Student travel rules & expectations

With advance permission given by EF, students can be allowed to travel around the UK – including with their host families, family from home, or friends – depending on the details of the travel and local laws.

Find out if you need to request approval from EF for your travel

Remember: don’t finalise any plans without final approval from EF

Find out more

All travel must comply with the below stated rules:

Students must ask for and receive permission from their host family for all travel and overnight stays.


Students should not miss school for any travel, unless for an absolute emergency or in exceptional cases.


Students are not allowed to travel and stay overnight alone.


Student travel abroad (across national borders) is not allowed, except to return to the student’s home country or when traveling with the student’s host family, school, EF, or family from home.


Students are encouraged to avoid traveling home in the first three to four months of exchange. Visitors from home are also encouraged to wait until after the first three to four months of exchange.

Types of stays/travels

Local overnight stays (sleepovers)

A local overnight stay (sleepover) is a stay which:

  • Is under the supervision of another adult
  • Takes place within the same community as the host family
  • It is possible for the host family to “pick up” the student in the case of an emergency

  • Local overnight stays (sleepovers) are allowed with permission from the student’s host family. EF permission is not required.
  • Students should always provide their host family with all the details of their local overnight stay (sleepover), including the name and phone number of the student’s friend(s) whom they are staying with, the name and phone numbers of the adult(s) present at the local overnight stay, and the address of the local overnight stay.
  • Students should always be advised/prepared to call their host family or the EF Emergency Phone if there are any issues that arise during the local overnight stay (sleepover).

Extended and/or unsupervised overnight travel

Extended and/or unsupervised overnight travel is considered any overnight stay or travel which:

  • Takes place over one or more nights in length
  • Is not supervised by the student’s host family, another EF-affiliated host family, and/or another local family (willing to share contact details) known to the student and/or their host family

  • Extended and/or unsupervised overnight travel must be approved by EF in advance of your travel, with minimum 10 working days’ notice.
  • EF must confirm in advance that the student’s host family and parents are aware of and approve of any extended and/or unsupervised overnight travel.
  • Independent overnight travel must be supervised by a chaperone aged 25+
  • Students are permitted to overnight in their programme country without supervision provided they are travelling in groups of 2 or more EF students for no more that 2 consecutive nights with HF, parent, and EF approval. Students are required to stay in private hotel accommodation with an ensuite bathroom--stays in AirBNBs and hostels are not permitted.

 

Fill out the travel request form

If you are eligible to travel and you have read the travel rules please fill in the travel request form.

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General guidelines on what is NOT considered “Safe and Appropriate” Travel

In general, the UK team reserves the right to reject requests for student travel out of general concern for the safety and success of students on our programme. If the team must reject a travel request, the team will strive to offer alternative suggestions or ideas for travel to the student.

Solo travel
This refers to staying at a destination alone. Travel to a destination alone to meet others may be allowed depending on the circumstances.


Travel centred around dangerous or high-risk activities.

For example, unguided/unsupervised hiking, mountaineering, etc.


Travel centred around activities which violate EF Rules and Regulations.

For example, outdoor music festivals where alcohol/drugs are widely used, wine/beer festivals, etc.


Travel across national borders