General FAQs

Explorica requires a unique username and password for each individual traveler enrolling on a tour, whether or not the individuals are related. To find and enroll on your tour, click here. After completing the first family member's application, navigate to My Account > Log Out (in the top right corner). Then, return to the trip website to start your next application.

The minimum age to participate in an Explorica tour is 6 years old at the time of departure. There is no maximum age, but because our prices are based on student rates, participants 23 years of age and older are responsible for paying an adult supplement and a Double/Twin or Single Room Supplement.

Official cancellation requests must be emailed to cancellations@explorica.com. The parent or guardian of a participant may contact Explorica to inquire about cancellations.

Will my reservations be cancelled by Explorica if I do not make my payments?

If you do not meet the conditions of your payment plan, your reservations will be cancelled and standard cancellation fees will apply.

Explorica's Travel Protection Plan Plus: Cancel For Any Reason Benefit

Explorica’s Travel Protection Plan Plus includes our exclusive Cancel for Any Reason benefit. For more information about benefit rules and timelines, and for information about submitting a claim, please see the Travel Protection section of our website.

Adults (23 years of age or older) are automatically placed in twin rooms unless a single room is selected and paid for at the time of enrollment. The adult rooming supplement fee for U.S. travelers is $45 per night ($70 per night on ferries and cruise ships) and $85 per night for a single room. Single rooms are not available on night trains, cruises and ferries. Roommates are assigned by your Program Leader and requests should be given to your Program Leader 60 days prior to your departure. The deadline for requests for single room upgrades is 60 days before departure. For more information on accommodations, visit the get ready section of our website.

While on tour, 3-4 students under the age of 23 and of the same gender will be sharing a room. These students will be from the entire group unless otherwise noted. For teacher-led tours, the Program Leaders will assign these roommates. Hotel rooms are furnished with either single or double beds; single beds sleep just one person and double beds may be shared. Participants aged 22 and younger may choose to upgrade to stay in a twin room for an additional $45 per night ($70 per night on cruises and ferries). The deadline for requests for twin room upgrades is 60 days before departure. For more information on accommodations, visit the get ready section of our website.

If your account has an overpayment Explorica will process your refund once all funds have cleared the bank. This usually takes about 2-3 weeks from the time the refund is posted. If your account has been cancelled, any refund due will be processed within 6 weeks of the date of cancellation. If you purchased Explorica's Travel Protection Plan, you may submit a claim to Trip Mate.

Explorica issues refunds in the same method payments were made, unless paid directly from a checking account in which case a check will be issued. Please note that Explorica cannot refund credit cards that were not originally used for payments, or that exceed the total amount charged to that card. Please contact Explorica at 888.310.7121 with questions concerning your refund.

Students or adults with special needs or physical disabilities may travel on an Explorica tour. Please let us know in advance of your departure and we will do everything we can to accommodate your needs. Please note: some bus companies and hotels overseas are not wheelchair accessible. We ask that you contact your Program Consultant or a Customer Care Representative with your specific needs. Read more about the Explorica Accessibility Policy.

If you would like to depart or return from a different airport than your group, please indicate this request at the time of your enrollment. Select your desired departure airport from the Alternate Gateway menu on the “Change Selections” page, or include your selections on your paper application. You will pay the Tour Fee and Airport Fees based on your departure city plus a service fee ($145 USD) and we will change your airline ticket accordingly. Travelers must depart from and return to the same US gateway. Travelers younger than 16 years of age are not permitted to fly alone and therefore are ineligible for flight deviations separate from the group unless accompanied by an adult.

If you would like to allocate check funds amongst group members, please fill out Group Check Form. If your check is larger than your participants’ total balance, please assign the extra amount to the Program Leader. If you have more than one group check to submit, please make a copy of the form and submit a separate one for each. Please mail this form(s) with your check(s), payable to Explorica Inc, to:

Explorica by WorldStrides
PO Box 9033
Charlottesville, VA 22906

Explorica offers a 10% Family and Faculty Discount on the Tour Fee (all other fees apply). This discount applies only to the Program Leader's immediate family members and faculty members working at the school through which the Program Leader is organizing the tour. Those extended this discount are not considered full-paying participants and therefore do not count toward the Program Leader's stipend, free chaperone places, or travel points.

The governments of certain countries require parental consent for a minor to enter. This document needs to be completed prior to departure and taken with the traveler on tour. The forms below must be signed and notarized in order for each student to enter the country. Each traveler must present the form, along with a valid passport, to the airline attendant upon checking in.

Download the Parental Consent Form.

Any specific questions or concerns regarding the necessity of these forms or how to complete them should be directed toward the embassy of the country being visited.

Note: The above applies to parties holding American passports. Those without US citizenship should contact their local consulate for information regarding traveling out of country as a minor.

Specific details and requirements vary by cruise line so please be sure to research your cruise line's guidelines prior to your departure. The following is a list of helpful information:

The ability to obtain frequent flyer miles will vary depending on the airline; some airlines will credit your account and others cannot do so because you are flying on a group ticket. You will need to contact the airline directly, as Explorica is unable to negotiate frequent flyer miles on your behalf. It may be helpful to retain your boarding passes.

Travel can be unpredictable and arrival times are not guaranteed.

For many of our tours, you may opt to arrange your own airline tickets and join the group at the hotel at their first overseas destination. We will discount your Tour Fee by up to 35 percent. Some tours that include an internal flight do not permit the Land Only option. Please contact a Customer Care Representative for more information.

You may sign up as a Land Only Participant online, by selecting the Land Only box on the “Change Selections” page. Should you wish to mail us a paper application, please mark your application accordingly to reflect this option. This should be requested upon enrollment at least 130 days before departure. Additional fees may apply if requested between 129–90 days before departure. This option is not available less than 90 days before departure.

Please note that all Land Only participants are responsible for their own airline tickets and airport transfers. You will not be met at the airport by an Explorica representative. Please keep in mind that you should not make any flight arrangements until you receive your final tour itinerary and departure date from your Program Leader.

Minors may NOT travel Land Only unless one of the following conditions is met:

1. The traveler is accompanied by an adult. If the accompanying adult is not the parent or guardian of the traveler, written consent must be provided by the legal parent or guardian.
2. The parent or guardian of the traveler has signed a consent form acknowledging that the traveler will not be met at the airport and Explorica will NOT supply chaperone or transport service to or from the airport. Forms must be completed at the time of Land Only enrollment and faxed to Explorica at 1.888.310.7088.

You may wish to spend time at your destinations before or after the scheduled tour. The fee for this service is $145 if requested upon enrollment. If requested after enrollment and up to 110 days before departure, the fee is $195. Additional fees may apply if requested between 109–90 days before departure. This option is not available less than 90 days before departure. We will change your airline ticket, and you are responsible for all accommodations, meals, and transfers before and after the scheduled tour. Travelers younger than 16 years of age are not permitted to fly alone and therefore are ineligible for flight deviations separate from the group unless accompanied by an adult. Because we will arrange your airline tickets separately from your group’s, we cannot guarantee that you will share any of the same flights, and additional fees may apply.

You may sign up with an individual stay ahead and/or stay behind online, by selecting these options on the “Change Selections” page. Should you wish to mail us a paper application, please mark your application accordingly to reflect this option.

All enrollments and reinstatements received less than 95 days prior to departure will be subject to a $95 late enrollment fee ($50 for bus groups) and must be paid in full immediately. After late applications have been received, additional charges (for last-minute flight reservations, increased Tour Fees, etc) may apply.

Late applicants will be placed on a waiting list; if no space becomes available we'll refund the full payment minus any reinstatement or previous cancellation fees that may apply. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee that participants whose enrollments are accepted less than 75 days prior to departure will share the same flight itinerary as the rest of the group.

Explorica offers three convenient payment plans and accepts Visa and MasterCard (credit and debit), checks, electronic checking account payments, online banking and money orders. Payments can be made online, over the telephone or by mail.

Checks should be made payable to Explorica and sent to:

Explorica by WorldStrides
218 W. Water Street, Suite 400
Charlottesville, VA 22902

Monthly Automated Plan:

Pay your $50 deposit and travel protection plan costs with credit/debit card or checking account upon enrollment, and the balance of your Tour Fee will be automatically charged to your card or debited from your account in equal monthly installments until 35 days prior to your departure date (checking account) or 65 days prior to your departure date (credit/debit card). Please note that you must make all payments by credit card, debit card, or checking account. If two consecutive payments are returned NSF or declined by your bank or credit card company, we will change your account to the designated Manual Plan.

Full Payment Plan:

Pay in full at time of enrollment.

4-Step Manual Plan:

Pay your $99 deposit and travel protection plan costs upon enrollment, $500 toward your Tour Fee 30 days later, and 75% of your remaining balance at 110 days prior to departure. The final remaining balance is due 65 days prior to departure and can be paid by check, credit or debit card, or checking account. If you enroll 150 days prior to departure or later, you will make only three payments - $99 deposit and travel protection plan costs at enrollment, 75% of your remaining balance at 110 days prior to departure, and the final balance at 65 days prior to departure. Please note that we do not automatically deduct payments on this plan; you must make each payment manually. All full-paying participants, including participants who have previously traveled with Explorica, are required to pay the $99 deposit upon enrollment. Any participant who has already paid the deposit for a previous tour will receive a $100 credit on his or her Explorica account.

Monthly Automated Plan:

Pay your $50 deposit and travel protection plan costs with credit/debit card or checking account upon enrollment, and the balance of your Tour Fee will be automatically charged to your card or debited from your account in equal monthly installments until 35 days prior to your departure date (checking account) or 65 days prior to your departure date (credit/debit card). Please note that you must make all payments by credit card, debit card, or checking account. If two consecutive payments are returned NSF or declined by your bank or credit card company, we will change your account to the designated Manual Plan.

Full Payment Plan:

Pay in full at the time of enrollment.

Manual Payment Plan (Flights):

Pay your $99 non-refundable deposit and travel protection costs at enrollment, a $300 down payment 30 days after your enrollment is processed, and your tour balance 95 days prior to departure.

Manual Payment Plan (Bus):

Pay $99 non-refundable deposit and travel protection costs at enrollment, a $150 down payment 30 days after your enrollment is processed, and your tour balance  95 days prior to departure.

Explorica offers optional excursions on most of our tours to provide flexibility to your itinerary. Any excursion labeled “optional” on the tour description is not included in your tour fee and may be added, for an additional cost, to your itinerary. To find out more about Optional Excursion costs, see the Optional Excursion section of our Terms and Conditions.

While most optional excursions can be booked during your tour, Explorica recommends that you book them prior to departure to ensure availability. Some excursions such as the optional Versailles excursion or New York City Broadway shows are pre-book only and must be booked before departure. A minimum of 20 participants is required in order to run each optional activity.

If a participant does not check in for any portion of their air reservation, the airline may cancel the return flight and remaining segments, and no refund will apply. You must travel on all legs of your itinerary. If the airline cancels a segment due to a no-show, the participant will be responsible for any service fees charged by the airlines, which may include the purchase of a new ticket. Similarly, any Explorica traveler who chooses not to participate in any activity or tour inclusion will not be provided a refund.

Click here to download our full Terms & Conditions.