Education First (EF) is a travel company that continually comes up in Google when searching for different travel experiences, whether it be school trips, traveling solo, or a gap year. In today’s article I’m going to cover some of the amazing opportunities this company offers. While I haven’t personally been on any trips through the company, I have had extensive communication with an EF representative in planning a summer trip.
Education First offers educational trip coordination for both high school and college groups led by school faculty. They help manage payment plans, itinerary planning, and travel logistics. A friend of mine went on a high school trip coordinated through EF and had the following to say about her experience:
“I had never traveled without family before, so I really appreciated the steps EF took in making my experience more comfortable. From the tour guide meeting us at the airport, to coordinating hotel and roommate arrangements, to balancing free time with a fun-filled agenda made my trip so carefree and enjoyable!”
In addition to faculty led programs that use EF as a travel and tour agency, EF offers an “Ultimate Break” line of trips geared toward 18-29 year olds as well. They have cultivated over 65 trips of varying length to Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. Some trips are short-term, visiting a few cities in under 10 days and others are over a month long, offering backpacking type experiences. Below I’ve listed a few examples of trips they offer and, because each of the trips have dozens of departure dates, fitting a vacation through EF into your schedule is relatively easy.
“Backpacker’s Europe” is a 49 day trip that visits 21 cities and includes hostel accommodations, unlike some other trips that book hotels. This trip is around $7000 not including flights, although the company does manage flights and transportation as well; the cost just varies based on where you are flying to and from.
A shorter term trip, “Grand Tour of Ireland” is just over a week long and includes visits to four cities. This trip incorporates both scenic and urban experiences, with excursions to the Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, as well as different city areas. Without flights, this trip is about $1990, with additional choices like travel protection and optional day trips.
Education First’s trips range from relaxing to exhilarating; “Costa Rica Adventure,” for example, offers the opportunity to zipline through rainforests, kayak on Lake Arenal, and go on different hikes. At 10 days, this trip also offers the chance to relax on beaches, but focuses on getting the most out of your visit to Costa Rice with an activity-packed itinerary.
Education First offers travel opportunities to typical tourist destinations like London and Paris, but to more unique places as well including Belize, Croatia, the Galapagos, and Iceland.
Finally, EF also offers gap year programs for students looking for a longer adventure. Gap year programs enable students to build language skills, obtain volunteer and internship experience, and gain self-confidence and international experience. EF gap year programs can be based on service, an exchange arrangement, an internship, leadership opportunities, and language practice.
EF also coordinates domestic trips for high school students in the US, adult trips, exchanges, and an EF academy for high school students, offering a boarding-type program at New York or California campuses.
The company does a fantastic job of helping potential travelers find the best trip for them and answering any questions about past trips and expected experiences. While they won’t disclose specific information about accommodations before you book, their website does provide reviews, photos from past trip participants, and sample itineraries. My experience with EF’s customer service was great; an EF representative reached out through text and promptly answered any questions I had.
Ultimately, Education First offers a variety of thoroughly-planned programs to fit any set of interests, timeframe, and different financial situations, as they facilitate payment plans to help people afford to travel and gain new global experiences.