Adult travelers
Our tours are designed with students in mind—from the affordable prices to the active itineraries that maximize educational value. We want to ensure that adults traveling with us have an amazing time, too. In addition to reading through our Help Center's collection of Preparing to Travel and What to Expect on Tour articles, there are a few things for our adult travelers to keep in mind:
Group travel
Unless you are traveling as a private group, you’ll be traveling with other students and adults from the U.S. and Canada. When traveling as a group, staying flexible and having a positive attitude can make a huge difference. Your positivity can be contagious—especially for students. And since you’re traveling as a group and not on your own, it’s important to be punctual. If one person is late, it can cause the whole group to miss a scheduled activity.
Background checks
Safety is a top priority here at EF, which means we’re continuously taking steps to help provide a safe experience for students on our tours. With that goal in mind, we require all adult travelers aged 20 and older to complete a background check before traveling on an EF tour. To make the process as simple as possible, we’re working with the team at First Advantage, who will email you a few months before your tour leaves with specific instructions. Read more about background checks.
Itinerary
Our student tours are an introduction to travel and are intended to give young people the confidence to see the world. We design our itineraries to get the most out of each destination, so our Tour Directors and local guides focus on showing students iconic sites with the best educational value. While some itineraries have scheduled free time, it's usually limited and travelers must participate in all scheduled activities.
Pace
You will typically be on the go all day, leaving your hotel after an early breakfast and often returning after dinner. Your day will often be fast-paced and include a lot of walking, so be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes. There may not be a lot of time to shop, and some lunches may be quick so that students get to see as much as possible.
Hotels
You will stay in safe, clean and comfortable hotels with private bathrooms. As an adult, you’ll be assigned to a room with two single beds. If you do not designate a roommate, you will be assigned to room with another adult based on the sex/gender identified on your passports—either from your group or one of the other groups with which you’re traveling. Couples can request a room with one large bed for no additional fee, and individuals may request a room with one single bed for an additional fee. Read more about rooms and roommates.
Meals
Breakfast typically includes cereal, bread or rolls, jam, juice, coffee and tea. Lunch is your chance to make local culinary discoveries of your own. Everyone will have the same meal at dinner, which will be a mix of local specialties and familiar dishes that appeal to younger travelers’ preferred tastes. Dinners are included with your tour, but you will be expected to pay for soft drinks and other beverages. If you notify your Group Leader that you are vegetarian, you will receive vegetarian meals for the entire tour. Please notify your Group Leader if you have other dietary restrictions and we will do our best to accommodate them. Read more about meals.
For more on what adults can expect on tour, read Adult Travelers on Student Tours (PDF)