I wish I could give 0 stars. Trip: FL to Germany (3/23-4/1) This trip was a complete disaster from start to finish. Initially, our group of 21 students and parents, traveled two hours to the airport only to find out that no flights were booked. Despite KLM canceling one leg of the trip, World Strides failed to rebook the flights or inform our school, leaving our students stranded. After numerous calls, they finally arranged a flight the next evening, causing our students to fall behind by almost two days. The rebooked flight had an unrealistic layover time in Heathrow, making it impossible for our students to navigate customs and recheck luggage in just one hour. Consequently, our students opted not to check luggage, adding to the stress of the journey. Day 2 - Upon arrival to the airport (again), we discovered that the onward flights from London had not been booked, adding further chaos to the trip. Our students endured 14 hours of travel and were immediately rushed into a tour upon landing in Berlin, with no sleep, no food, and no time to refresh. The tour guide hurried them through, denying them the opportunity for photos or exploration. Days 4 and 5 brought another ordeal as multiple students fell ill with food poisoning from meals planned by World Strides. My daughter was among them, spending hours in the hotel bathroom in distress while World Strides offered no assistance or callback despite my desperate calls. Day 6 - our students woke up to a BED BUG infestation in their hotel rooms. Despite pleas from our group leader, World Strides initially refused to relocate us, forcing parents to intervene from across the globe to demand action. The flights, accommodations, tours, and food provided were terrible, indicating that World Strides prioritized cost-cutting over safety and quality of our student. Their customer service was abysmal, with dismissive and unprofessional treatment, including being hung up on and insulted. World Strides should be ashamed of their mismanagement, negligence, and disregard for the safety and well-being of the students entrusted to them. This experience was a nightmare, and I strongly advise against anyone using their services. As others have mentioned in prior reviews, I wish I would have researched World Strides before sending my child on this trip. read more

TOTALLY WENT DOWN HILL IN SERVICE!!! Booked 2022 trip with my youngest because the fanatic experience we had in 2018 with my oldest! I decided to chaperone again due the the ease of the trip and all the experiences I had as an adult too. NIGHT AND DAY! This trip was beyond words DISSAPPONTING. When we arrived in DC World stride FORGOT to have a bus schedule to pick us up!Did I mention it was late evening YES I SAID FORGOT! Minor detail with a group of 30 Kids from CA right- Tired Hungry and EXHAUSTED! We got a bus to pick us up with a driver that had not planned to work that night. The bus had NO working restroom NO AC run down and below satisfaction. The students had fun being together but World strides failed AGAIN ALONG WITH FORGETTING THE BUS THEY TOTALLY MUS HAD FORGOTTEN we were coming and had 2 different tour guides. (Compared to 2018 with a very knowledgeable retired FBI Agent FRANCO who was amazing!!!) The Bus with NO restroom NO AC toured us around DC. I NOW realized most of the exhibits are FREE and besides a few interesting facts added by the guides they seemed agitated by normal middel school behavior, were in a rush and annoyed half the time. (2018 guide was very engaged and added so much and the Bus was luxury) One tired group got word on our last night that our flight was canceled and rescheduled but had to be split into 2 groups. One group was going to arrive 3 hours earlier than the other to LAX. In addition to that one of our mothers was put on a separate flight than her daughter. When she called to try to be switched to the same plane AND I QUOTE from Alaskian Airlines The hold time was 10 HOURS! So she called world strides who told her there was nothing they could do and she was being passive aggressive. EXCUSE ME chaperones go on trips to be with their children not to be split up and we had a traveler willing to switch flights. They were booked together why in the world would you spolit up parent and child? Arriving at LAX we had to set up camp in the baggage area because the airport was closing the gate areas. We got home at 6am the next morning YES nearly 24 hours of traveling. This trip was very expensive and so not worth the money. NEVER AGAIN :( read more

WorldStrides does a commendable job of bringing history to life for 8th-grade students. Our tour guide was well-organized, kept us on schedule, and provided alternatives when plans changed unexpectedly. We managed to see and do a lot in a short amount of time, which has its positives and negatives. On the positive side, the kids were able to see many sights! However, the downside was that they had very little opportunity for rest or downtime. Wake-up calls at 6 AM and returning to the hotel as late as 11 PM made it exhausting. On average, the kids got less than six hours of sleep each night. A few days in, they struggled to focus on speakers due to their exhaustion. One day, we were woken up at 5:00 AM and kept out until 11:30 PM, only to be up again at 6:00 AM for another sixteen-hour day. This was just too much! It is unhealthy! Additionally, we primarily ate fast food for five days, contributing to the lack of proper nutrition. WorldStrides seems to prioritize a schedule filled with activities at the expense of sleep and healthy meals. For instance, we were forced to sit in Times Square, New York City, for three hours with nothing to do, yet we only had 45 minutes at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It felt bizarre. Our first stop upon arrival was the Pentagon City Mall Food Court. Unfortunately, that mall has a history of violence. We found ourselves caught in a large gang fight and had to be evacuated. This situation made local and national news. It's astounding that they would take us to such a known unsafe environment. I had to lead several children to safety while escaping the chaos amidst shouting police officers. Some individuals involved in the fight were armed. This could have turned out very differently. Please view this article; it highlights the situation WorldStrides put us in.https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/parents-and-county-officials-reflect-on-how-to-stop-juvenile-violence-following-fights-at-fashion-centre-at-pentagon-city/ar-AA1BXBWX?ocid=BingNewsSerp I can say with confidence that my younger children will NOT be attending any WorldStrides-led tours in the future. read more

this is based on the company themselves during my experience with them and sending my daughter on a trip with them. So back in april I had sent them an email for information ASKING how it would work to get refunded had the trip been canceled. IT WAS A QUESTION. needless to say, never heard back in any way. found out 2 weeks before the trip that they had canceled the trip on me based off of my email!!!!!! i was furious!!!! they tried to tell me it was impossible for her to go because the flight was booked. they looked into my email to them and did see that i only asked a question and it definitely shouldnt have been canceled. Unfortunately i had to be forceful and demand that she WILL be on the trip, no ifs, maybes, we will try's. IT WILL HAPPEN is what i said, because of THEIR fuck up. after a week of worrying and frustration i finally got an email from them saying they were able to get her back on the flight. which is great. but to put me through all of that!!!???? WHAT KIND OF COMPANY JUST GOES AND CANCELS AN EXPENSIVE TRIP LIKE THIS AND DOESNT REACH OUT WITH CONFIRMATION OR ANY KIND OF RESPONSE to an email????? just go ahead and cancel it right?? thats how things are done???? and then not even make sure to confirm that they should go ahead and do so???????? WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they blame it on their cancelation department, well whoever the person is that canceled it needs to get a kick in the ass because this was the most stressful thing (trip for my daughter wise) EVER!!!!! i feel like she should be getting some freebees or something as compensation for the INCONVENIENCE, FRUSTRATION AND WORRY that she wasnt going to be able to go on the trip she waited for over a year for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so world strides, i would love to know what you are going to do to give a little compensation for this nonsense and horrible customer service?????? read more

Talvez mi calificación fuera más alta, pero el paseo resultó de no tan buenos recuerdos porque mi hija y mi esposo así con los 18 acompañantes se quedaron por casi 24 hrs en el aeropuerto por un vuelo cancelado y ustedes no hicieron nada para que ellos volvieran al hotel o al menos un lugar cómodo y seguro. Dejaron al grupo pasar la noche completa en el duelo del aeropuerto no importandoles que podría pasar con ese grupo de jóvenes fue tan irresponsable de su parte ni siquiera regresar una llamada con la encargada de ellos para avisar algo o al menos disculparse, perdón pero fue muy feo gracias a Dios que mi esposo estaba ahí para cuidar de mi hija y a otros jóvenes pero no me imagino que sintieron los demás padres al saber que sus hijos y al menos 15 personas más estaban tirados en un aeropuerto disque esperando que los acomodaran en un hotel, ojalá de verdad ustedes puedan contemplar lo que ellos sintieron. Los dejaron desde las 4pm en la sala de espera de el aeropuerto de NYsin comida sin algo que los cubriera en el frío de el aire acondicionado( SI GUSTAN PUEDO ENVIARLES FOTOS VIDEOS DE LOS CHICOS TIRADOS POR TODAS PARTES INTENTANDO DORMIR) y para tomar un vuelo a las 10 de la mañana. La maestra tuvo que pagar por desayunos para ellos. De verdad que eso no iba con la descripción que ustedes daban en lo que ofrecen como una línea para emergencia etc. aparte tan caro para mi esposo que terminó siendo chaperon. Solo espero que ustedes puedan contactarse con nosotros para reparar el daño que causaron. La siguiente ocasión lo pensaremos muy bien en tomar un viaje con ustedes, de verdad estamos muy decepcionados con todo lo ocurrido. Me pongo a sus órdenes en mi correo para cualquier aclaración. correodelingeniero@gmail.com read more

You often find someone's true colors in times of great stress. Covid-19 is a time of great stress. Some background. In our district, the 8th graders take a 6 day trip to Washington DC/NY for spring break. We are in California, AKA lockdown central for coronavirus. They would have been traveling to NY, aka lockdown central, East Coast edition. School has been shut down indefinitely, so obviously this trip for March 28th, 2020 would be canceled right?? I mean, school has been closed since March 13th (as I write this, 8 days ago). Well, Worldstrides won't cancel the trip. Instead, they are "postponing" it. OK, i think i can make a summer trip work, and it would be a very good send-off for these 8th graders before they enter high school, we're postponing until the summer break right? NOPE! They are postponing UNTIL MARCH 27, 2021. That is over 365 days from now. When, you know, these 8th graders will be in 9th grade. Where some of them would be out of district and thus, not have the same spring break. Or simply, they may not want to return to a middle school to go on an 8th grade trip. Worldstrides' terms state if they cancel they will refund, and that if they reschedule more than 2 days before/after the scheduled trip, they would give the option for a refund. Apparently, they forgot that, as they are throwing all their terms and conditions away and making up rules as they go. They are "postponing" (hence, not "cancelling"--you see what they did there?) NO REFUNDS. AVOID AVOID AVOID. Parents, if your school district is using Worldstrides, maybe help the district find another travel partner, or choose not to use this company. THey are the worst. read more

My son recently embarked on a trip to Washington DC, Hershey PA, and New York NY with his school, courtesy of Worldstrides, and it was truly an unforgettable experience. Despite a few hiccups, the trip overall left a lasting impression on both my son and our family. The highlights of the trip included vibrant excursions to Times Square, a mesmerizing Broadway show, and a delightful visit to the Hershey factory. These experiences provided invaluable insights and moments of sheer joy for the students. One standout destination was Smokey Glenn Farm, which left a positive impression with its scenic beauty and engaging activities. However, it's regrettable that the opportunity to visit the top of the Rockefeller Center was missed, and some aspects of the itinerary were rearranged due to poor time management. Nonetheless, the travel arrangements, including flights, accommodations, and transportation, were impeccably handled by Worldstrides. The seamless logistics contributed significantly to the overall enjoyment of the trip. While the food options could have been more diverse and appealing, the exemplary service provided by all staff members, particularly the New York tour guide, Steven, elevated the experience. Steven's enthusiasm and knowledge enhanced the tour, leaving a lasting impression on everyone involved. Despite the minor setbacks, the trip created countless cherished memories that will be treasured for years to come. Thanks to Worldstrides, my son and his classmates were able to embark on a journey filled with exploration, learning, and fun. read more

This company is the worst. They prey upon unwitting 13 and 14 year olds an 3)d their parents by coming to your school, showing a nicely-edited sizzle reel of where they'd be going, and sell you on a trip of a lifetime. I will get to their COVID-19 response later. First i will review everything up until 3 weeks before our trip. 1) We were not told that the 4 boys (i.e. my son and 3 others) would be sharing 2 beds. Is that really the best way to be traveling? 2) The flight out was a basic economy RED EYE flight, saturday evening. So already you've lost 1 day of your spring break, and expect these kids to be fully functional the next day while getting 4 hours of sleep (if they're lucky) on a plane. The 2 points above are minor annoyances, and do not deserve a 1 star review. Now comes the real reason for the 1 star. They are not giving ANYBODY a full refund, due to this canceled trip due to COVID-19. Yes folks, you heard that right. They took the money and ran. OH AND GET THIS: THEY EXPLICITLY STATED WHEN PAYING FOR THIS TRIP ACH-BANK TRANSFER OR DEBIT CARD ONLY. NO CREDIT CARDS. Gee, I wonder why that is? It couldn't be because credit cards have a much higher consumer protection option, with disputes and charge backs, could it? These guys know they're hucksters and fraudsters, so they make sure you do not do a credit card dispute to charge back. AVOID THIS COMPANY. IF YOUR DISTRICT USES THEM, IMPLORE THEM TO SWITCH TO A REAL TRAVEL COMPANY. read more

WorldStrides was not effective in their planning and organization for my eighth grade trip to Washington D.C.. WorldStrides had since September to secure a coach bus for our trip, which is a significant amount of time to make arrangements for transportation. It's understandable that me and my fellow students and chaperones would have expected to have a bus reserved well in advance of our trip. The fact that WorldStrides did not secure a bus until late May, which is only a few days before our trip, is concerning. This last-minute scramble for transportation added stress and uncertainty for everyone involved in the trip planning process. Furthermore, the fact that the bus company ultimately cancelled on WorldStrides suggests that there may have been communication or organizational issues on WorldStrides' end that contributed to the cancellation. This is unfortunate and could have led to additional frustration and inconvenience for me and my travel group. WorldStrides was not responsible with their time and money in regards to securing transportation for our eighth grade trip to Washington D.C. It's understandable that we feel disappointed and let down by this experience. It's important for travel companies to prioritize organization and communication in order to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience for their customers. WorldStrides did not assure this. read more

I definitely feel like I was totally ripped off on this trip. Safety was not a top priority as the children were left unattended in the dorms to which they took to vaping tobacco and marijuana. I have text messages from my daughter terrified to go back to her dorm room because she would have to walk through the smoke. She was afraid that if she were even caught in the same hallway she would be guilty by association as most high schools do so that was her mindset. No nightly room checks as we were told would happen at 10 PM. My daughter was up till 1 AM waiting for her nightly room check because if she fell asleep she was anticipating being woken up. it was literally a frat party. One child was even left behind at one of the two stops that they actually did. Spend your money on a different company that actually put safety first and gives your child what you paid for. I paid $4000 for my child to visit two locations and to shop. It took me forever to get through to even talk to customer service about any of this and although the man seemed receptive, there was absolutely no offer to fix this for my family. I could've done so much more with $4000. We will never spend another dime with this company again and leave feeling totally scammed. I'm wondering how the University that they stayed in would feel about their lack of supervision and with the children were doing? read more

This was my second experience with using World Strides for my children's' Washington DC trips and I have nothing but great things to say about this company. The payment plan is very affordable and the discounts offered are very helpful! The communication with World Strides was efficient and friendly. During my daughter's recent trip last month, she had a medical emergency occur on day 1 (she is doing well) and World Strides went the distance to make sure we were taken care of. They kept in communication with me during the experience and flew me down to DC immediately, providing me with a voucher for an Uber to the hotel & offering to put me up in a hotel room where my daughter's group was staying, allowing her the chance to finish her trip if desired and able. Unfortunately my daughter decided not to finish her trip but World Strides allowed us to choose our departure flight which gave us time to do some of our own exploring and then they provided another Uber voucher back to airport and flew us back home. With the situation being less than ideal because my daughter was so looking forward to this trip and was unable to experience it with her group, I still cannot say enough praise to World Strides for going over and beyond with their customer service. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for such great experiences. read more

Let me say right off the bat that our grandson had a wonderful time on his trip to DC with his 8th grade classmates. The trip went off without a hitch and we felt he was well cared of at all times. But, I do have 2 complaints. First off, the food allowance was too low for teenagers. At a McDonalds they were given a voucher that was the equivalent of a Happy Meal and similar things happened several other times. He did have $200. in spending money on him and he said most of it went toward extra food. Secondly, there are no pictures of the group or of anything they saw. John did take a few pictures, but he is not a photographer, and they are of objects inside of buildings for the most part. On a similar trip my granddaughter took- with another company- a few years ago, group shots in front of every major attraction were included with the tour. Also there were 4 parent chaperones on that trip that took hundreds of pictures and posted them on Fb that the parents could download. No parents were on John's trip and in talking with other parents, most of the kids just took selfies with a friend or two and not much else. It would have been wonderful to have at least one group picture and I believe that is the responsibility of Worldstrides. read more

I want to give it 3 stars, but will give it 4 out of the kindness of my heart. Our 11am flight out of DCA was canceled. Worldstrides had 2 options for our group - spend the night in DC, take an 8am flight, with a stop in Raleigh, then a stop in Charlotte (WHAT??!!), with a 7:50pm arrival in Miami. We would have missed 30 hours of our trip. Their second option was to have each person pay an additional $400 to get a direct flight from BWI to FLL. Our group leader complained and this $8400 fee ($400 x 21 students) was waived. We waited until about 2pm and were sent a shuttle from DCA to BWI. Our flight out of BWI was at 9:50pm. We arrived to FLL at 11:40pm, arriving at our hotel at 1:30am. We had to be up and at breakfast at 8am. The activities were great, but just very crammed into the day. Two to three major activities in a day with little to no sleep to start was rough. The hotels we stayed at were nice. One restaurant was lousy (Hideout) - food portions were small, fries undercooked, Shrimp & burgers - overcooked. I would skip on that place. The kids, myself and the host were exhausted during the trip. Suggestion - make the Florida trip one day longer to combat some of the exhaustion. read more

After all the wondering if we could pay for it, will our child benefit from it, too scary to travel so far, etc. we can finally say we completed the Washington DC trip and it is SO worth it! The leaders from WS are amazing and definitely naturally built for this tour guide position! We purchased the trip insurance. At first I thought what could possibly come up?! But oh gosh I am so glad we added it because our daughter needed reconstructive foot surgery. Obviously unexpected and we almost had to utilize the trip cancellation insurance. Thankfully we moved things around and she was able to attend the trip! It was well-organized all around and what impressed me most was when our groups flight was cancelled and the teacher & kids were stranded. WS stepped in right away, got them a hotel for the night and had pizza delivered to them! We were so grateful and so relieved to know they'd be taken care of! Ultimately, this is a chance to shape their future and it provided an amazing experience!! She saw things most adults have never seen. She saw the lessons from her history books in person! Just so so cool! read more

I would strongly advise against using WorldStrides. This company preys on families and children through educational institutions, and my experience with them was nothing short of a scam. First, their reimbursement insurance is a complete waste of money. Even after purchasing it, don't expect to receive anywhere near a full refund. The fine print is misleading, and the refund policy is incredibly restrictive, leaving you with only a fraction of what you paid. Second, even after you cancel a plan, WorldStrides will continue to bill you. It doesn't matter if you've followed their cancellation procedures or chosen a specific plan--they seem intent on squeezing every last dollar out of you, regardless of the situation. Overall, WorldStrides markets itself as an organization that supports educational travel, but the reality is far from that. Their business practices are predatory and take advantage of families trying to give their children enriching experiences. Save your time, money, and frustration--look for other options that value transparency and respect their customers. read more

Our guide was awesome and our bus driver was amazing! The bus broke down on the interstate, we were told another bus was on the way, when bus actually got there it was literally duck taped together. NO AIR was on this bus. 82 degrees outside and we have been walking all morning. 27 middle schoolers! Not only did we ride that bus for 25 minutes to our next location, the same bus got us from that location to the next, which was another 20 minute ride. It became very apparent that World Strides does not have a plan when their buses break down. To me, when you run that many buses in that area, it should be a back up plan in place. The plan should not include a shady (non- friendly) driver and a bus that looks like it got pulled out the junk yard! Now, I must say the bus we went home on did have air. But it just seems the trip cost a lot of money for World Stride to put us all on a bus with no air multiple times. Not to mention all the activities we did was free. Next time, I will research better and for the money we paid World Strides we could have had a nice family vacation. read more

I was kind of skeptical at first because I read a lot of negative reviews, but my experience with Worldstrides has been great. I had no issues with the payment plan, that went smoothly. My daughter and I had a great time on our trip to Florida. Our guide, Captain T, made sure we had the schedule for the day the night before. It was nice having someone plan everything for us for once, because as a mom, I'm usually the one planning everything. The excursions were all so fun, we snorkeled the coral reef, swam with the dolphins at dolphins plus, visited the everglades and even got to go on a night hike in the everglades. We saw alligators, the only crocodile in the everglades park (!) and fireflies!!! I've always wanted to see fireflies! lol! It was great. The only negative I can think of is that the food portions weren't big enough for my 13 year old, it was like she had to order off a kids menu, which was weird. She was still hungry after lunch/dinner each day. But that's my only complaint, other than that, the trip was fun and ended too quickly. read more

My child & I were on the DC/NY trip for 8th graders. While we were impressed with the number of sites we saw and things we experienced, there was much to be improved on this trip. Meals were often a struggle, especially on the food court days. The vouchers provided for food were inadequate (too few options, not enough food provided, and lines were often way too long, causing lots of stress and not enough time to eat). Evenings were often held in locations that were too loud and overstimulating, especially for tired teenagers. Our hotel in DC was great but the hotel in NY was too loud (the doors had space at the bottom so every noise traveled from room to room) and not clean (several people had hairs or stains on their sheets). That being said, the tour guides in both DC and NY were amazing and provided wonderful information; they did a lot of the work keeping our group together and safe (a key component since the trip chaperones were not doing this very well). read more

I have fully paid in advance for my daughter's 8th-grade trip to DC, which was supposed to take place in May 2020. Washington, D.C. is under the Stay Home order until June 8 (as of this writing)--meaning WorldStrides cannot execute this trip. They have promised a refund several weeks from now (August?), minus $115 of "unrecoverable costs." As a company, don't YOU have trip insurance? I have had other events cancelled (via Ticketmaster, for example) and was issued a full refund. I've never experienced a company keeping some of my money for a program/product they didn't deliver. This is outrageous and unacceptable. You are ripping off parents of school-age children--parents who have lost their jobs due to this pandemic! Given the other reviews, I am fortunate to lose only $115. But multiply that "unrecoverable cost" by all the other students for every other cancelled trip, and WorldStrides is still making money without running the trips. Con artists! read more