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A great experience with an OAT trip... - Overseas Adventure Travel

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• Overseas Adventure Travel

After reading the bipolar reviews for the first 3 months of 2024, I feel responsible for sharing my... read more

Traveler beware. There’s a chance you all paid the same for the tour but whoever has the most... read more

A great experience with an OAT trip which I will not forget

The knowledge of history, geography, geology and politics, etc of our tour guide and especially the local guides and their ability to impart it to the group was outstanding. Their concern for our safety, as well as by our driver must be noted. The driving skills of our diver was nothing short of incredible in addition to being very helpful and friendly.

This is the second OAT trip I have been on, and it was excellent as well. Rory was a fantastic tour leader, so very patient and looked after everyone.

the trip to Wales to see the Conwy Castle and hike Llyn Idwal. Also seeing London major sights and take in a play.

My husband and I had an amazing time in east Africa with OAT. They really know how to balance out a trip. Well, we thought we were going to Africa to see the animals, for me, being with the people and learning their customs, and feeling their warmth and sharing with us what’s my favorite part of the trip!

We traveled to the Balkan countries on OAT’s Crossroads of the Adriatic adventure with few expectations. It turned out to be an amazing trip. We gained new understanding of the terrible conflicts of the nineties, saw beautiful scenery, explored ancient cities, and enjoyed some memorable meals, all with a congenial group of like-minded people. Our trip leader Lili was the best tour guide we have ever had. All of our hotels were top notch and well located. Most of the time we were fairly close to all the attractions that we wanted to see. Our contacts with the local people were great fun, especially our “Day in the Life” experience. I heartily recommend this OAT adventure.

The Atlas World Traveler ship was amazing due to a knowledgeable expedition crew, friendly, professional staff and behind the scenes people who made it all seamless. The captain delivered for the passengers on all hopes and promises.. The team leaders hired by OAT tried hard with one exception. They were South American and had little experience in the Artic. Antarctica is a very different place. Lucas Bogani was the worst tour guide I have had over many companies in 50 countries I have visited. He had only been in the Arctic once and offered little or wrong information. He remained almost exclusively with the other team leaders, not wanting to interact with the guests until almost the last day when 2 people spoke to him. I had used OAT because of the guides they provided. It seems like their brand is in need of an overhaul. I would love to go on another Atlas trip. Not so sure about OAT

Donna, we are very sorry to learn of your experience. We strive to provide our travelers with the best possible experience. With limited population and minimal tourist presence in the Arctic Circle, our Trip Experience Leaders are from our Antarctica adventures, as they are trained for the similar environment. We appreciate your feedback and will share it with our regional team. Thank you.

Go tripping with Overseas Adventure Travel

OAT travels with friends

The Scoop: What to Know About Overseas Adventure Tours (OAT)

This small-group specialist runs tours to all continents..

The Scoop: What to Know About Trafalgar Tours

• Looking at an Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tour, but want to know more about this small-group tour company?
• Here’s everything you need to know about the tour company, all updated for 2024.

Overseas Adventure Travel —more commonly referred to as OAT (saying the letters as opposed to naming the grain)—is a small-group tour specialist with tours on all continents. As its name suggests, tours with Overseas Adventure Travel tend to be fairly active, so participants should be comfortable with six to eight hours of activity each day, including walking distances ranging from three to six miles.

OAT has a great reputation for its solo guest focus (more on that below), and offers a generous number of no-additional-cost single spots on its tours. It also has women-exclusive departures on many itineraries.

BEST OF THE BEST: Best Tour Companies for Guided Tours

On OAT tours, accommodations tend to be less about amenities and more about authenticity. Another thing to note is that airfare is often bundled into the up-front price of the tour (unless you specify that you want to book your own travel). OAT is one of the family of Grand Circle Corp. companies, also including Grand Circle Travel and Grand Circle Cruise Line.

TourScoop Takeaways

• Countries: OAT has tours on every continent 
• Tour Size Average: OAT specializes in small-group trips of no more than 16 people. Its small-ship tours are aboard 50- to 98-passenger ships max out at 25 travelers. 
• Tour Type: Coach, van, small ship, rail, and air

Credibility Check

Overseas Adventure Travel is BBB accredited with a rating of A+. It’s an active member of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA). The OAT website posts verified guest reviews on each tour page (sometimes with hundreds of reviews) so it’s easy to see what past travelers think of each tour. 

Tour Destinations

For 2024, OAT has 80 itineraries that include tours on every continent. Some of the most popular tours are to destinations in Italy, Egypt, and multi-country tours in Africa and around the Adriatic. 

Overseas Adventure Travel gives all its tours an Activity Level Rating that ranks tours from one (easy) to five (strenuous) to help travelers find the right fit. It has both women-only departures and many no-additional-cost single traveler spots on tours. 

There are multi-country and single country tours. On many tours, OAT creates spaces for discussion and learning with its Controversial Topics program that covers topics such as Scottish independence on its Scotland Revealed itinerary and female genital mutilation on its Safari Serengeti: Tanzania Lodge & Tented Safari tour. 

Tour Guides

OAT’s tour guides are called Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and have a range of skills, certifications, and experience specific to the tour destination and experience. Trip Experience Leaders focus on both the logistical and the experiential, and help connect travelers with destinations by sharing firsthand insight that brings a destination to life. 

Inclusions/Extras

Inclusions are tour-specific (there’s a “What’s Included” section on each tour’s page), but generally include round-trip flights, many (but not all) meals, transportation, accommodations, activities, and gratuities for local guides, porters, etc. As with most tour companies, gratuities for trip experience leaders is separate. 

Typical Travelers

OAT’s guests are mostly American travelers aged 50 and older. In the last few years, Overseas Adventure Travel has seen a major jump in the number of solo travelers—more than half of all OAT guests are now solo travelers, and 80% of these solo travelers are women.

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OAT does right by its strong solo traveler base —in 2024, the company is offering 25,620 single spaces—91% of which are free (the remaining 9% of single spots have what OAT says is the lowest single supplement in the industry). And a number of itineraries also have women-exclusive departures. 

Communication

After booking, travelers have access to all trip details through the “My Planner” section on the website. The section includes details like flight information, destination weather, and itinerary information.

Then, two weeks before departure, travelers receive all their final documents, and are also contacted by their Trip Experience Leader. Any additional questions can be directed to OAT’s customer service email or phone number.

Loyalty Program

OAT’s loyalty program is the Sir Edmund Hillary Club . Membership benefits kick in when travelers reserve their third trip, and increase after traveling with OAT five and ten times. Benefits include credits to use on future trips, travel credits, exclusive gifts, and priority luggage service. 

Private Options

OAT offers Personalized Private Adventures for groups of five to 10 people. These private departures are available using existing itineraries, and include a dedicated Trip Experience Leader. The private group premium amount depends on the number of travelers in a group. Some of the most popular private tours include Ultimate Africa , Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes , and Japan’s Cultural Treasures . 

Sustainability Efforts

OAT is part of Grand Circle, and participates in the Grand Circle Foundation , which supports projects around the world focused on water and sanitation, education, community development, renewable energy, the protection of indigenous cultures, conservation, historic preservation, and disaster relief.

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Health and Safety Practices

On OAT tours that include time onboard a ship, additional precautions include crew trained on best health and hygiene practices to prevent onboard spread of illnesses, nightly electrostatic disinfection of public areas, and disinfection of high-efficiency air filtration systems before each sailing. The OAT website is the place to go to read more about the current health and safety practices for land and ship tours.  

Family Companies

The Grand Circle family of companies includes Overseas Adventure Travel , Grand Circle Cruise Line , and Grand Circle Travel .

More from Tour Scoop:

• 9 Travel Companies That Specialize in Women-Only Tours
• Best Senior Travel Tour Companies
• Best Tour Companies for Solo Travelers

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New Year Tour Sales: They’re Big and They’re Limited Time

Why Older Women Are Increasingly Choosing to Travel Solo

What’s tourscoop.

Tour Scoop’s team of travel experts brings you in-depth tour company overviews, tour itinerary reviews, the latest tour news, and travel tips and advice written just for guided tour travelers like you.

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Untamed Iceland

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• Visit a local horse farm to meet affable Icelandic horses first brought to the country by Viking settlers
• Discover some of Iceland's Saga-like history at the Settlement Center in Borgarnes.
• Enjoy views of colorful mountain cliffs, pristine fjords, and fertile valleys where horses graze.
• Visit a museum dedicated to this once-thriving industry before returning to Akureyri.
• Visit the stunning Gullfoss waterfall
• Visit a flower farm that relies on geothermal energy to grow lilies, roses and other species.

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Travel themes.

• Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing

Destinations

Attractions.

• Blue Lagoon
• Lake Myvatn
• Snaefellsnes Peninsula
• Whale watching

Trip includes

• International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges unless you choose to make your own air arrangements (please note due to government actions taxes may change)
• All land transportation and 1 internal flight
• Accommodations for 10 nights, plus 1 night in the U.S. on trips that return in September and October
• 22 meals—daily breakfast, 5 lunches, and 6 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Dinner)
• 22 small group activities
• Services of a resident, English-speaking OAT Trip Leader
• Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters
• 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next adventure—an average of $273

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Want a tailor-made trip instead, your trip, your way, planned by an expert:.

• You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
• Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics

Dates & Availability

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) .

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Reviews & Ratings

Booked for July and gave them $12,000. They talked us into early arrival and then come back to us a two months later saying we can't offer. We have to keep our airli...

Other Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Reviews

Policy over practical customer service. zero customer service

don't expect humanity or common sense

This letter is effectively what was communicated no less than 8 times in writing and conversation to OAT representatives up the chain, beginning 19 days before the t...

Trip of a Lifetime

Our recent Tanzanian Safari was indeed the trip of a lifetime. Saw the big 5, met the wonderful locals and spent 5 days in the Serengeti. Saw many lions, zebras, gi...

See all Other Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) reviews

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Tour operator, overseas adventure travel (o.a.t. tours).

Overseas Adventure Travel offers unique small group adventures worldwide to Americans over 50. By land and sea, we explore on—and off—the beaten path with a resident OAT Trip Leader, immersing ourselves in local cultures, sampling unique modes of transportation, and staying in authentic lodgings that reflect the essence of your destination. Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises serves both our GCT and OAT brands with an award-winning fleet known for exceptional value and high-quality experiences in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Custom-designed according to our travelers’ specifications, our fleet includes 50+ small river and ocean-going ships that we own or privately charter.

Grand Circle Corporation is a global enterprise—comprised of a family of travel companies—committed to changing people’s lives by offering high-impact experiences to our travelers and building local communities through philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and volunteerism.

Simply by traveling with OAT, you support the work of the nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation, which was created with the mission of changing people’s lives through travel—both those of our travelers, and of the people who welcome us so warmly into their homelands.

Journey with the Leader in Adventure Travel and Watch Your Dreams Take Flight : It is the stuff of dreams: gazelles bowing to lap at a glassy pool in the Serengeti as the vast sky turns purple with night, the tiered splendor of the Himalayas, rising behind a Tibetan monastery. Dreams like these are everyday realities for OAT travelers, thanks to the principles which ground every OAT adventure: value, choice, discovery, and carefully paced itineraries.