Explorica: International Tours for All Ages

I know we all see those Instagram travelers who quit their jobs and hit the road.  But what about those of us who can't do all that and still want to travel?  What about those of us with kids?  What if you really want to travel, but you're nervous and have no idea where to start?  Well let me tell you about Explorica.

Back in my P2P days circa China 2005.

From 2005 to 2007, I traveled internationally with a student ambassador program, People to People (P2P).  It is a teacher led student ambassador group that I got involved with after one of my old teachers approached me and asked, "Do you want to go to China?"  After graduating high school, when I could no longer participate, I sort of fell away from travel.  The desire was still there of course, but I just never had the opportunity or means.

In March of 2018, I was walking in downtown Fredericksburg with my daughter when I ran into the same teacher who had gotten me involved with P2P all those years ago.  It had been 12 years since I last saw her and after all that time she asked, "Do you want to go to Galapagos?" Uh, yes!  So that was how I ended up learning about the educational tour company Explorica.

Summer 2018 Explorica group in Australia.

My most recent trip to Australia and New Zealand was my second with Explorica, the first being Ecuador and the Galapagos.  The company promotes teacher led tours that are meant to immerse you in the local cultures of your destination.  They are by no means a relaxing vacation, you will be exhausted!  The best part about Explorica, compared to P2P, is that it is not just limited to students or school aged kids, literally anyone over the age of 6 can go.

Here is a breakdown of what I think are the benefits of traveling with Explorica along with some of the downsides.  Keep in mind though that this is just one of many companies out there, so what works for me might not work for you.

Summer 2018 Explorica group in Ecuador.

The Pros

Almost all inclusive.  Aside from a few minor issues that I will mention in the next section, the cost does include meals, transportation, excursions, private tour guides, and all lodging.  Considering the amount of activities that are packed into the itineraries, booking with a group under an established company is the way to go to get those group discounts.  

Private tour guides.  Having a private tour guide who knows the area makes everyones life easier, especially when your cell service doesn't want to cooperate.  They can direct you to the best places to eat and shop as well as take you places only locals really know about.

Tour flexibility.  One of the main appeals of Explorica for me is the ability to manipulate different aspects of the tour, especially when you are in a smaller group.  Teachers who are leading groups can work with Explorica to create a custom itinerary to meet their needs.  There's even a free day that was built into the last two trips I went on that allowed us to choose what we wanted to do or see.

Educational.  This might not be for everyone, but I love to learn when I am traveling anywhere!  I want to know absolutely everything about an area's culture, history, and daily life.  The itineraries are packed with ample opportunities to learn something new.  You're not just there to see a famous landmark, take a photo, and move along.  You're there to see how someone else lives and how their history shaped them.

Friendly for all ages.  As long as you are over the age of 6, you can travel with Explorica.  This is what sold me.  Yes, it's directed towards students, but really it is for all ages!  Don't have children? No problem!  We'd still love to have you tag along with us.

You don't have to do the leg work.  As someone who meticulously plans out our spring break trips, this one turned out to be a huge plus for me.  I am the person that has set alarms 180 days in advance for the moment I could book a table at Cinderella's Castle at Disney World.  Everything is planned out on these trips from the moment you arrive at the airport until you arrive home.  It's been pretty nice having someone else do all the planning and booking!

Smaller groups.  Although this isn't true for all Explorica groups, the ones I have traveled with have only been between around 11-12 people.  When I did P2P, that was 40+ kids with a teacher for every 10 kids.  Having a smaller group with a wide range of ages is a lot easier to manage and it makes the trip a whole lot more enjoyable!


The Cons

Tips are not included.  This is something that is sort of brought up on the websites, but it isn't really talked about until a little bit before the actual trip.  The tips for drivers and tour guides are not included in the cost of the tour.  While that might not seem like a big deal for one person, it can add up pretty quickly if you are a family of 3 or 4.

Some itineraries do not include lunch.  This is not true for all of them, our Ecuador trip had lunch included, but our Australia and New Zealand one did not.  Each day we were responsible for our own lunch, but I kind of liked having the ability to try something local and order my own food.

Long travel times.  These trips are not luxury tours, so sometimes flights will be booked according to the cheapest route versus the fastest.  For example, our trip home from Cairns was around 30 hours of travel time between 4 flights.  That just happens to be an extreme example for going halfway around the world, but sometimes it does happen.

Time schedules.  With a packed itinerary sometimes comes a strict schedule.  When you are traveling to a faraway destination, you're going to want to see and do as much as you possibly can in the short amount of time you are there.  With that comes time restrictions on how long you can be somewhere before moving on to the next destination.  This is just the reality of shorter tours.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I have really enjoyed touring with Explorica programs.  It allows Scarlett and I to travel together in a way that is affordable and works with my schedule.  As someone who works full-time with only 3 weeks of paid time off a year, it gives me the chance to check places off my bucket list without sacrificing all my vacation time.  Smaller groups give it the feel of traveling with a group of friends and gives you more flexibility in planning and making decisions.

For the foreseeable future, we plan to continue using Explorica.  Summer of 2020 will be Ireland and Scotland, and summer of 2021 looks like we might be headed back to Galapagos.  I hope to see you with us!