Overseas Adventure Travel

Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) is part of the family of travel companies owned by Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation, offering group Adventure travel to Africa, the Arctic[1] Asia, Central and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.[2] O.A.T. has small groups with a maximum of 16 travelers on land trips and 25 travelers on trips with a ship portion. O.A.T. has also been recognized for leadership in tourism and in philanthropy.[3]

Overseas Adventure Travel
TypePrivate
IndustryTravel and tourism
Founded1978 (1978)
Headquarters
Boston, MA
,
United States
Key people
Alan and Harriet Lewis,
owners
ParentGrand Circle Corporation
Websiteoattravel.com

History

In 1978, former high school teacher Judi Wineland established O.A.T.[4] After she went to Africa, she became the first woman to launch and operate an adventure travel company.[5] In 1993, O.A.T. was acquired by the Grand Circle Corporation,[6] owned by Alan and Harriet Lewis.[7] Grand Circle Corporation also includes Grand Circle Cruise Line and Grand Circle Travel.[1]

Awards

Travel + Leisure gave O.A.T. a Global Vision Award for philanthropy and a leadership award in 2013.[8] Its readers also named O.A.T. as one of the world's best tour operators and safari outfitters.[9] USA Today named O.A.T. among the top 10 best educational tour companies in its Readers’ Choice Awards in 2019.[2]

Cultural engagement
Safari vehicle with tourists observing lion

O.A.T. itineraries focus on "cultural immersion and spending time making connections to local people and their culture.”[10] Their tour guides, called "Trip Experience Leaders", are English-speaking residents of the country.[11]

Solo travel

Forty-seven percent of O.A.T. travelers are solo travelers.[1] There is a free single supplement on all O.A.T. land trips.[12] Travel + Leisure named O.A.T. as one of the "Best Companies for Traveling Solo”[12] and Travel Channel named O.A.T. the "Top Tour for Budget-Conscious Travelers.”[11] In 2019, O.A.T. started to include women-only departures to meet the growing trend of solo female travelers.[13]

Philanthropy

Through the company's Grand Circle Foundation, which consists of the Lewis Family Foundation, millions of dollars have been pledged toward education and preservation since 1992.[8] In 2007, Harriet Lewis founded a program called Next Generation Leaders, that gives internships to students from Boston at the Grand Circle office.[7] In 2012, O.A.T. pledged $600,000 to benefit WBUR, which was the largest donation in the station's history.[14]


References
  1. D’Ambrosio, Richard (June 28, 2019), "Don't Overlook Female Baby Boomers for Solo Travel", Travel Market Report, archived from the original on July 10, 2019, retrieved February 20, 2020
  2. "Best Educational Tour Companies", USA Today, 2019, archived from the original on February 12, 2020, retrieved February 20, 2020
  3. "Overseas Adventure Travel pledges largest corporate challenge gift in station history", WBUR-FM, March 30, 2015, archived from the original on September 5, 2015, retrieved February 21, 2020
  4. "The Women Who Travel Power List", Condé Nast Traveler, March 8, 2019, archived from the original on December 16, 2019, retrieved February 20, 2020
  5. Christine, Theresa (March 8, 2019), "Women In Travel: Meet Judi Wineland, A Pioneer In Women's Adventure Travel", Forbes, archived from the original on June 7, 2019, retrieved February 20, 2020
  6. "Boomers drive growth in Grand Circle's Overseas Adventure Travel division", Boston Business Journal, June 10, 2008, archived from the original on June 12, 2008, retrieved February 21, 2020
  7. MacQuarrie, Brian (August 30, 2019), "Starting at 99 cents At Boston summer internship, students build confidence for transition to college", Boston Globe, archived from the original on September 14, 2019, retrieved February 21, 2020
  8. Kelso, Stirling (October 14, 2014), "Global Vision Awards 2013", Travel + Leisure, archived from the original on February 21, 2020, retrieved February 20, 2020
  9. "World's best 2001: Top Tour Operators", Travel + Leisure, February 24, 2010, archived from the original on February 21, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2020
  10. Villa-Clarke, Angelina (November 26, 2019), "Where In The World? Travel Trends For 2020 - Part 2", Forbes, archived from the original on November 28, 2019, retrieved February 21, 2020
  11. Conners, Valerie, "6 Sensational Tours for Solo Travelers", Travel Channel, archived from the original on September 1, 2017, retrieved February 20, 2020
  12. Farley, Amy (October 21, 2013), "Best Companies for Traveling Solo", Travel + Leisure, archived from the original on February 21, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2020
  13. Christoff, Janeen (October 18, 2019), "Overseas Adventure Travel Adds Women-Only Departures Due to High Demand", Travel Pulse, archived from the original on July 10, 2019, retrieved February 21, 2020
  14. "Overseas Adventure Travel pledges largest corporate challenge gift in station history", WBUR-FM, March 30, 2015, archived from the original on September 5, 2015, retrieved February 21, 2020
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