Overseas Adventure Travel
American tour operator From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) is part of the family of travel companies owned by Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation, offering group tourism 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]
| |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Travel and tourism |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Alan and Harriet Lewis, owners |
| Parent | Grand Circle Corporation |
| Website | oattravel |
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
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.[3]
References
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