Overseas Adventure Travel adds 2,000 Solo Spaces, with Free Single Supplements, to Meet Growing Demand

Solos have increased from 27% in 2010 to 46% today

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Nov 28, 2017, 10:45 ET

BOSTON, Nov. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alan E. Lewis, Chairman of Overseas Adventure Travel, the leader in small groups on the road less traveled, today announced that the company has added 2,000 solo spaces to its 2018 inventory to accommodate its growing number of solo travelers. In the past two years, more than 42,000 people have traveled solo with O.A.T.

African safaris top the 2018 wish lists of Overseas Adventure Travel’s solo travelers. Today, 46 percent of the company’s customers travel as solos--up from 27 percent in 2010, while 85 per cent of solos are women.

"While we offer solo spaces on every departure, demand has far exceeded inventory, and our solo inventory for 2018 has virtually sold out," said Lewis. "By adding more spaces, we hope to accommodate the growing number of solo travelers who are looking for more affordable ways to see the world."

To serve solo travelers, O.A.T. offers a limited number of solo spaces with Free Single Supplements on its all of its Land adventures—as well as a limited number of solo cabins with free or low cost Single Supplements on its Small Ship Adventures. The company also includes Free Single Supplements on all optional trip extensions, which are offered before and after every base trip.

In addition, O.A.T. includes a Free Matching Roommate program to help solos save money if the solo spaces are filled. Onsite, O.A.T. Trip Leaders are trained to engage solo travelers from the start of a trip, helping to arrange for dining companions, if needed, or matching solo travelers with fellow travelers who share their passions.

The percentage of O.A.T.'s solo travelers has increased from 27% in 2010 to 36% in 2013 and up to 46% in 2017. In 2018, O.A.T. anticipates that almost half (48%) of travelers will be solo. One constant in the past several years has been the gender of most solo travelers: 85% are women, and they are traveling solo regardless of marital status.

O.A.T. currently offers Americans 50 years and older 74 culturally-rich adventures in more than 85 countries. The company limits its groups to 10-16 travelers by land and 14-25 by small ship. Based on year-to-date bookings for 2018, the three most popular destinations for solo travelers are Botswana, Japan, and Morocco.

Last month, the website Solo Traveler cited O.A.T. as offering "Best Tours for Solo Travelers", while in 2016 Kiplinger's Personal Finance named the company the "Best in Solo Travel." For more information about Overseas Adventure Travel, please call 1-800-955-1925. To learn more about the company's Solo Friendly policies, or to view a solo traveler video, please visit OAT Solo.

ABOUT OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL
Established in 1978, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is part of Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation's family of travel companies, which also include Grand Circle Cruise Line and Grand Circle Travel. In 1992, owners Alan and Harriet Lewis established the nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation to support communities in which Grand Circle works and travels, including some 300 humanitarian, cultural, and educational endeavors worldwide—among them, 100 schools, in 50 countries. The Foundation is an entity of the Lewis Family Foundation, which has pledged or donated more than $169 million since 1981.

SOURCE Overseas Adventure Travel