Thanks for the report. Group trips get so little respect here but sometimes that's what works best for a particular trip. It's good to get feedback on different companies. OAT certainly takes their share of hits so it's nice to see they worked out well for you. Would you use them again?

What did you think of the accomodations they used? What size was your group? And the average age/mobility? I would think that destination would skew somewhat younger & more active.
Did you have time to spend on your own each day or mostly were you touring with the group?

Thanks in advance for any further info. Will you be sharing any pictures?

I would use them again based on my experience on this trip. I usually choose the tour company based on the itinerary they offer, and I've already been to most places that OAT goes to. However, there are two or three itineraries of theirs I am interested in, and I would definately consider traveling with them again.

The hotels they used ranged from adequate to quite nice. Tunisia doesn't have a huge availability of 5 star hotels. I checked all of the hotels on trip advisor before signing on for the trip, and although some of the hotels were listed as best in the area, I would consider most of the hotels as 3.5 star hotels. Most did have beautifully landscaped grounds and 2 had beautiful, large infinity swimming pools, but it was too cool to swim.

The group size was 13, ranging in age from 50's to 70's, all in very good shape, and all very well travelled. There were no prima donnas in our group and no one had to be reminded to be on time, ect. Of the 13 travellers, there were 3 couples, the rest singles. Interestingly of the 7 singles, 5 were married and left their spouses at home because they wanted to see Tunisia and their spouses did not. Most of the people had been on OAT tours many times and were repeat customers.

There was some free time, but not a lot. And even when there was free time, except in Tunis where the hotel was within a 5 minute walk of the old medina and souk, there was not a lot to do on your own, as many of the hotels were in very small
towns.

Thanks, shelly. I've never looked at OAT because of negative things I've read - weren't they involved in a class action lawsuit or maybe it was just something to do with complaints to the BBB? Anyway, the comments stuck in my head and I took them off my 'possibles' list for a group to use. I think I saw another recent post that they've retooled the company since those troubles and maybe there are no longer the problems with cancelling at the last minute, etc.

I sometimes need to travel without my husband - he is one of those not-interested types you mentioned. So a tour group is for me a better option than doing it totally alone.

I'm really glad to hear the positive review of OAT & the accomodations & fellow travelers. I'll definitely be checking out their website.

Both replies appreciated. It is curious that they would book with OAT again after those bad experiences.

Leslie, I've traveled with OAT 4 times, and usually been thrilled with them -- ironically my Kenya/tanzania trip was not as stellar as the others, although I think that was simply that I wasn't as impressed with the trip leader. I think that he was an exception, and not representative of the stellar quality they usually show. And even though I wasn't so impressed with him, the ground arrangements were seamless. Everything happened without fuss and on time. I would definitely travel with OAT again, especially because they are very cost effective for single travel.

Shelly - We are scheduled on the same OAT trip in 10 days. We have traveled with OAT before and it has always been exceptional. We are hoping for a similar experience in Tunisia. Who was your tour guide? Ali Khammassi just emailed us and said he will be our trip leader.

Question re: clothing. It appears it will be both hot and cold. What did you find most useful and what did you bring you wish you hadn't?

re: mosquitoes? Did you run into any or other annoying critters?

re: Air conditioning - Someone mentioned that hotels do not turn on their AC until May. Did you find that to be true or was AC even an issue?

Any other special suggestions?

We are not fussy - just want to be mentally prepared. Thanks for writing up your trip report. Hope you get this message before we leave.

One more question: What was internet access like in the various areas and did you or anyone get phone reception if the cell phone was AT&T, TMobile, etc?

Ali was our trip leader and he was outstanding. Please tell him I said hi. When we were in Tunisia, late Feb. to mid March, the weather was spring like-with highs of 65-75 and nights even cooler, so there was no need for air conditioning. I think it will be 10 degrees warmer when you are there. If you bring layers and a light windbreaker, you should be fine. I always bring a water repelant windbreaker and an umbrella just in case. The sun is very strong so make sure to bring a high SPF sunscreen. There were no mosquitos or other critters when we were there, but I would bring insect repellant for the Sahara camp just in case. There was internet acess at all of the hotels for about $3-$5USD per hour. I do not know about cell phone reception. Have a wonderful trip.

<<weren't they involved in a class action lawsuit or maybe it was just something to do with complaints to the BBB?>>

I believe it was complaints to the BBB a five or six years ago.

I've traveled with OAT/GCT six times and have been satisfied with every trip. Five of the six had excellent tour directors but other people seemed to like the one that I didn't care for. I've met married women traveling alone or with friends on some of these trips, it's not uncommon.

If you don't like the air routing call and ask if there is an alternative.

When you check out the web site, read the travelers reviews, they are honest and unedited by the company.

Shelley,

Thanks for your helpful suggestions and answers to my questions. One last question: How conservative did women dress and how about the OAT group. We went to Turkey with OAT last year and were very surprised how Westernized and fashionable local women dressed. I was planning on packing skirts and tops with sleeves for Tunisia. I want to be respectful, but if tank tops and capris are ok, that would be nice if the weather is hot. If you read this in the next week, please let me know your opinion.

Tank tops, as long as they are not too low cut in the front, and capris would be fine except for the day you visit the mosque in Kairoun and the synagogue in Djerba. As far as the tank top goes, I'd worry more asbout getting sunburned than about offending any Tunisians. You will be visiting many ruins where there is no shade, and you will be there for 1-2 hours for each ruin. Make sure to bring a hat and sunscreen. As for our OAT group , dress was comfortable travel clothes, including for dinner. Comfort trumped style. Only 2 or 3 women dressed up, even for the farewell dinner,

Alas, we were one of the many whose Euorpean flights were cancelled because of the Icelandic volcano and we could not make the connection into Tunisia. We plan to rebook the trip same time/next year.

RockCrest - sorry to hear that. Did OAT fully refund for your missed trip? Did you need to go through your trip insurance (if you had any)?

I am sorry to hear you didn't make it, but glad to hear that you are planning to rebook. I too am interestyed in how OAT and/or your trip insurance handled this.

just came across this and thought i would say hello

We had trip insurance through OAT. We have never made an insurance claim before so I wasn't sure how the process worked. OAT said we needed to submit a claim through TripMate which we did 2 weeks ago. I realize it might take some time with all the claims they are fielding because of the volcano, but I will post on this board again. We booked the flights on our own, so that portion was not covered by the OAT insurance, but my understanding is the OAT land portion should be 100% refunded. I'll keep everyone posted.

Bottom Line: It took nearly 10 weeks, many, many phone calls, but eventually we received 100% refund. It was irritating that I had to call at every point and remind TripMate that I was waiting for the refund. At one point I called and was told I should have the check within a week. Ten days later I called again and was told the final payment had been entered and the check was ready. Online the claim case was marked "Closed and Paid". Another 2 weeks went by and no check. Called again and was told the check was being mailed that day. Sure enough the check did come, but it had been cut nearly 2 weeks before. Lesson: Keep Calling. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and gets the action.

Thanks for letting us know. Glad it worked out in the end but what a hassle.

Question for the OP:

I'm considering a couple of weeks in Tunisia at the beginning of March next year. None of the companies I usually check have tours for my dates, and after a disastrous tour of Thailand in '97 I swore I would never use OAT again. So, I'm thinking of going solo (my usual method), but I don't want to drive myself. Did you get any impression of the public transport options?

There are buses from Tunis to most big cities in Tunisia. Once you get to the cities, there are smaller van type vehicles (I think called louages, but I am not sure of that) that go to smaller towns, but they usually stop running at around 7PM. I understand you had a bad experience with OAT, but I have to say that this trip was very well run. But if you want to do it on your own, it is certainly doable by public transportation, and after reading your past trip reports, and about the trip you are currently planning for the fall, I think you'd probably be happier doing it on your own.

I should have said there are buses from Tunis to most big cities and from one big city to another. I noticed when researching my trip that there was good information on buses and some schedules in Lonely Planet and Rough Guide.

Thanks shellyk - I don't want to travel later than 7:00pm, and while I suspect the Sahara may be difficult without your own transport, I think I'll skip the desert this time. I'm looking for mosaics and markets rather than sand and camels.

You're right, I'll likely be happier on my own - I'm thinking 10 days or so before taking the ferry for a return visit to Sicily and another to Genoa for Nice.

You'll find fabulous mosaics in northern and central Tunisia. There's a wonderful mosaic museum near El Jem where we saw finer and more mosaics than the Bardo Museum in Tunis. Your trip sounds wonderful. I really liked Genoa and would like to go back some day.