Stopovers allow travelers to break up a long flight while sampling another destination—all arranged by O.A.T. (including the hotel, breakfast, transfers, etc.)—and Maggie, Lesley, and Carol all cited Dubai as one of the most popular Stopover cities.
At O.A.T., we believe that every traveler is unique, and your adventure should be too. We spoke with three of our experienced Travel Counselors—Maggie Nevins, Lesley Engel, and Carol Palmer—to get their insights on how you can customize your O.A.T. experience.
INSIDE SCOOP (IS): What are the most popular ways travelers personalize their O.A.T. adventures?
Maggie Nevins (MN): "Arriving early at least one day and upgrading to premium economy or business class are popular choices."
Maggie and her husband, Peter, in the Scottish Highlands during our Scotland Revealed: Legends, Lochs & Highland Landscapes adventure.
Lesley Engel (LE): "Arriving early and air upgrades are common preferences."
Carol Palmer (CP): "Arrive early hotel packages, Premium Economy & Business Class upgrades, and pre- and post-breakaways are all popular options."
IS: How does arriving early benefit travelers?
MN: "They have a day to relax before the trip starts and a day to make their own discoveries."
LE: "It saves you from jet lag and any flight delays, gives you an extra day to explore on your own and do some things you can't on the base trip. I love arriving a day early."
Lesley recently visited the Dolomites on our Northern Italy: The Alps, Dolomites & Lombardy adventure.
CP: "Arriving early not only gives travelers a chance to get acclimated to the new time zone and explore the area on their own, but more importantly, it gives them a 'cushion' in case they have any flight delays or missed connections, so they don't miss any of their trip."
IS: Can you explain the concept of "Stopovers," and what are some of the most requested Stopover cities?
MN: "Stopovers arranged by us include the hotel, breakfast, and the transfers," Maggie clarified. "I would say Dubai is the most popular. It is an exciting place with some of the most amazing architecture in the world."
LE: "Dubai, Seoul, and Singapore. They allow travelers to see more and break up long flights."
CP: "Stopovers are a great way to break up a long flight and give travelers a chance to sample another destination. O.A.T. handles all the details for them—accommodations, breakfast, transfers, and connecting flight. Popular stopovers are Amsterdam, Paris, London, Barcelona, Dubai, and many more."
IS: How does combining adventures work, and what are some of the most popular combinations?
MN: "You put two adventures together and only fly once." "People love to combine Scotland and Ireland, Northern Italy and Tuscany, or Crossroads of the Adriatic and Northern Greece."
LE: "Some good ones that our travelers often combine are Botswana and Tanzania and Kenya, Northern Spain & Portugal with our Back Roads of Iberia adventure, or Northern Italy and Sicily. It's a great way to see as much as possible and the best way to maximize international flights."
CP: "Combining adventures means travelers do two or more trips without returning to the U.S. in between. It saves on airfare costs because they only pay for one roundtrip flight, and they will also save with a Multi-Trip Discount. O.A.T. has a Back-to-Back team who will book the connecting flight and hotel nights between trips, making it an easy way to maximize their time and money."
About a month ago, Carol visited Victoria Falls during our Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari. adventure.
IS: How often do travelers choose to add pre- or post-trip extensions, and what makes these extensions special?
MN: "60% of the time. It makes your flights more valuable when seeing more places and gives you the full experience."
LE: "I think each tour has individual percentages but hoping at least around 60-65%."
CP: "60% of O.A.T. travelers choose to add a pre- and/or post-extension to their trip. O.A.T. extensions were created specifically for travelers to get a complete feel for the region. The extensions are at a more relaxed pace than the base trip, so a pre-trip gives travelers a chance to settle in before the main trip starts, while a post-trip can be a great way to unwind after the tour and enjoy the destination at a more leisurely pace. The small group size is also a great way to build relationships with fellow travelers prior to the base trip."
IS: How does O.A.T.'s air preference options differ from other travel companies?
CP: "O.A.T. offers a very flexible air policy. We have contracted air rates from all the major U.S. gateways but can fly guests from any other U.S. airport as well. We can book flights in Premium Economy and Business Class and can personalize the flight schedule to meet their needs. The best part is that travelers always have up until 90 days prior to departure to make any changes to their travel plans—including their flights—with no fee or penalty."
IS: What advice would you give to first-time O.A.T. travelers about personalizing their adventures?
MN: "Go in early and upgrade for more comfort."
Maggie and her son, Patrick, on our Antarctica's White Wilderness adventure.
LE: "Arrive early, and upgrade to at least Premium Economy for more comfort and relaxation."
CP: "I always advise first-time travelers to personalize their dream trip to fit their own preferences. Why did they choose this destination and what's most important to them? Do they want to spend more time in the first or last city? If so, we can fly them in early or fly them out after the trip concludes. Do they ever plan on visiting this area again? If not, they'll probably want to add the pre- and/or post-trip. Do they want to visit family in another part of the U.S. after the trip? We can fly them home to a city other than the one they departed from."
IS: Are there any new personalization options or trends you've noticed recently among O.A.T. travelers?
CP: "More and more travelers seem to be upgrading their flights than in prior years. I think people realized after the pandemic that they want to travel in comfort, with more personal space than flying in coach class."
IS: How far in advance should travelers start thinking about personalizing their trips?
MN: "280 days from departure."
LE: "As soon as possible!"
CP: "It's never too early to start thinking about personalizing a trip. I like to ask travelers what they expect their flight to be—upgrades, arriving early, staying later, etc.—so that I can let the Air Department know their preferences once the flights become available. They can always change the flights later if they like, but they will at least have a blueprint to get them started."
With these insights from our expert Travel Counselors, we hope you feel inspired to personalize your next O.A.T. adventure—remember, our team is always here to help you create the trip of your dreams!
