Allow us to reintroduce ourselves. We’re EF Go Ahead Tours which you may have noticed on our ever-so-slightly updated logo. EF Education First has always been who we are, and now it’s a part of our logo, too.
Our EF Education First story
Over 50 years ago, we were founded on the belief that the best way to learn about our world is to experience it. Today, we remain a family-run company driven by that same principle, with a mission of opening the world through education.
Language, academics, educational travel, and cultural experience are at the heart of what we focus on here at EF. In other words, we love everything that has to do with exploring the world. Every day, we look for new ways to provide people of all ages with opportunities to do just that.
Nothing is impossible
This spirit is what drove a young Swedish man named Bertil Hult to start a company in 1965. After discovering how effortlessly he picked up English in England, he had the idea for a language travel program that combined language learning with travel abroad. EF—and the concept of experiential learning—was born.
The idea catches on
The once-small business spread quickly throughout Europe, then expanded overseas. EF High School Exchange Year began offering students a chance to experience the “American Dream” in 1976, and in 1983, the EF Educational Tours program gave North American high school teachers and their students an opportunity to make the world their classroom.
Travel for all
The success of the EF experience meant even more growth and in 1990, the concept of Educational Tours was adapted for North American adults and named Club EF Euro Tours. This eventually became what we’re known as today: EF Go Ahead Tours.
We’re all about unforgettable moments. Standing in front of a site that amazes you. Learning a language in the place where it’s spoken. Sitting down to try new flavors with new friends in a new country. The kinds of insider experiences that stick with you long after you’ve returned home.
Passing the torch
The core values of the Olympic Movement—friendship, excellence, respect—are perfectly aligned with the EF approach to life and work. Our journey together began in 1988 when we were named the Official Language School of the Seoul Summer Olympics. It continues today as we look ahead to 2020, as the Official Partner for Language Training Services of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Check out our interview with DeeDee Trotter, our EF Olympics Ambassador, to find out more.
Thanks for exploring the world with us for over 50 years. Have any questions about our EF history? Check out ef.edu to find out more.
