I recently took students (grade 9-12) to Toronto from Nova Scotia. Our students were part of our music program. I cannot say enough great things about EF. They not only worked to personalize our tour (adding in the Royal Music Conservatory, a Blue Jays Game and a tour of U of T music and theatre department), but they went out of their way to ensure we got to see the musical we wanted (&Juliet - even though the tickets were in high demand. We had one student with severe allergies and they made her feel safe and seen. Our tour guide, Kelly was as good as they come. She made our students feel included, welcome and important - and I can say from personal experience this is not always the case. Our hotel fit the needs perfectly and the breakfast was amazing. EF was willing to listen to every idea or suggestion we had and made sure our students had the absolute best time, and for many of our kids, it was the perfect grad trip. I wouldn't take students with any other company.

I loved our Tour Director, Elena Camodeca. She was very organized, on the ball, offered nice suggestions for activities when we had free time. I also loved the bus driver, Jan. He was amazing at his job, not stressed, on time and very polite. The only negative point I want to make is that our hotel in Caen didn't have a lobby. We were there for 3 nights and we didn't have a spot for teachers / supervisors to gather and talk in the evenings. We usually stay up later than the students to make sure they don't sneak out, but we didn't have a space to sit besides our rooms.

Well organized, the kids felt safe and really enjoyed themselves. The iternary was excellent.

My teen son loved this tour! Such fabulous tour guides! Way to go!!! Will definitely encourage others to use this company! My son will also be looking for more EFtours in highschool.

A big thanks to EF tours as my son got a chance to join. It was a big opportunity for my son not just to see the spectacular scenic view in east coast but to learn how to socialize in other students. He also learn how to budget/ spent his money wisely, and how to decide for his self. It was a great experience for him.

Our guide, Nathan, really made the trip fantastic! He kept us busy and, if we asked for changes or to add something, he made it happen. EF Tours listened to our recommendations, and when we had issues, they dealt with it asap.

I believe the strongest components of the company is in the set up with our tour director (Lara). Lara made things work and listened to our request. She checked in with us all the time and were always ready to get us the answers to our questions. Secondly our on-tour director (Elena) was excellent. she made sure that we were knowledgeable about the area and was flexible with our schedule to provide us with the best options on the tour. I would travel with her anywhere. And finally, our bus driver. Although very quiet, he was patient with my kids and really connected with our group. Very professional but also very approachable. Thanks for an excellent tour.

The team at EF Tours are incredibly professional and responsive. All questions are answered in a timely manner and no matter is too small. EF Tours has become my travel company!

The first night there was not enough hotel rooms and my kid had to sleep on a chair.
They canceled a fun activity and replaced with a museums.
Not all hotels had pools so kids don’t have stuff to do in the evenings.
Liked that there was security guards.
I felt the itinerary could have been more detailed.
Meals were good.
Lots of shopping time which was nice
Liked the beaches

My daughter enjoyed her trip immensely, was very helpful to have emergency numbers and such a detailed itinerary

Our tour leader was fantastic.

My son had a great experience on this tour of Montreal & Quebec City. The only part of the trip he didn’t like were the dinners. He said it was some of the worst food he’s ever had, and they took them to McDonald’s for lunch. Considering the cost of the trip, and that these cities are known for good food, this was disappointing.

Great experience

The trip was poorly planned from the beginning. Many of the pertinent requests were not fulfilled. The main thing is our request to have all the kids situated on the same floor of the hotel. These are young students, and security is a risk when travelling in large groups. This was a simple request that could and should have been arranged with how far ahead we booked. It was unacceptable not to have enough security placed for the number of floors we were on.

Our itinerary was thin and vague. School staff on the trip had to focus the "Tour Director" so he would outline the trip itinerary and make it make sense to parents observing from afar. The tour director made known that he was all he was and that the trip had no tour guide who provided information or knowledge regarding the places we were visiting.

The bus driver became irritated, and unfortunately, it showed in his attitude. I understand that change is hard, but you have an excited group, and we do need to accommodate when feasible. It would have made for a more exciting experience.

We also received a pointed email about garbage being left outside the bus. This came from one director and was then pushed off to someone to respond. I asked for a phone call from the emailing agent and received a phone call from another agent. I did not return the call as I felt this was not handled correctly.

I am unsure we would use EF again as a direct result of the effort we needed to put forth, instead of being able to enjoy the experience through a booking and planning agent. It may have been easier to do ourselves at certain points.

I do hope you consider this feedback and are willing to make improvements, as we have heard nothing but good things from other groups within our school district.

Good mix of excursions, and good timing throughout the day. Great support from EF when we encountered a student issue that resulted in them having to be sent home. The dinner meals had a good amount of variety. The tour director and bus driver were outstanding!

We requested our tour in French (tour director, local tours etc) but when we arrived all the tours indicated they had been booked in English and we had to manually request each tour in French as we did them.

Our recent Grade 8 East Coast tour from Edmonton was an incredible opportunity for our students, and I am grateful that EF Tours offers trips to such a beautiful and educational destination. The East Coast provided many memorable experiences, and our students returned home with lasting memories and valuable learning experiences.

That being said, there were several frustrations throughout the planning and travel process that made the experience more challenging than it needed to be.

One of the main concerns was the lack of a consistent EF representative. Throughout the planning process, we were referred to multiple representatives rather than having one dedicated contact person. This made the experience feel less personal and often resulted in communication gaps, as information did not always transfer smoothly between representatives. Having a single point of contact from the beginning would greatly improve the experience for group leaders.

Another significant frustration was the flight selection process. We were not consulted regarding flight options, despite there being a direct flight available. Instead, our group was booked on connecting flights, with one leg involving overnight travel. This created unnecessary challenges, particularly given the age of our Grade 8 students. Greater collaboration with group leaders when making flight arrangements would help ensure travel plans better meet the needs of student groups.

A further area for improvement is the itinerary provided to teachers and families. We experienced immense difficulty obtaining a detailed itinerary that included exact departure and arrival times, locations, and other important logistical details. Access to a comprehensive and finalized itinerary well in advance would reduce stress for teachers, parents, and students and make trip planning much more manageable.

Once we arrived, we had a tour director who worked hard to keep the trip organized; however, we did not have a dedicated tour guide. As a result, we missed out on much of the historical and cultural commentary that would typically be shared while traveling between destinations. Having a knowledgeable guide providing information and context throughout the journey would have enhanced the educational value of the tour.

I would also like to recognize the positives. We had a beautiful tour bus, and our bus driver was extremely professional, courteous, and, most importantly, a very safe driver. Their contribution helped make the travel portions of the trip comfortable and enjoyable.

While there were several other challenges and unexpected issues along the way, the students ultimately had a wonderful experience exploring Canada's East Coast. The destination itself is outstanding, and I appreciate that EF Tours provides opportunities for students to experience it.

I would welcome the opportunity to work with EF Tours to help improve the process for future school groups. With clearer communication, a dedicated representative, more collaborative flight planning, and more detailed itineraries, the experience could be significantly improved for teachers organizing educational travel. There is tremendous potential for these tours, and I believe addressing these concerns would make the experience much smoother and more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Everything about it was amazing. Infeel the trip went smooth. It was a big group and our 2 directors did angreat job organizing everything.