Nishat T.
Severe Safety Neglect, Alleged Targeted Harassment and Dismissive Crisis Response
I booked a 10-day multi-city trip with EF Ultimate Break ($3,600 total cost, plus $250 for travel insurance), expecting a safe and supportive group travel experience. Instead, my trip was cut short on Day 4 due to a severe hostile environment, a alarming medical emergency, and a complete failure in duty of care. From the start of the tour, I experienced what allegedly felt like persistent targeted harassment and hostility from other travelers in the group. I was subjected to invasive and inappropriate interrogation regarding my religion, prayer habits, ethnicity, citizenship status, personal finances, and lifestyle. Beyond verbal questioning, I experienced an alleged intentional tripping incident, snarky comments mocking my skin tone, and missing personal items from my belongings. They used translation apps to listen in on my personal calls with my family. The hostile environment escalated on Day 3 during a morning outing. Lorena, another traveler, allegedly accessed my phone and played an inappropriate song without my consent. When I realized what was happening, multiple travelers allegedly cornered and screamed at me in public. Rather than de-escalating or mediating, the tour guide Carlos Bozzolan allegedly joined in accusing and shouting at me and cornering me very aggressively. When I attempted to explain back at the bus, he allegedly gaslighted me, claiming he was not taking sides while actively participating in the escalation. This altercation led me to miss a $500 hot air balloon ride I dreamt of. Furthermore, the guide Carlos Bozzolan repeatedly provided EF support with an incorrect phone number for me, forcing my family back home to intervene via WhatsApp so I could reach customer service privately. After this I had to spend a day begging EF to grant me a separate room. Which finally they gave. Worst part, on that first night in my own room, I decided to forgive the travelers and the guide and go to dinner with them. After getting back to the hotel, which btw at the elevator there were travelers waiting for me, then another one was waiting outside my door. I was on FaceTime and all of a sudden, I suffered a catastrophic medical event requiring emergency room hospitalization in Italy. I experienced severe disorientation, uncontrollable shaking, dilated pupils, a racing heart, and an inability to speak or think clearly, despite consuming no substances that would cause such a reaction. It seemed exactly like a drug overdose/roofie. When I finally was able to bring myself to the lobby the receptionist didn’t call anyone and was confused and finally was able to call Carlos. He came and was asking me if the ambulance should be called or should he call a doctor over and over even though I told him from the beginning to please call the ambulance. So because of this it took a while before I actually made it to the ER. Btw from when Carlos came, EF, my sister and I were on 3-way call. On the way to the ER I thought I was dying and was saying my last words and my life was flashing before my eyes. Based on the rapid onset and physical severity, I strongly suspect I may have been allegedly drugged or spiked. The local hospital performed only a basic toxicology screen (which excludes fast-metabolizing substances like GHB or benzodiazepines). When I raised these critical safety concerns, EF representatives dismissed my symptoms as a panic attack, labeled my concerns a "huge accusation," and offered zero assistance in obtaining comprehensive medical testing or protection. EF's handling of this crisis was entirely unacceptable. While suffering a medical crisis abroad, I was left to handle logistics virtually alone while EF representatives attempted to charge me additional fees for room separation and an early return flight home. Out of a $3,600 package for a trip I had to flee on Day 4, I received a total refund of only $600, and medical bills on top of that. It took months of back-and-forth communications to receive even basic correspondence, with no formal apology or acknowledgment of the safety failures that occurred until I begged for it. EF Ultimate Break failed to maintain a safe environment, failed to implement basic protocols for potential traveler spiking or harassment, and failed to support a customer in a medical crisis. I strongly advise prospective travelers to carefully consider these risks before booking. This was May 2025 - Venice, Florence Rome May9-May18th. I flew out May 9th landed May 10th. May 12th morning was the hot air ballon incident. Later that night going into the 13th was the ER/trauma. Flew out 14th morning to go back home. Edit: responding to EF’s comment. You are lying. There are extensive emails with Betsy Nelson and Mike G and several others that Im happy to share with the BBB.
Response from EF Ultimate BreakAug 14, 2026
Hi Nishat, We regret that you had such a distressing experience during your trip and that, despite the assistance our team provided at the time, you came away feeling that EF did not adequately address your concerns. When you first raised concerns about your interactions with other travelers, our team responded in accordance with our established safety protocols based on the information that was reported to us at the time. Your review, however, includes serious allegations and additional information that were not shared with us during the trip or in our subsequent conversations with you. Given the sensitive and personal nature of some of the issues you have raised, we do not think a public forum is the appropriate place to respond to each of them in detail. We take these allegations seriously. In light of this new information, we are taking a fresh look at what occurred, including our response at the time. We would welcome the opportunity for you to speak directly with a member of our leadership team responsible for customer support so that we can better understand these concerns and ensure they are fully considered as part of that review. Again, we regret that you have not felt supported during and after your trip, and we will be reaching out to see how we can still help.