Overseas Adventure Travel
reviews and complaints

I was on an OAT trip to Tasmania/Australia/New Zealand 12/1/23-1/5/24. Cyclone Jasper (CJ) manifested approximately 12/5/23. At that time, our guide, GH sent email to OAT office in Sydney (S) about CJ recommending that our group be diverted from the Cairns/Port Douglas (C/PD) segment of the tour to another location in Australia. Our C/PD segment was scheduled for 12/16-12/20/23. CJ made landfall at PD on 12/13/23. CJ then stalled for several days in the area until 12/18/23. CJ caused power losses, drinking water shortages,trees to uproot,overflow of rivers and creeks,and mudslides and destabilizing damage on many roads. People needed to be rescued. C airport finally closed (12/16-17/23). Mossman and Daintree River also flooded. Crocodiles were seen floating through Ingham. CJ was the wettest tropical cyclone to impact Australia on record. On 12/16/23, while we were in Ayers Rock, G told us that after CJ had hit things were back to normal in C/PD. When we landed in C. we were met with torrential rain. After several detours, we arrived at the hotel about 12 Midnight. P told us to be in the lobby at 9am for the Wildlife Tour. On 12/17/23 morning, P told us that there would be no trip to the Wildlife Zoo nor any planned activities. We were confined to the hotel. Some of us wrote emails to OAT about our situation in PD. On 12/18/23, we all received an email from Marisela R. Perez, Traveler Relations, OAT that acknowledged the situation we were in and attributed it to circumstances beyond OAT's control. She reiterated that our safety remained OAT's priority. We were angered by her letter. On 12/19/23, planes started to fly in and out of C airport. All the various roads between C and PD were impassable. PD started up a Ferry Service between PD and C. On 12/20/23, we took the Ferry from PD to C and then flew from C to S as originally scheduled. On 12/22/23, we all received another email from Marisela reiterating that the change in program in C/PD was out of OAT's control. As a gesture of good will, we were provided a travel voucher for $500.00 per person to use on any OAT or Grand Circle Tour within the next two years. This second letter angered us even more. We wrote a group response where we all agreed to reject the $500 credit offer from OAT and requested compensation of $10,000.00 cash for each person for OAT's gross if not criminal negligence for sending us into an existing dangerous situation putting our lives at risk. G mentioned the suggestion for altering our itinerary was nixed by Sandrine Le Gillard, VP Regional General Manager, South Pacific. On 1/23/24, Marisela spoke with SC and said the Executive Team would not authorize any refund at all. On 1/28/24, I sent an email to Harriet Lewis, Chairman of the Board with Grand Circle Corporation (GCC), Brian Fitzgerald, CEO GCC and Nicholas D'Angelo, Executive VP Traveler Relations OAT. I requested the following from OAT: 1. A letter from OAT acknowledging their accountability in this grossly negligent incident with an apology 2. Compensation of $10,000.00 for the gross negligence. 3. A conversation with a person in the OAT organization with authority over quality control and processes to get assurance that this will never happen again-to anybody. On 1/31/24 Marisela and I spoke. She said that she was speaking on behalf of Brian Fitzgerald. She said that the decision to send our group to C/PD was based on phone calls to the airline where OAT was told that the planes were flying and to the tourist businesses in C/PD where OAT was told that the tourist venues were open. That was the info OAT had at the time and what happened in PD was unexpected. This is "Force Majeure" or "Act Of God". However, the foreseeable conditions in PD nullifies the third test of unforeseeability to trigger the "Force Majeure" clause. I received a refund of $27,000.00 that I had paid in full for four OAT trips. I will no longer travel with OAT.

Also sent to NYT Times Tripped Up and to OAT itself

This is about the annoying and unfair, treatment we received from Overseas Adventure Travel in November, 2022. We had used our right to cancel/postpone to change an April 2022 trip to Eastern Europe for a November 2 Departure for Spain and Portugal.    We had a number of vouchers available to us, including two for a total of $1681 which was scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2022.  Unfortunately, three days before the Nov. 2 departure, we developed Covid.  It was  therefore impossible for us to travel.  Instead, we booked a more expensive trip with OAT/Grand Circle, to Greece, the Greek Islands, and Turkey, for April 8 to 25, 2023.  Despite the impossibility and downright danger of travel, OAT has refused to extend the $1681 voucher, despite that we could never have travelled then, and we not only booked a higher priced trip for April 2023, , but also brought along two other travelers who will join us. We spoke to Tim Plante, at OAT, and his supervisor, Amanda, and got nowhere.  We have had multiple trips with OAT and expected better treatment.  From past experience, it seems OAT/Grand Circle has not been willing to recognize the fallout from Covid.  When issues arose in the past, there was someone at OAT, Ann Marie Goodspeed who was very helpful, but no one helped with this situation.  It is absurd for us to lose $1681 in vouchers when we were unfit to fly, and had no business being near an airport.Please help if you can.  Thank you.

I booked an African safari trip through OAT back in 2019. Due to the pandemic I rescheduled it for summer 2023. At the time, I was living in Houston TX. I then booked a trip through the Adriatic for the summer of 2022. In March 2022 I moved from Houston to Savannah GA. I couldn't get ahold of anyone to change my departure city for the Adriatic trip so they initially had me set to depart from Houston.

I finally got ahold of someone who charged me $250 to change my departure city for the Adriatic trip. The air travel that OAT arranged for my Adriatic trip was an absolute disaster. They had one connection at JFK that only allowed me 45 minutes between flights and I had to change terminals. The airport transportation was under construction and I had to exit one terminal, walk to the other terminal and go back through security... all within 45 minutes. They booked me with ITA (an Italian airline) that wouldn't allow me to pre-choose my seats. I was seated in a middle seat, back row (non-reclining seats next to the lavatory) for the 10 hour flight from JFK to Rome. In light of this horrible experience, I have been trying since August to reach a real person at OAT to no avail so I can ensure that they don't charge me for airfare for the Africa trip... I will make my own arrangements.

Repeated phone calls and emails are ignored. I have sat on hold for more than three hours at a time numerous times without ever reaching a real person. No one answers emails. Their whole customer service experience is a joke.

I had booked and paid in full three attempts for a Kenya and Tanzania Safari. OAT cancelled all three. I was added on to a fourth booking two months before departure. However, I lost the reasonable airfare paid for in November 2021. Now I had to pay another $5,000 for the new airfare, increased cost of insurance and an extra hotel room after my group left. I was told in June that I would get a $1,000 refund in 2-3 weeks. That never happened. I have called OAT several times and was told that there would be no refund. OAT is the reason that I had to pay more, not me.

I am a 14 time traveler with GCT/OAT and will not travel with them again. I am on hold right now for 30 minutes waiting to tell an agent to take me off the mailing list! I get daily emails from them. I am done with OAT

On June 9, OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) canceled my paid June 12 trip to Mongolia/South Korea. They asked if I wanted to reschedule, and I declined.

On July 1, OAT emailed me and canceled a post-trip for my scheduled October 1 trip to the Baltic. I phoned and told them that I would still take the trip and that they could take some of the $7,340 that I paid for the canceled Mongolia/South Korea trip and refund the rest to me. I stated that I asked for this refund on June 9 when they called to cancel the trip. I was told by the travel consultant that they were processing the refund but it takes 2 weeks. It was more than 2 weeks so the consultant said he would resubmit the refund request. I phoned on 7/21 and was told that a $2,719 refund request was sent to process on 7/14 and it could take a month. Since the money I owed on the Baltic Trip was $2, 916, where was the rest of my $7,340? My math makes $7,340 less $2,916 is $4,424. He said he would take care of it. Yesterday I received a late notice for payment of my Oct. 1 Baltic Trip. It states I owe $2,416. I phoned today and spoke to Jeffrey who told me that the bill was sent by a separate department and that my refund will now take 45 days. HELP.

Unfortunately, this issue continues from BBB-Boston claim #[protected] which I thought was to be resolved. Concerns a trip to Turkey that Overseas Adventure Travel scheduled for April, 2022. OAT canceled the trip. We had paid in advance the amount of $8009.00. After we filed with BBB OAT said they would refund our money however they said it was given as a voucher and would take 30 days to send to us. That was in early April. When I emailed them last week they said it would an additional 45 business days. I have trust issues now with them. I fear that they are not going to return our money.

We have to cancel our trip to Australia and have been trying unsuccessfully to contact OAT via phone calls. We have been trying for over 1 week with no results...always on a wait list, "we will call you back within 24 hours" message after waiting for over 3 hours...and no call back.

We had one great trip to Columbia 2 years ago, then booked a trip to the Baltics & Russia scheduled for 2020, then it was canceled rolled over to 2021 due to COVID, then it was canceled rolled over a 2nd time to 2022 due to COVID, then it was canceled a 3rd time for 2022 due to the invasion of Ukraine. Calling to get a refund or credits is impossible. For four days in a row times we were on the phone for 3 hours and never got through. When we finally got through, the customer service person was not well informed. We were offered a partial refund with the rest as credits, but when we saw the refund in our online account it was short by $600. We called to ask about it but waited on hold for 5 hours - and never got through. We were also told we'd get a call back with a day/time specified, never got the call. We sent emails to their customer support email address, never got a reply.

The trip was cancelled September 30, 2021. I have been sending more than 50 (FIFTY) emails because they failed to fully refund me. They issued a check for me which I never received and asked them to immediately cancel it. This is easily done by accountants. Again weeks passed and I was patient because apparently they are afraid I could cash their check. I had enough patience though.

I asked to refund me on the credit card originally used as they did with the biggest part of the money. Nothing happens. They only reply withe usual THANK YOU FOR CONTACTING OAT and IT WILL TAKE A FEW DAYS.

My trip to Israel was canceled in 2020 in 2021 due to the Covid I was told I could rebook if I am fully vaccinated but I am not and due to medical debt conditions cannot be so I called on July 8 was on hold for two hours but finally reached somebody and talked to Rebecca and told her of my problem and stated I wanted a refund she said she would have to talk to the finance department and would get back to me within a week this did not happen so the following Monday the 19thI called and was on hold for two and a half hours and I was told but my whole time had reached it's limit and I was being disconnected but they would call me within 24 hours and this did not happenOn July 21 I called again at 6 o'clock my time 9 AM their time and was on hold for three hours and I finally had to give up because I had an appointment I then sent an email to their [protected]@oattravel.com and still have not received anything back

I would like to complain on a recent reservation. We made our reservations number 395357 for myself and Friend on early February. We told the travel agent we were flexible and wanted the best deal. We booked a departure date of November 5, 2020. The travel agent never told us that a $500 airfare was being offered if you depart in Sept or October. If we knew we would of booked end October. The only thing she offered is if we pay in full we get a slight discount so I paid in full for both.

I received an email at 3:51 am on March 1 showing the offer so I called to get it and was told the offer expired the previous day. Why did I get an email with an offer that already expired. The agent then told me an email went out on January 31 with the offer but I did not make the reservation until the following week in February. So at that time the offer was valid your original agent never mentioned it to us. We were on the phone with her for over an hour so she had plenty of time.

I feel you let me the customer down if you are travel agents you should know theses offers and extend them when your customers ask.

Please response to this email with a solution to this or we are considering cancelling this trip for your customer service is extremely bad and cost us additional dollars for this trip unnecessarily.

We had friends who have travel with your company so that is the only reason we booked with OAT but now with this poor service we are reconsidering.

Please send me a solution to this poor reservation

They provide a strange kind of service. I booked from them for the first time recently and had some questions regarding my trip. Couldn't reach them through their website forms and emails. Decided to call and was on hold for about 40 minutes without somebody picked up the phone. I just stopped calling. I understood I was just wasting my time. This is terrible what you do.

I booked first time through OAT for Mexico, specifically for a 1st-time tour with them because they prominently display their trips are 10-16 maximum guaranteed. --OAT opened an account in my name, which shows my booking with OAT to this day. However, the trip is led by the OAT-parent company Grand Circle. Nowhere on the Grand Circle website does it inform that instead of 10-16 maximum travelers, the tour group can be 45 passengers. Not until they send the travel booklet 30 days before the trip---which is too late to cancel/transfer the trip amount to a small group trip---do you learn that the trip is on a big 45-passenger tour bus, with a 40-person group. This is a deceptive, fraudulent business practice. I called and suggested we re-book for an OAT-small group travel, and they have refused to do so. I suggested this would be the better business practice, as I could travel with them for the next 20 years if they would honor this request. I explained this trip was for our 30th wedding anniversary. Nothing but verbal run-around. As a trial lawyer, I will sue both entities for a return of our monies base don their flagrant misrepresentations on their website.--Michael Kramer, Atlanta, GA

This past month (November 2010), my mother treated my husband and I to a 3-week African safari. She booked the $25, 000 trip through Overseas Adventure Travel, a subsidiary of Grand Circle Travel LLC. The trip included international airfare for each of us, however, since she lives in a different U.S. state than we, OAT booked her onto a different flight than us. Since our trips were all booked and paid for at the same time as travelers on the same trip, I thought it was extremely cheap for OAT to put my 78-year-old mother on an international flight all alone. They obviously did it because the cost was less. Then to make matters worse, the layover in London for my mother's flight from the United States was only 1 hour. Nowadays with the additional security checkpoints, it is absolutely impossible for anyone to make a connecting flight for international travel in 1 hour. So, as you would imagine, my mother did not make the connecting flight to Nairobi. The next flight out of London was 7 hours later, so my mother sat in the Heathrow Airport by herself for 7 hours, and by the time she arrived in Nairobi the next morning to begin our safari tour (which was leaving Nairobi at 9am), she was exhausted. Would you want your 78-year-old mother to begin an expensive excursion halfway across the world in a physical state like this? My husband and I were really upset about it. Upon her return to the United States, my mother called OAT to complain about their huge error in booking her outbound flights. To truly show their indifference to the magnitude of the situation and their obvious lack of professional customer service, Overseas Adventure Travel responded to my mother by telling her that there was nothing they could do for her since that was the only airline flight available at that time. You and I know that is totally bullshi_. If it were true, ALL of the U.S. travelers on our trip would have been on the same flight that she was on - but we weren't. I'm appalled at OAT for taking this stand, especially since the majority of their tour clients are over the age of 60. Do yourself a huge favor when booking your travel plans to foreign and exotic locations: do not use Overseas Adventure Travel / Grand Circle. You'd be better off spending your hard-earned money with a tour company who is much more attentive to your travelling comfort and safety needs.