EF Ultimate Break - Is it worth it?

You are scrolling through Facebook when an ad for EF Ultimate Break pops up (because you've been thinking about going to Greece for a while and your computer just somehow knows that) - "The Best Way to Travel: Fun, Affordable, Group, Trips... Experience the Ultimate Greek Islands!" You click on the link and it all sounds too good to be true... Except I am here to tell you it is true and it is way more than just good!

I have people ask me A L L O F T H E T I ME -

"Sammy, how do you travel so much?"

"How do you afford it?"

"You travel alone!?"

I am here to answer those questions and hopefully persuade you to use EF Ultimate Break to help you with all of your travel plans - whether you are dreaming of living on a sail boat in Croatia, zip lining through the jungle in Costa Rica, going on a game drive in Kenya, or seeing the Egyptian pyramids... EF Ultimate Break has it all and they are here to help you make some travel memories that will last a life time.

What is EF Ultimate Break and how does it work?

I first heard of EF Ultimate Break (formally known as EF College Break) several years ago when my brother went to Italy with other students in his high school class through an EF tour. It wasn't until 2018 when I really started to look into what this company was all about.

To make it short (kind of) and sweet:

EF Ultimate Break is a travel company for people between the ages of 18-29 that makes traveling SO EASY (emphasis on the easy) This company really is a life saver because we all know travel can sometimes be extremely stressful.

Lets talk money:

How does this company make travel so affordable?

Through this company you can pay for your trip in one of three ways:

1) Pay in full

2) Pay bi-weekly OR monthly using an automatic payment plan with no interest (only a minimum of $150 down is required at the time of booking)

3) A manual payment plan which requires at least $450 down plus a $50 service fee (if you decide to use this way of payment your trip must be paid off 99 days before your date of departure)

Out of the six trips that I have booked through EF, one I paid in full while the other three I took advantage of the monthly payment plan.

Want to save some money on your trip? Lets talk coupon codes and sales because I am all about saving some money!

- I GOT MY OWN COUPON CODE - Book using this link: https://www.efultimatebreak.com/?ba=UASamanthaR100 and $100 will automatically be taken off at checkout!

- If it is your first time traveling with EF you can get $50 off when you make a new account using your email.

- If you are a repeat traveler you get a repeat code depending on how many trips you have been on. After your first trip the repeat code is $250 off and after your third trip it goes up to $300 off. The more you travel, the more you save...so basically never stop traveling.

- Some tour directors have a coupon code that they give out at the end of the trip. (For example, my tour director from my Greece trip gave us a code that got us $50 off our next trip.)

- 99.99% of the time there is some type of sale going on... such as the "Early Bird Special" or the "End of Summer Sale." If you are on the website looking to book a trip and there are no sales, try again in a couple days and I can guarantee you that there will be some type of sale.

Lets talk flights and transportation:

EF gives you two options when it comes to flights:

1) You can have them book your departure and arrival flights from your home airport so you have nothing to worry about. (One free checked bag is included a majority of the time.)

2) If you believe you can save some money you have the option to book your own flights.

I have gone with option one for five out of my six trips. If you are lazy like me (LOL) number one is for sure the best option. The only time I went with option number two was when I went to Belize. I scored a really good deal on a Southwest flight.

If you choose option number two, it is said that you are responsible for your own airport transfers. For me, I got lucky. When I landed in Belize my tour director told me there was plenty of room on the bus transfer to the hotel so I didn't have to worry about paying for my own taxi or transfer service.

EF also gives you the option (with a small additional charge) to:

1) Fly in earlier or leave later than your group. With this option you are responsible for everything (hotels, food, transportation, etc.) because you are traveling outside the original dates of the trip.

2) Have EF change your flight that is headed back to your home airport in the states to...wherever! I get it, you are already halfway across the world so you might as well visit Vietnam or Australia or New Zealand... or all three.

As for transportation between cities while you are abroad, it is all covered in the cost of the total trip. I'll say that again. It. Is. All. Covered. You do not have to worry about anything! (I did say this company makes travel stress-free, didn't I?) For example, when I went to Greece my flight from Athens to Santorini was included. When I went to Belize my ferry ride from Belize City to San Pedro was included. And when I went to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria we took a bus to each new city and it was all included. Talk about simple!

Lets talk food:

There is no better place to try a gyro than in Greece, there is no better place to eat pizza than in Italy, and there is no better place to try escargot (maybe) than in France. One of my favorite things to do is try new foods...so why not do it in a foreign country?! EF Ultimate Break gives you many options to test your taste buds!

Included in the price of the trip is a welcome mixer and a farewell dinner. The welcome mixer will consist of appetizers and drinks while the farewell dinner is a delicious three-course meal. As for breakfast (the most important meal of the day...gotta fuel up for a day filled with fun) it is free at each hotel. Some days (depending on what is planned - meaning free time or extra activities) lunch could be included in the cost of the trip or you could be on your own. For example, when I was in Belize we took a trip to the Lamani Ruins. This activity, as well as lunch, was included in the total cost of the trip. Who doesn't love some spicy Belizean food? I know I do.

Lets talk accommodations:

It's simple. All accommodations are included in the cost of the trip. These accommodations are assigned to you and fellow EF travelers only. EF gives you several options in regards to rooming...

1) Standard rooming which in included in the price of the trip. This is the option that I have gone with every trip and I recommend it! Roommates can range anywhere from 3-6 people (of the same gender) and are assigned randomly (unless you request to be with someone).

2) For an extra $35 a night you can upgrade your room to have a double bed or two twin beds.

3) For an extra $70 a night you can upgrade to a single room. There is no better place to relax after a long day of exploring a new city than in a quite room that you have all to yourself!

No matter what option you pick you do not have to worry about a thing. Every trip I have been on I felt safe in all the locations. If anything, the locations are amazing. By that I mean you could get a room with a balcony that looks out on the Swiss Alps or a room that sits right on the Caribbean in San Pedro.

Lets talk extras:

Every trip you book will include these same five things:

1) Flights and transportation

2) Tour director

3) Hand-picked accommodations

4) Free breakfast daily

5) Welcome mixer and farewell dinner

As for extras, each trip has so much to offer. All of the trips I have been on included several activities that were covered in the cost of the trip. For example, in... (listing a few but not all)

- Greece: a guided walking tour of Athens, a sunset cruise around Santorini, and a boat day in Paros

- Belize: a day of snorkeling the Great Belize Barrier Reef, zip lining and cave tubing in the jungle, and a guided tour of Tikal national Park in Guatemala

- Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria: a gondola ride, guided walking tours in Munich, Venice, and Salzburg, and a trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle

-Thailand: a day trip to the floating markets, a visit to an elephant sanctuary, an all day boat tour of the Phi Phi Islands

- Costa Rica: kayaking Lake Arenal, a visit to La Fortuna Waterfall, a day trip to the Baldi Hot Springs, a boat tour around Manuel Antonio

As well as extra activities that are included in the cost of your trip, you also have the opportunity to pay for even more activities and make even more memories. For example, you can pay to experience wine tasting tours, food sampling tours, scuba diving trips, bike ride tours... the list of activities you can do in each city is endless. I recommend taking advantage of everything.

One question I do want to answer is this: Yes, although EF trips come with and include a lot of extra activities, you can opt out of anything at any time. You are not being forced by any means to participate in the days activities. If you want to go off and do your own thing, feel free!

Lets talk tour directors and fellow travelers:

Tour directors:

Want to know the best way to live like a local while traveling abroad? Get tips from a local! Every EF trip comes with a tour guide who is either a local and is from the area or is extremely knowledgeable about the country you are visiting. Every tour director is equipped with a plentiful amount of recommendations such as places to eat, beaches to go to, and sights to see. By the end of all my trips I wasn't calling my tour guides, guides, but instead calling them a friend. Cheers to every tour guide I've had that has danced with us, been our personal photographers, and gave us personalized gifts that still mean so much.

Fellow travelers:

AHHHH - This is my favorite part!

When I tell others that I am traveling abroad alone they call me crazy. That's when I have to correct them and tell them that although I am traveling "alone" because I don't know anyone, the company EF Ultimate Break brings me and other travelers together where we explore new places together.

These EF trips are not all solo travelers... there could be a boyfriend and girlfriend traveling together, two sisters, or two best friends. No matter who you travel with just known you are going to be leaving with some new lifelong friends. I can guarantee you the group you travel with will be a family by the end of your trip. You will share SO many laughs and memories... such as getting lost in metro stations, eating gelato every single day, taking over the AUX cord at the bar, and frolicking on top of the Swiss Alps together. There are so many memory making opportunities that you could have to look forward to if you use EF for all of your travels.

I really can't thank EF Ultimate Break enough for giving me the opportunity to travel and meet so many new friends. After every trip my heart is so warm and full of gratitude. I really can not recommend this company enough. If I am being honest, I think EF Ultimate Break has and is going to continue to help shape me into the person I am supposed to be. Thank you, thank you, thank you EF Ultimate Break.

So to answer your question, yes yes YES (if I could say yes a million times I would) EF Ultimate break is 100% worth every penny! It is totally possible to get out and explore, but EF Ultimate Break makes it so much easier.

The trips I have done:

- The Greek Islands

- Belize: Rainforests, Reefs & Ruins - Germany, Italy, and Switzerland

- New Years Eve in Thailand

- Ultimate Ambassador Retreat: Costa Rica

- Ultimate Ambassador Retreat: Iceland

- Egypt Expedition

- Cruise Croatia: Split to Split

Coming Soon:

- Grand Tour of Irealand

- Peru & Machu Picchu Adventure

- Kenya: African Safari

First time traveler? Follow this link: https://www.efultimatebreak.com/?ba=UASamanthaR100 and $100 will automatically be taken off at checkout!

Follow me along on my socials for even more TRAVEL:

I N S T A G R A M:

@naturallycurious__

@sroystonnn

Y O U T U B E:

Samantha Royston