Flexible options
We’re traveling again—thoughtfully and confidently
—From our groups who are currently out on the road to those who are just beginning to plan their tour, we’re committed to making sure all our travelers feel safe, supported, and confident every step of the way. That’s why we travel thoughtfully, with a customized approach to every country, itinerary, and group. Prior to tour, we ensure our health and safety standards can be met in the places we travel to. And once on tour, our teams on the ground work diligently to deliver the transformative experiences you expect from EF.
Together, our teams handle all details and logistics so you can travel with confidence. However, we recognize and respect the fact that the decision to travel is a personal one, and want to make sure you experience the world when you feel the time is right.
Whether your travel plans have already been impacted or might be in the future, we’ve gathered our policies and resources here so you can quickly understand all the options available to you. Please read through and contact us with any questions. We’re always here to talk through your options in more detail or work through specific situations.
Learn more:
1. Rescheduling group travel
2. COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher Holders
3. Planning for the Future
4. FAQ
5. What teachers are saying
Rescheduling group travel for the future
Flexibility is one of our top priorities because we want to make sure that your students get to experience the awe-inspiring power of travel—whenever you’re ready.
We understand that plans can change due to unforeseen circumstances. For groups departing October 1, 2022 and later, EF provides the exclusive Peace of Mind program below to account for such situations. This program is automatically included for all travelers and can be enacted at the group level for any reason, including terrorism, pandemics, or other world events.
For groups traveling before October 1, 2025, your Group Leader may choose from the following options:
45 days or more prior to departure:
- Work with EF to modify your group’s current tour itinerary and dates, or find a new tour and apply all money paid to the new tour
- Cancel your tour and all travelers will receive a transferable Future Travel Voucher in the amount of all monies paid for the original tour, less the cost of any purchased Travel Protection plan
- Cancel your tour with applicable fees under the Standard Cancellation Policy
44 days or less prior to departure:
- If any location(s) included in the group’s itinerary is newly designated as a Travel Advisory Level 4 by the U.S. Department of State; or a U.S. federal or state governmental authority has newly imposed a travel ban to your destination, or newly issued an order requiring a self-quarantine for travelers in your group upon arrival to a location on your itinerary or upon return home from a location on your group’s itinerary; your Group Leader or the individual traveler may choose not to depart on the tour as scheduled and will have the same Peace of Mind options set forth above.
For groups traveling on or after October 1, 2025, your Group Leader may choose from the following options:
60 days or more prior to departure:
- Work with EF to modify your group’s current tour itinerary and dates, or find a new tour and apply all money paid to the new tour
- Cancel your tour and all travelers will receive a transferable Future Travel Voucher in the amount of all monies paid for the original tour, less the cost of any purchased Travel Protection plan
- Cancel your tour with applicable fees under the Standard Cancellation Policy
59 days or less prior to departure:
- If any location(s) included in the group’s itinerary is newly designated as a Travel Advisory Level 4 by the U.S. Department of State; or a U.S. federal or state governmental authority has newly imposed a travel ban to your destination, or newly issued an order requiring a self-quarantine for travelers in your group upon arrival to a location on your itinerary or upon return home from a location on your group’s itinerary; your Group Leader or the individual traveler may choose not to depart on the tour as scheduled and will have the same Peace of Mind options set forth above.
For further information on our current Peace of Mind policy can be found here. Travelers who were originally scheduled to depart on or before September 30, 2022 can access the details of their own Peace of Mind policy here.
COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher Holders
EF amended its traditional travel voucher terms to create the COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher for travelers who had a tour program originally scheduled to depart on or prior to September 30, 2022. Travelers whose tours were rescheduled or postponed or who opted not to travel based on COVID-related concerns were eligible to receive a COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher. Your COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher may be in your online account ready to use, or perhaps you have already redeemed it to travel on an upcoming tour with EF. Either way, the COVID-19 Future Travel Vouchers offers a ton of flexibility:
- COVID-19 Future Travel Vouchers are in the amount of all the money paid toward the tour—including non-refundable fees.
- You can redeem your COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher for all sorts of programs offered through EF’s wide variety of products.
- You’ll have plenty of time to choose if (and how) you use your voucher, at least through September 30, 2025.
- They are transferable, which means they can be gifted or sold to a family member or someone else in your school community if you’re no longer able to travel.
- If not yet redeemed for a future tour program, they can be exchanged, at any time prior to the voucher expiration date, for an enhanced cash refund option (see your secure traveler site for the exact refund available through your specific voucher).
- If you have already booked your future tour program by redeeming a previously issued COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher, your account is granted additional flexibility. You can elect to cancel from your future program for any reason and recover the previously issued COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher up until 110 days prior to your rescheduled departure. If your Group Leader is planning on cancelling, postponing your current tour program or electing another tour program, you can alternatively retain your COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher by calling our Traveler Support team prior to 110 days prior to your departure at 800-665-5364. Your cash refund option remains available to you as well up until 110 days prior to departure from rescheduled depart date as well.
Visit our dedicated Future Travel Voucher page to understand all the travel and language learning options available to you through your COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher. For information on the cash refund option available for a specific COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher, please visit your traveler secure site or call EF’s Traveler Support Team at 1-800-665-5364.
Feel confident planning for the future
Frequently asked questions
What teachers are saying
Every single one of our actions in response to COVID-19 has been made with students, teachers, parents, and administrators at the top of our minds. The true results of those decisions can only be measured through their reactions.
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“My group was so impressed to be offered these choices, recognizing that, had they made these plans on their own, they would have few choices beyond travel or lose all the money paid out. EF went so far as to allow customers a chance to change their plans up to a week before their departure. I was so impressed with the amount of communication and calls I received reassuring me, and therefore my travelers, that EF was our watchdog—that they had our backs, and they had contingency plans for everyone.”
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“EF is amazing, and I trust them completely! EF has been honest and supportive all along. I literally could not have asked them to have handled it better or more generously. While I feel bad for all of the teachers, students, and families affected by these travel bans, I have full faith EF is doing all it possibly can.”
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“I can’t think of a single thing that EF could have done better under these circumstances, and my travelers seem to agree with me. Thanks to everyone who helped with this crisis!”
