Aug-2015 We enrolled our daughter in the Explorica group tour “Northern Italy & France” with departure from Baltimore planned for 21-Jun-2016 (the Original Itinerary). Total tour cost $3612. Paid in full by Mar-2016. Mar-2016: We decided to cancel our daughter's participation in the Explorica tour. Summary of reasons for cancellation and why full reimbursement is due: •We agreed to participate and pay for the Original Itinerary (Milan start; end in Paris). •To maximize its profitability, Explorica changed the itinerary on two separate occasions to combine our daughter's group with a larger group. •Alternative Itinerary (Paris start; end in Rome) was selected and approved by teacher-sponsor / Explorica and several participating students. We were not consulted and did not give our approval for this change.
Alternative Itinerary is sufficiently different from the Original Itinerary such that we cannot adapt our own travel plans, now finalized, to accommodate the changes •Given the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, we are not comfortable having our daughter (who is 16) travel on her own from Rome to Paris. Apr-2016 Explorica has refunded $2506, but refuses to reimburse the remainder (less deposit) of $1106. They claim the remainder is a cancellation fee. We maintain that since the Original Itinerary is no longer available for our daughter's tour, our contract with Explorica for the tour is no longer valid. Note that we have tried to alter our own travel plans, and considered other flight options for our daughter, in order to accommodate the itinerary changes that Explorica has proposed. We cannot accommodate the final Alternative Itinerary.
This past fall, my daughter's highschool Spanish Club presented a summer trip which was organized by Explorica Travel. Twelve (12) days, 4 countries including France, Spain, Italy, and Moracco...flights, hotel, ground transportation, and packed schedule. Total cost including trip insurance $4007. We paid in full by the set deadline given by Explorica. Trip June 20-July1 2016.
We have been paying installments for months with no contact from Explorica that there was any issue with this tour. Last week, Explorica contacted the teacher representative at our school stating that our "trip didn't make" as no other schools chose our tour; therefore, our trip would not be available. No information was ever sent directly to any of the parents from Explorica directly and no reflection on any change on our accounts. Options for other tours were given that had completely different dates, countries, and costs. Again, my trip was already paid in full and I was told when we signed up to get travel insurance, which I did, to cover me in case there was a need to cancel for any reason.
With the everything being changed...the tour dates, cost, shortening the trip by 3 days taking off Madrid, that changed our minds and we have been trying to get resolution about a refund.
Customer service is a joke. No one is ever "in the office" who can help. Messages left. Promises of return phone calls that never happen. No one responds to instant chat. I have been told numerous times that our school representative requested the tour dates be changed which is a complete lie and therefore, I am not due a refund.
I did receive 5 days after my initial attempted contact with Explorica an itemized cancelation fee explaination which detailed several fees including a $2969 cancelation fee since the trip is being cancel at the 60 day mark. Again, the changes were made by the company last week and I did not consent to sign up for the new trip. I have been told my refund on a fully paid $4007 trip will now be $700.
I feel like I have been robbed of hard earned, saved money and my daughter has been robbed of this unique opportunity. I have since researched complaints where I see repeated stories that are identical to this scenario over and over and over for many years. I bought trip insurance because I wanted security that if she got sick or a death in the family or something of that manitutde occured, our money would be refunded and that is what was promised.
I am literally sick to my stomach to read so many stories that match my exact description of this unethical practice and my other families involved in the trip also feel they have been mislead as they too have paid in full and did not agree to the newly revised tour, but they have been charged the additional fees for the new private tour Explorica is forcing as a substitute.
Because this was paid in installments, I did use several different credit cards including Discover, Mastercard, and Visa all of which were online transactions.
Explorica, Inc. Reviews
Aug-2015 We enrolled our daughter in the Explorica group tour “Northern Italy & France” with departure from Baltimore planned for 21-Jun-2016 (the Original Itinerary). Total tour cost $3612. Paid in full by Mar-2016. Mar-2016: We decided to cancel our daughter's participation in the Explorica tour. Summary of reasons for cancellation and why full reimbursement is due: •We agreed to participate and pay for the Original Itinerary (Milan start; end in Paris). •To maximize its profitability, Explorica changed the itinerary on two separate occasions to combine our daughter's group with a larger group. •Alternative Itinerary (Paris start; end in Rome) was selected and approved by teacher-sponsor / Explorica and several participating students. We were not consulted and did not give our approval for this change.
Alternative Itinerary is sufficiently different from the Original Itinerary such that we cannot adapt our own travel plans, now finalized, to accommodate the changes •Given the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, we are not comfortable having our daughter (who is 16) travel on her own from Rome to Paris. Apr-2016 Explorica has refunded $2506, but refuses to reimburse the remainder (less deposit) of $1106. They claim the remainder is a cancellation fee. We maintain that since the Original Itinerary is no longer available for our daughter's tour, our contract with Explorica for the tour is no longer valid. Note that we have tried to alter our own travel plans, and considered other flight options for our daughter, in order to accommodate the itinerary changes that Explorica has proposed. We cannot accommodate the final Alternative Itinerary.
This past fall, my daughter's highschool Spanish Club presented a summer trip which was organized by Explorica Travel. Twelve (12) days, 4 countries including France, Spain, Italy, and Moracco...flights, hotel, ground transportation, and packed schedule. Total cost including trip insurance $4007. We paid in full by the set deadline given by Explorica. Trip June 20-July1 2016.
We have been paying installments for months with no contact from Explorica that there was any issue with this tour. Last week, Explorica contacted the teacher representative at our school stating that our "trip didn't make" as no other schools chose our tour; therefore, our trip would not be available. No information was ever sent directly to any of the parents from Explorica directly and no reflection on any change on our accounts. Options for other tours were given that had completely different dates, countries, and costs. Again, my trip was already paid in full and I was told when we signed up to get travel insurance, which I did, to cover me in case there was a need to cancel for any reason.
With the everything being changed...the tour dates, cost, shortening the trip by 3 days taking off Madrid, that changed our minds and we have been trying to get resolution about a refund.
Customer service is a joke. No one is ever "in the office" who can help. Messages left. Promises of return phone calls that never happen. No one responds to instant chat. I have been told numerous times that our school representative requested the tour dates be changed which is a complete lie and therefore, I am not due a refund.
I did receive 5 days after my initial attempted contact with Explorica an itemized cancelation fee explaination which detailed several fees including a $2969 cancelation fee since the trip is being cancel at the 60 day mark. Again, the changes were made by the company last week and I did not consent to sign up for the new trip. I have been told my refund on a fully paid $4007 trip will now be $700.
I feel like I have been robbed of hard earned, saved money and my daughter has been robbed of this unique opportunity. I have since researched complaints where I see repeated stories that are identical to this scenario over and over and over for many years. I bought trip insurance because I wanted security that if she got sick or a death in the family or something of that manitutde occured, our money would be refunded and that is what was promised.
I am literally sick to my stomach to read so many stories that match my exact description of this unethical practice and my other families involved in the trip also feel they have been mislead as they too have paid in full and did not agree to the newly revised tour, but they have been charged the additional fees for the new private tour Explorica is forcing as a substitute.
Because this was paid in installments, I did use several different credit cards including Discover, Mastercard, and Visa all of which were online transactions.