Reviews
This profile includes reviews for WorldStrides's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Review Ratings
1.39/5 stars
Average of 94 Customer Reviews
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Review fromSarah A
Date: 03/31/2024
1 starSarah A
Date: 03/31/2024
They are totally overcharging parents. Extremely frustrating. After everything was paid-called me days later and stated the flights just got more expensive- I had to pay another almost 300$!! UnbelievableWorldStrides
Date: 04/05/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly appreciate your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns very seriously.Looking into your account you registered your child on his school trip after the Final Payment Due Date, the reason why we set this date is so that land and air accommodations for the entire group can be secured. When we receive a registration below that date we make all of the needed efforts to be able to find reservations, unfortunately, we no longer guarantee the same cost. As a result of the unique nature of our trips, we have a distinct booking process that differs from that of individual travellers. We make our bookings through the group desk and often operate with limited inventory, which means that we are subject to different terms, conditions and costs than those applicable to the general public. We have made land reservations for your child, however, the airline has imposed an additional fee of $479.00. In response to your inquiry, we have removed the $271.00 late add fee, which has resulted in a reduction of the total amount you need to pay to $208.00.Thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We appreciate your honest feedback and the trust you have placed in us. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future.Review fromJessica E
Date: 03/29/2024
1 starJessica E
Date: 03/29/2024
WOW - if I could give a zero I would. This could not be a more horrible organization to interact with. Their customer service is horrendous and their business practices are concerning. They do not communicate back to us after several email communications. We pre-paid for this trip in their monthly installment plan 11 months ago. We began paying monthly installments of $22O. We maid 5 payments ($1,100) and then our credit card had expired (as credit cards do every four years). These are automatic payments, so we weren't manually going and paying these. Because of that, we didn't realize these chargers were impacted when our credit card expired. No one from their organization reached out to us to get a new credit card. They then proceeded to charge us late fees each month. When we got to the month before our trip, they reached out asking to pay the balance. This was the first I had heard from them. I thought I owed a balance of $550 and they thought I owed $1,099. Due to the disconnect, we emailed back asking for clarity on the total remaining and no one responded after emailing three times and coping our daughter's teacher. They then notified us our daughter was removed from the trip. We finally got on the phone with someone and had the most frustrating phone conversation. The gentleman we talked to was rude, disrespectful and had no empathy for the fact that our credit card expired OR the fact that he removed our daughter from the trip. He then proceeded to tell me that if we didn't move forward with the trip, we'd essentially loose all the money we gave them. If we wanted to pay the balance due (which includes all these fees), my daughters would be on the "wait list". They are now in the process of looking up what aircraft fees may and we're responsible for any changes. All in all - I would NOT recommend using this organization for any school or student trip.WorldStrides
Date: 04/05/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly value your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns very seriously.We would like to express our sincere apologies for the delayed response to your emails and any inconvenience this may have caused. We have taken steps to address the situation with the individuals involved and will continue to work towards enhancing our services to ensure the best possible experience for our travelers and their families. We are pleased to inform you that your child has been accepted onto the trip with no additional charges or flight expenses. Additionally, we have waived the accrued fees on your account and you will receive a refund to your payment method on file in response to your inquiry. We would like to express our gratitude for selecting WorldStrides as your service provider. We value your business and look forward to the opportunity to assist you.Review fromLiza R
Date: 03/28/2024
1 starLiza R
Date: 03/28/2024
After paying for the trip in full and the trip being rescheduled for the following year, I encountered a series of challenges that highlighted the shortcomings in your customer service. From unresponsive staff to a refusal of transferring me to a manager regarding the unexpected changes to the itinerary, the overall experience left much to be addressed. It was disheartening to witness the company's apparent disregard for the well-being and satisfaction of its customers. Please beware as a school, organization, or company, if you choose to use this company, IN THE EVENT OF ANY UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES that are outside of your control, you WILL NOT RECEIVE A FULL REFUND. This company is capitalizing on unforeseen circumstances, keeping money from paying parents, without the respect of monies lost if and when plans change that were out of their control.Moreover, they will increase the cost of your trip without any agreement or notice. A bill is sent, and you are expected to pay the difference as they expected me to do. Please note, if you purchase the full refund program, you will get a portion of your money back. Money refunded would be less the $99 nonrefundable fee and the $149 insurance protection you paid to protect your investment. As in my situation, the trip was rescheduled for the following year when my son would have graduated middle school. As an educator, I do not think it is responsible nor reasonable to remove my son from high school to attend a trip for a younger group of students. This information did not resonate with the representatives. Furthermore, I strongly encourage NO SCHOOL OR ORGANIZATION to use WORLD STRIDES for any trips.WorldStrides
Date: 04/04/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly value your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns very seriously.We are sorry to hear that you and your child are unable to travel at this time. Please be advised that the quoted price is based on a minimum number of travelers and may be subject to adjustment if the minimum enrollment is not met. In such cases, we are always happy to offer alternative options to help your group proceed with your travel plans. The option selected by your group was in the best interest of the travelers, which in this case was to postpone your trip and open the opportunity for more students to join while at the same time, providing the opportunity to cancel with the smaller cancelation fee to those who decide to rather cancel. We offer valuable services through group travel that begin before the planning of this trip. Therefore, if your group decides to make changes to your itinerary, and youre unable to continue with the trip, if you decide to cancel you are subject to our standard cancellation fee or to make use of the Full Refund Program. Based on your account details we can see that you purchased the Full Refund Program upon registration, this program protects your investment in the case of cancellation from you, your program Leader, or school administration. As per the guidelines of the Full Refund Program, canceling the program incurs a retention fee equivalent to the program cost and any non-refundable fees on the account. In this case, the only non-refundable fee was the $99.00 deposit. As a special consideration, we have retained only the $149.00 cost of the Full Refund Program, and refunded the $99.00 nonrefundable deposit to you, your child's account has been canceled as per your request.Once again, thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We truly value your business and hope to have the opportunity to serve you and your family in the future.Review fromJOHN N
Date: 03/26/2024
1 starJOHN N
Date: 03/26/2024
Scummiest company ever. And they prey on public school students and parents. Shame on WorldstridesWorldStrides
Date: 03/28/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly value your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns very seriously.First, we want to confirm that the information provided to you remains unchanged. Although you registered your daughter on 09/25/24, your registration was not completed until 03/15/24. Therefore, the payments made before 03/15/24 covered the cost of one student, in this case, your daughter.We also understand your inquiry regarding the credit card surcharge. We know that changes can be concerning. However, please note that this fee is levied by the credit card companies and is associated with the cost of processing credit card transactions. While we have absorbed these costs in the past, we are no longer able to do so without impacting the quality of our services. We notified you before implementing these changes to your account. As previously stated, we accept alternative forms of payment that do not incur this fee.Once again, thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We truly value your business and look forward to the opportunity to serve you.Review fromMichael E
Date: 03/21/2024
1 starMichael E
Date: 03/21/2024
I am extremely disappointed with WorldStrides. Apparently I made a mistake when filling out my wife's profile 5 months ago. Our trip departs in 7 days and we just got our e-tickets two days ago. If that was my mistake, then i'll accept that.Her name was entered as first name (F), last name (L) and middle name (M). Basically the middle and last names were swapped. I noticed that her name was incorrect on the e-ticket. I logged onto the airline to see that her name was listed as F,M,M, not even what WorldStrides had on file of F,L,M. After speaking directly with the airline, if the middle and last names had only been swapped, I'd be able to make a name correction at the airport check-in. Since the middle name is listed twice on the ticket (no last name at all), this is why a brand new ticket has to be issued, and our previous ticket is non refundable. I had to pay worldstrides an extra $1,800+ to get the ticket corrected. I have spoken with multiple people at worldstrides to explain the situation over the past two days, but they keep coming back with me having to pay the $1,800 fee. Absolutely abysmal customer service. Unless they make this right I will never use worldstrides again.WorldStrides
Date: 03/27/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly value your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns seriously.We understand that the options given by the airline at the front desk are completely different from the information we shared with you. The discrepancy is because individual reservations are handled by those agents at the front desk and normally, they are handled under their standard procedures. However, because of the nature of our business, we book through group desk and the terms and conditions we are subject to are completely different from those applicable to individual travelers.When we need to make name corrections, we are requested to follow the below guidelines:86 days or more before departure, changes are made at no additional cost most of the time, 46 85 days before departure, changes are made at a small cost, most of the time it is between $200.00 - $500.00.45 days or less before departure: most changes require a new ticket issued, with a total loss of the previous ticket purchased. Prices may vary but they are often very high.However, in attention to your request, our flight department sought an exception from the regular process we go through, in order to reduce the financial impact of this payment, and as a one-time exception, we were granted a reduction in the fee from $1846.00 to $550.00. Our records indicate that a refund for the overpayment has already been processed to your card on file.We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process and would like to reiterate, that you are a valued customer for ********************** and that we look forward to continuing to provide you with a great experience.Review fromMonica M
Date: 03/19/2024
1 starMonica M
Date: 03/19/2024
I would give them zero stars if I could. My sons trip dates were changed without us knowing. We were told that we would have to pay a substantial amount more if we didnt change dates because they hadnt scheduled another school to do the tour with our school (not my problem). This information wasnt NOT relayed to us prior to signing up. I wasnt able to get the new dates off work. According to their policy, this would count as a circumstance beyond my control. I have been trying for six months to get my refund with no response!!!WorldStrides
Date: 03/26/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly value your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns seriously.We are sorry your trip was rescheduled and that you and your child will not be able to travel, we would like to confirm that the price quoted for this is based upon a minimum number of travelers and it is also subject to adjustment if the minimum enrollment is not met. Whenever this is the case, we offer different options to continue with your travel plans. The option selected by your group was in the best interest of the travelers, which in this case was rescheduling your trip dates for your school to provide the opportunity for those students to travel and to have the option to join another group traveling on the same dates, with the sole purpose maintain the price originally quoted. Our records indicate that this was communicated by WorldStrides on behalf of your Program Leader back on July 5th. Looking into the details of your account you completed your registration online, upon completing the second step of the registration our system offers you the option to add the full refund program as a protection against cancelation it also shares with you the cancelation policy. We received your cancelation request back on 09/01/23 at that moment based on the details of your account, no refund was due to your account. As per your recent request, we worked on getting an exception approved for you, which has been recently granted, therefore you will be receiving a refund on each one of your accounts for your investment minus the $49.00 deposit amount, these refunds are set to be processed not later than 04/05/24. Once again, thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We truly value your business and hope to have the opportunity to serve you and your family in the future.Review fromMarla B
Date: 03/01/2024
1 starMarla B
Date: 03/01/2024
They changed the payment plan after the original agreement. This is unethical.WorldStrides
Date: 03/07/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. We truly value your feedback and want you to know that we take your concerns seriously.We would like to confirm that the price quoted for this trip was not changed neither did the payment plan looking into the details of your account. According to our records, it appears that you completed your registration online and upon registration the payment plan offered to you was the same offered to the other participants, which is $130.00 deposit and 4 $90.00 payments starting from November 2023 through March of 2024. Which remained the same with no changes, however, our records indicate that you processed your last payment earlier two weeks earlier than the scheduled date.If your concern, however, is associated the credit card surcharge, we understand that changes can be concerning. Nonetheless this fee is levied by the credit card companies not by us directly and it is associated with the cost of processing credit card transactions. We did our best to absorb these costs in the past, but unfortunately, we are not longer able to do so without impacting the quality of our services. This is the reason why we sent you a notification before these changes taking place on your account and as previously stated, we accept alternative forms of payment that do not incur this fee.Once again, thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We truly value your business and look forward for the opportunity to serve you.Review fromJamie B
Date: 02/02/2024
1 starJamie B
Date: 02/02/2024
I wish I would have read these reviews before I gave this company any of my money. Our school scheduled a trip for March ****, and at the end of January '24 decided they did not have enough students signed up to go in March ****, and the trip is now scheduled for March ****. I didn't sign up to go in ****, I signed up to go in ****. I went all in and signed up three family members. I cannot commit to a trip that is over a year from now (and why should I trust the school at this point to keep next years trip?) Now Worldstrides says they're *********** keep $1236 of the $1560 that I paid them so far, and I'm only *********** a refund of $324. In what world did they provide me a service that warrants them keeping $1236 of my money??? I am completely infuriated with our school and this company. If you're thinking about taking a trip with Worldstrides, make sure you're okay with losing a lot of money in the event your trip does not go exactly according to plan. Judging by the other reviews, I wouldn't be in much better shape if I would have paid for the Full Refund Program. It is apparent that this company makes a lot of their money by scamming people!! ZERO STARS FOR WORLDSTRIDES.WorldStrides
Date: 02/07/2024
Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. We appreciate your input as it helps us understand your perspective. We are sorry you and your family are not able to travel, we would like to confirm that the price quoted for this is based upon a minimum number of travelers and it is also subject to adjustment if the minimum enrollment is not met. Whenever this is the case, we offer different options to continue with your travel plans. The option selected by your group was in the best interest of the traveler, which in this case was to postpone your trip to open the opportunity for more students to join and at the same time, provide the opportunity to cancel with the smaller cancelation fee to those who decide to rather cancel. We offer valuable services through group travel that begins before the planning of this trip. Therefore, if your group decides to make changes to your itinerary, and youre unable to continue with the trip, if you decide to cancel you are subject to our standard cancellation fee or to make use of the Full Refund Program. However, we worked with our internal departments to offer you an exception which in this case would be to fully refund your accounts. The 3 of them have been cancelled and the refund is scheduled to be processed withing the following 3 weeks, these funds will be sent back to the payment method associated with your accounts.Once again, thank you for choosing WorldStrides. We truly value your business and hope to have the opportunity to serve you.Review fromJoe B
Date: 02/01/2024
1 starJoe B
Date: 02/01/2024
This company is an absolute scam and should be shut down. They give very little information about the full cost and payment arrangements. Any fundraising that is done ahead of the trip isn't deducted until the end of the payments. All of their info they do give out is very hard to understand. You basically need an attorney to decifer everything.WorldStrides
Date: 02/02/2024
Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your experience. Your feedback is highly valued, and we assure you that we are taking your concerns seriously.We are sorry to hear that you and your child will not continue your trip with us. Our records indicate that you registered for your ** trip online. We offer customized payment plans to meet the needs of our travelers such as the extended payment plan offered to you. These are in addition to our standard payment plans outlined upon registration. Your child's account has been credited with the fundraising money received from your school since November 2023, which has been reflected in the remaining balance ever since. Another benefit we offer to our student travelers is a partial financial assistance which upon meeting the requirements and submitting the completed application, it goes toward the balance of your account. We are sorry you did not call back to request the quote offered by our representatives.We apologize for any confusion the explanation of these processes might have caused and want to reiterate how much we appreciate your business. We are confident that we can continue to provide you with exceptional service in the future.Review fromKristen N
Date: 01/19/2024
1 starAs listed in the flyer and on the webpage at checkout, The program refunds all money paid (less the cost of the Full Refund Program) and FRP protects your investment by providing a full refund, excluding the cost of FRP, if you need to cancel up until the trip departs. However upon trying to cancel they are trying to charge me a $99 fee on top of my non refundable FRP cost of $194. This is obviously an illegal practice as this isnt outlined in the terms upon registration and payment. This is a very deceitful practice.
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