I agree. A trip to Washington DC cost $200o for 6 days ( One day was wasted on travel) They have a ridiculous letter sent out begging relatives for money. I remember complaining about the price after they quickly got me to guarantee my child's place for a $100 deposit, following a slick presentation that is hard to resist( especially living in an age where parents feel guilty for not being able to be more a part of their children's lives.) Their answer has a wonderful PR spin: using Worldstrides reduces the liability so that chaperones have less stress etc. It makes life easy with their turnkey gimmick, but at about 2x the cost of planning the trip themselves.
They spent 45 minutes at the Smithsonian Institute and one half hour at another museum. I was amused at how many war memorials were visited and of course the mandatory trip to the Holocaust museum- nothing like a little sensationalism even though the holocaust has little to do with American history. So the kids will at least be able to say " Oh well, I have been here and there", While they inevitability enjoy the experience, they will never really learn about where they went.
Worldstrides counts on the kids coming back smiling with glee and rattling off all the places they can brag about visiting, but with a little deeper inquiry parents will learn it was all for show. Worldstrides is a made for profit enterprise but they hit on a very easy market. One PT Barnum would envy. "Sucker born every minute"
Marvin Rosenberg, Santa Rosa, California
