EF (Education First) Tours has been conducting trips abroad for 40 years and is recognized as the leader in this field. EF Tours now has offices in 54 countries and  offers 24-hour availability to help tour groups with any problems that might arise.Thus traveling with an international organization such as EF Tours offers a measure of security in the unlikely development of an emergency situation.

The mission of EF Tours is "to promote global education through cultural exchange, language learning and educational travel." Over 3 million students and teachers travel with them each year.  

For NCTC's Study Abroad in Italy classes EF makes the actual travel arrangements, handling such details as plane reservations, local transportation, site guides and hotel accommodations.

Additionally EF Tours provides a professional tour director to accompany the group on its journey through Italy.  For example, the 2009 tour director, Stewart Harvey, not only kept track of basic travel details but also arranged for extra activities such as a gondola ride in Venice; a trip by water taxi to the island of Murano, famous for producing  hand-blown  glass for over 1000 years; a visit to the beautiful Medieval town of San Gimignano where travelers sampled the gelato (Italian ice-cream) in a shop whose product  has been selected as  the best in the world for the past three years (2007-2009); and an evening bus tour of Rome to see the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica and other sites illuminated.

Tour Director Harvey also provided historical information about Italy in general as well as covering important details about each site visited.  Perhaps of most interest to students, he shared his knowledge of Italian culture, including introductions to the cuisine, the educational system, marriage and family customs, and brief language lessons.

The 2010 NCTC group’s trip is part of EF's new college program, which includes a higher level of study than the high school trips that have been the tour company's focus in the past.   In addition, the evening meals included in the tour package are somewhat more sophisticated than those provided on the high school tours, and the schedule is more flexible so that teachers and students can explore on their own and visit sites that are not part of the official tour.

EF Tours makes traveling abroad easy, safe and memorable!

Visit the EF website at: www.eftours.com