Overseas Adventure Travel

Pros: Greece is interesting - no matter how hard you try to ruin it
Cons: Bad program Bad guide Horrible cabin on ship Bad travel arrangements

My wife and I recently took the OAT Classic Greece and the Greek Islands trip. We were extremely dissatisfied with the trip and would not recommend it to anyone. This was our second OAT trip. The first one, Israel: Natural Wonders & Timeless Culture ...

Pros: Affordable price, small groups, AWESOME guides, did I mention price & great guides?
Cons: They don't mention about $200-250 additional fees in catalogs or website.

I’ve been to 26 countries with numerous companies. I’ve used OAT now on three trips: Galapagos Islands/Amazon, Peru, and Tanzania/safaris. The best tour company I’ve used yet. Price Almost everything is included on their listed price in ...

Pros: Good way to see most of China in 20 days, OAT provides a good value.
Cons: HOT, polluted, crowded, and you should budget few hundred extra tipping dollars for your trip.

We chose the China, Tibet and the Yangtze River (downstream) tour because of the rapid changes happening in China. Our thought was to see the Yangtze before it was completely flooded, and visit Tibet before it becomes more Chinese than Tibetan. Other ...

Pros: The ship, "Artemis" was beautiful.  The crew very helpful. 
Cons: Long bus rides, rushed through sites, trips advertised for 55 plus -  mostly plus...

Never use this company! I called them because of an article in the NYTs about travel companies offering lower priced trips to attract clients in this poor economy.  OATS was one of the companies mentioned. Upon calling them, of ...

Pros: Africa's People And Animals and wonderful Landscape
Cons: OAT in General. Long uncomfortable drives in cramped Vehicles

If you are considering a trip with either Grand Circle or Overseas Adventure Travel, contact BBB (Better Business Bureau) on line first. You will find some interesting negative info on these companies. My wife and I recently took a Best of Kenya and ...

Pros: Great Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala sections
Cons: A feeling of penny pinching by OAT in Belize.

We greatly enjoyed the trip with our trip leader Bronson Torres.  Bronson is knowlegeable, an excellent communicator and diplomat, and very thorough.   This is a difficult trip and he made it easy!  With 16 people ranging from the 50s ...

Pros: Excellent tour guide, bus driver, bus
Cons: Long bus rides, insufficient time at the beach, national parks and socializing with locals

If you are elderly, have bad knees, enjoy long bumpy rides over awful roads insulated in a bus, then this may be the trip for you. Despite the excellent,knowledgeable and skilled guide and driver, both my wife and I felt relieved when the trip was ...

Pros: Active tours; varied assortment of sites and cities; knowledgeable guides
Cons: OAT reaction to member ratings can get Group Leaders fired

My wife and I to the 21 day Overseas Adventure Travel trip to China on April 23, 2006. While the trip was good from the standpoint of what we saw and the places we went, a very unfortunate result occurred that we wish to share with all travelers. During ...

Pros: Small group size, reasonable cost
Cons: Extremely poor customer service. Trip cancelled after full payment and confirmation. Risky. False advertisement.

We looked forward to going on this new and exciting 24-days adventure to Machu Pichhu, Galapagos, and the Amazon with OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL. After making our full payment, we received our confirmation letter, travel package, detailed itinerary, ...

Pros: Looks like a wonderful trip. I'll let you know.
Cons: Bad OAT attitude towards fair pricing.

I haven't traveled yet and I'm already unhappy. I booked the trip at pretty much full price ($100 off per person). Then I start receiving fliers advertising greatly reduced prices. OAT will not issue any type of refund. I am left to cancel -- yes I paid ...

Pros: The sites in Jordan were wonderful in themselves and the guide couldn't ruin them.
Cons: The Jordan add-on was a last minute poorly executed and ill conceived effort.

The Egypt portion was very informative and I would recommend it if you like tours.  The best part of the trip was the extremely knowledgeable Egyptologist who went out of his way to answer questions and take care of any problems we encountered. I ...

Pros: Good price. Unusual features on their tours.
Cons:

The words "confirmed" and "guarantee" mean nothing to them.

I chose OAT to make my first trip to Peru because of the great price they offered and the unique things they offered on their trip, such as a dinner with a local family and a visit to a school. I'm well travelled, especially to Europe, and always travel ...

Pros: Don't know of any yet.
Cons: Air travel is a horror when they book

I am suppose to leave 2/12/09 on Tunisia: From the Med to the Shara tour with a pre trip and post trip.  The preliminry return air itinerary had me flying from Tunis, to Rome, to Atlanta to Greensboro NC, my finial destination.  Not great but doable.  My final reservations have me going from Tunis, to Rome, to JFK to Cincinnati to Greensboro.  5 flights!  When I called and asked why, they told me Atlanta was not a Delta hub anymore.  Well, someone should tell my husband that because he works for Delta and is always going down to their hub in Atlanta!  The people who book these flights do not take their customer's comfort into account.  The book the cheapest routes, worst connections, and poorly rated airlines.  I may just cancel this whole thing and start with a tour compnay that wants to do things right.

Pros: Guides were excellent.
Cons: Most of us got sick in Peru.  Chicken almost every day. Barnard hotel is bad.

We were advised to leave some luggage at this hotel when we left for the Galopogas.  My cell phone was stolen from this luggage.  OAT told us it was safe and refused to reimburse me the 200 bucks I am out.  The rooms were hot and stuffy and noisy.  Other than that the trip was pretty good.  21 day Peru and Ecuador tour.

Pros: Excellent value, small group intimacy (can go either way), unique home visits, optional room-mate matching.
Cons: High 'bad apple' and 'room-mate from hell' risk. Never-ending mailings; poor customer service.

We took a fascinating Jordan - Israel trip last November with exceptional tour guides .. there were 8 and 13 people respectively.. Thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth experience but unless you are super easy-going (or super lucky) the small groups can be a double-edged sword. All in all, worth it for exotic destinations that you might not visit independently. Unfortunately they continue to bombard me with frequent, repetitive mailings and contacting them takes an act of congress. It is such a waste of trees!

Pros: initial price seemed attractive
Cons: an absolute failure to deliver the advertised product

We took OAT's Red Sea trip in December 2008, feeling confident because we had traveled with them many times before.  This trip was a horrible disappointment.  The hotels were mostly 2nd rate (one was absolutely nasty), the trip into Saudi Arabia was a waste of time and money (there was essentially nothing to see with a horrible guide and a filthy raddle-trap bus driven at break-neck speeds), the trip and OAT's description of the trip varied considerably (many broken promises), and they seemed more intent in offering "optional expense items" rather than delivering the promised product.  Even their free gifts to the travelers were nothing but defective cheap Chinese products.  Dealing with their home office was a nightmare; employees who do not know what they are doing, providing wrong information.

They used to be a good company; but no longer.   AVOID this trip!

Pros: Extremely knowledgeable trip leader who communicated her knowledge and enthusiasm to the group.
Cons: We stayed in one hotel in Alexandria where loud bands kept us awake all night.

Just got back from a fabulous trip to Alexandria and a cruise on the Nile. We have traveled with OAT many times and this was one of the best ever. Our trip leader, Heba, was absolutely wonderful and the cruise ship was excellent, much more than we had anticipated. Not only did we enjoy the obvious historical sites which were much more than anticipated, but we learned so much about the local culture. The Egyptians are very friendly people and with the help of our trip leader, they showed us their way of life. We even bartered for vegetables in the market for use in an Egyptian dish we made aboard ship.

Pros: None
Cons: High risk. No such thing as a confirmed reservation.

My wife and I booked, paid for and were confirmed for a trip to the Galapagos, Macchu Picchu and Amazon Rainforest 8 months before the trip. OAT even mailed us our plane tickets. Two weeks before the trip, they notified us that it was "overbooked" and we couldn't go. Of course it was too late to duplicate the trip at that time with a more honest tour operator. It also took a long time to get a refund. I've heard that OAT gives good value for the money if you get to go. But is it worth the risk? "Confirmed" means nothing to them. And it is very difficult to get to speak to a live person or get a straight answer once they bump you.

Pros: Barge trip
Cons: Medical coverage

Don't fall for OATS travel insurance. We tried to get payment for medical costs incurred in France. Must get coverage from your own insurance first and then maybe they will consider picking up the remaining balance. No help whatsoever with translating the bill into English.

Pros: The small group size, amazing guides, going beyond crowded tourist attractions.
Cons: Was so excited I barely slept. You must get rested up for next day's surprises!

We fell in love with the photo of our boat in the O.A.T. catalog. Impulsive, eh? For nine months in 2005 we anxiously waited for this adventure... and it was beyond our most positive expectations!!!! To be sure, we've already reserved our O.A.T. big adventure for 2006!

We wanted to see South American rain forest, Amazon river, wild animals & birds, sunsets and sunrises, (especially unpack only once on the cruise portion), and a completely different exotic part of the world than where we live. All wishes came true... and so much more!! While still at home, we didn't realize we would learn about the people who live along the Amazon River. Each day we stopped to visit another group of people, and I've got to say that was the highlight of my whole vacation. The wonderful friendly children who wanted to walk with me, hold my hand and show me their villages.

Cannot describe in mere words how wonderful this experience was.

Pros: Great guide, affordable,fantastic food,lots of nature,small group
Cons: Older age group if you are younger,long bus rides,little time on the coasts

I took the small group tour having never engaged on a group tour before. Most of the group was seniors that were very well traveled and good company - I am in my mid thirties. The trip was very well organized and our guide Ursula was local, experienced with extensive knowledge of the plants/animals. The tour was busy, up early every day. We moved every couple days so the less packed the better. We visited the rain forest staying in large huts with individual rooms around the outside, expect rain. The food was in abundance the whole trip and fantastic. There is a lot of bus riding through the country. We spent just a day in San Jose and a day on the Pacific Coast on a beautiful island. The trip includes kayaking, rafting and a school visit. The tour is eco based and the company donates to the countries they visit. Very affordable and you won't be hungry! Costa Rica is awesome to visit!

Pros: I can't think of any
Cons: read the letter and you can see why

There are 16 of us that booked a trip to Bangkok in December 2005. Three of us wanted to go Business class. Just found out that Overseas Adventure Travel out of Cambridge, MA only put people in business class when you are traveling overseas and over water, for example LAX to BKK via NRT, LAX to NRT would be business class and NRT to BKK would be coach. The salesperson DID NOT mention this what so ever. I even spoke to a supervisor who said I understand but I CAN'T do anything. Being on 38 I could have been a lifetime client but with this problem I don't think so. I even wrote and faxed a letter to the CEO and owner Alan Lewis who has not responded to date.
Here is a company that says it prides itself on service but NOT. If this was any other business the Attorney General's office would investigate them for Switch and Bait