest.  I worked for over a year, babysitting, bagging groceries and other junk jobs to earn the $, and it was the first major thing I paid for myself.  That had as much impact as the trip did. 
     
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  • fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
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    edited December 2011
    It looks like the company has gone downhill since around 2005 or so.  Some of the defenders say that the people who complain just have too high of expectations for a "budget" trip like this.  But we are now leaning to maybe taking a family trip which may be double in price but at least we'd experience better accommodations, dining experiences, etc. 
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  • llc2011llc2011
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    LOL, ok that was well after my trip (I'm starting to feel a little old).  I went in the summer of 1996.

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  • Mariah09202008Mariah09202008
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Yes, I think a family trip would be more fun!  I wish my family could have afforded to do something like that together...
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  • fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
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    edited December 2011

    Yeah, Shannon, I really WANTED her to have the experience of being away from us but now I'm not so sure!  I have visions of her bleeding and alone in some dark alley in Spain or stranded for 3 days in some airport.

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  • cfibelkorncfibelkorn member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    How old is your daughter? Is she really mature?

    Maybe she has an older cousin or something that could "chaparone (sp?)" but hang out with her too
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  • juliebug1997juliebug1997 member
    5000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Stephie,
    I have some colleagues that went with another company and they had issues as well.  I've gone with the most expensive and had issues with others on the trip (always being late to depart, etc) but honestly, I think it's kind of like it is here:  some people have a good experience with a certain company, others don't.  I'm using EF myself this year for the first time and the front end is on par with what I've experienced with the two other companies I've used.  They no longer use boats to get across the English Channel on many of their trips because it is so dicey.  We'll be on the Eurostar (the train that goes under the Channel) this time and they have only started using that recently.

    I would let her go with her friends.  They really don't need a four star hotel because they will barely be there long enough to sleep.  Most of the food is slightly modified to American tastes because many of the kids won't eat it unless it looks familiar to them.   

    PS:  I've always had lots of parents say that they'll chaperone but they usually back out when they realize that they'll still have to pay.  I usually get barely enough kids to pay for myself and this year, I'm having to pay half. 
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  • emimayoremimayor
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011

    I went on a trip like that in HS and again in college. The money was better spent when I was older and appreciated my surroundings.

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  • fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
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    edited December 2011
    Julie, thanks for your perspective.  I read similar things about the food, etc. and while I can certainly understand that, I have to also wonder if it wouldn't be more rewarding for her to have a richer European experience rather than being shuttled from here to there, spending her time on cramped buses, taking cold showers, etc.   I wish we could wait and hear about your experience, but we have to decide by the end of the month.

    I think we'll just present the reality of it to her and let her decide, as well as see what a family vacation would cost.  What concerned me were the amount of bad reviews of the company--we aren't talking about 1 or 2, but many.
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  • juliebug1997juliebug1997 member
    5000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Stephie,
    The thing that I hated about my first trip to Europe was the showers too--I was
    25.  Not a whole lot of hot water but that's because they are taking being ecologically friendly to heart.  There was no shower curtain to keep the water from getting all over the floor!  Also in Rome, they don't run the air conditioner from 4 AM to 6 AM, the muggiest part of the day. 

    The company I nearly went with last time (not EF) came back after everyone paid for their trip and asked for another $400 per person due to higher gasoline prices and devaluation of the dollar.  I found tons of negative reviews about them after the fact. 

    By the way, I do have a colleague who has used them for the past four-five years and has had great experiences with them.  If you have specific questions, I could try to ask him.  Also, I would talk to the teacher "sponsoring" the trip about your concerns.  They might be able to shed more light on them and help you decide one way or another. 

    Last thing, totally not related to this.  Was your father a principal at Mesquite HS?  Just wondering!
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  • shortgirltxshortgirltx
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I wish I would have taken advantage of that in college...something I regret but will hopefully make up for it eventually.

    I'm not familiar with EF (or what other trips your daughter has gone on sans parents) but do they have other tours that are in the US that way you can start small rather than going in head first?
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  • fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
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    edited December 2011
    Mel has only been away from us to go to church camp and that's it.  But she'll be 17 by the time this trip comes up next summer.

    Julie, no, my dad was a Dallas police detective.  Hall is my old married name not my maiden name--maybe that's what you were thinking.
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