EF Go Ahead Tours Opens 2025 Tour Dates with Interest-Free Payment Plans As Traveler Demand for "Going Guided" Continues to Soar

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Feb 28, 2023, 09:20 ET

With travel showing no signs of slowing, more travelers than ever before are seeking out the deeply immersive experiences, incredible value and convenience of "going guided"

BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to unprecedented growth and demand for guided group travel, EF Go Ahead Tours (GAT), a premier provider of culturally immersive travel experiences, announces it is opening bookings for all of its tours through 2025 to provide travelers with more options, greater flexibility, and value for both near- and long-term planning. EF Go Ahead will also continue its $99 down, interest-free AutoPay, one of the few interest-free payment plans in today's economy.

With bookings up 75% over the last three months compared to pre-pandemic levels and overall tours at 95% capacity through April of 2023, EF Go Ahead Tours is experiencing extraordinary and unwavering demand for its guided itineraries. This surge is largely driven by travelers' shifting travel styles and a growing preference to hand off planning to an expert, while having the comfort of 24-7 on-the-road support, especially in the wake of recent travel challenges playing out in the media.

"More than ever, people are looking for connection and meaningful experiences and going guided is the future of travel," says Heidi Durflinger, President of EF Go Ahead Tours. "Travelers are realizing when they go guided they can fully immerse themselves in the joy of travel, as experts have perfectly crafted the itinerary and are also available 24/7 to adjust to a dynamic travel landscape. It's incredible to see our new traveler bookings up 280% in January 2023 over January 2022. By opening our 2025 dates two years in advance, we hope to make travel more accessible by providing travelers more time to plan and save."

Google Analytics suggests that today's travelers are flocking to group travel. There has been a 7.5% increase in those searching for "guided travel" over the last year. EF Go Ahead data supports emerging trends:

A Growing Desire to Experience Europe's Hidden Gems Through a New Lens: It's not just Italy and the UK driving tourism. EF Go Ahead has 55% more travelers going on tours to Spain and Portugal in 2023 than it did in 2022. While touring the main cities is always popular, EF Go Ahead's unique culinary, religious, and adventure itineraries are the big draw for those looking for a new spin on old favorites!
Adventure That's Accessible But Still Leaves Room for Comfort & Culture: In March 2023, EF Go Ahead will take its first group of travelers to explore the Trans Bhutan Trail, a global landmark that was closed for 60 years! Through deep relationships with Bhutan, EF designed its itinerary to uniquely offer travelers an approachable lens to the trail's adventure and accommodations and dining in comfortable, 3- and 4-star hotels, including luxury tented camps and local restaurants.
With the Help of an Expert Tour Guide, Any Time is the Right Time to Travel: Certainly there are peak travel months during the summer, but traditional "off season" travel is catching on in popularity provided an expert weighs in on the itinerary. As of December 2022, EF Go Ahead had already sold out 95% of March departures and 90% of April departures with high continued demand, especially for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Japan.
Going Solo, But Never Alone is Something Only Guided Travel Can Offer: EF Go Ahead continues to see a surge in solo within group travel, with solo bookings in 2023 up more than 200% over last year.

Value Oriented: All Reward, No Risk.
Booking future travel now is a win-win. First, travelers are locking in today's costs for future travel. Secondly, through EF Go Ahead's AutoPay, travelers can experience one of the few interest-free payment plans available in our current economy. With $99 down, travelers can create a travel payment plan that works for them on all 175+ EF Go Ahead Tours' itineraries to all seven continents. Flexible, fee-free options allow changes to dates and destinations up to the final payment date. All EF Go Ahead Tours include a comprehensive approach to travel.

Travelers can visit www.efgoaheadtours.com for more information and to see all available trips. Check out some of the amazing destinations on EF Go Ahead's Instagram and Facebook.

EF Go Ahead Tours leadership is available to media for comment on industry trends, specific itineraries and more via Marcia Gray ([email protected]).

About EF Go Ahead Tours
EF Go Ahead Tours offers more than 175 guided trips across all seven continents. Carefully planned with a maximum group size well below the industry average, every trip has the perfect balance of planned sightseeing and free time to explore. EF Go Ahead Tours is a division of EF Education First, the world's largest international education company that was founded in 1965. With a mission of opening the world through education, EF Education First has 612 offices and schools in 50 countries.

SOURCE EF Go Ahead Tours