I have done four OAT trips (Myanmar/Laos, Morocco, Vietnam, Tunisia) and one Road Scholar trip (India, including both north and south India). Really, I found them very similar. RS is non-profit and bills itself as “educational.” The tour guide even referred to us as “Scholars” rather than “Travelers!” But OAT also has an educational component. For instance, they both included activities such as discussions with experts. I especially liked the sessions we had discussing women’s experiences in Tunisia (OAT) and India (RS). Both companies included opportunities such as meals with local families or visits to craft workshops, farms and factories.
The trip leader can make or break a tour. All of the guides were quite good (with the possible exception of the Morocco guide who was somewhat mediocre, but still got the job done). They were knowledgeable, friendly, kind and eager to help their travelers have a good experience. My experience, however, is that Rick Steves guides are even better! If Rick Steves offers a tour in a location I want to visit, I choose Rick Steves every time. (I’ve done 10 Rick Steves tours.)
Group size is important to me. Frankly, Rick Steves groups of up to 28 is pushing it! OAT limits all of its land tours to 16. Road Scholar offers a variety of sizes. Their “small group” tours are limited to the mid-20’s, I believe. My RS India tour had 18, but the guide said that several people had cancelled last minute. There is one downside to very small groups, If there are several people traveling together (for instance, three couples who are friends), they can be a bit of a clique. This is more of a problem in a smaller group. But I have always found friendly and interesting people in every group I’ve traveled with.
It’s hard to generalize with only one Road Scholar trip under my belt, but it seems to me that some of OAT’s travelers were a bit more…..shall I say…..demanding than the RS travelers - complaining that we were having too much Asian food in Myanmar, for instance, or getting upset when (understandable) changes needed to be made to the itinerary. Rick Steve’s’ “No Grumps” policy seems to work! Certainly not everyone was that way. There were lovely, easy going people on all my trips.
There were many well-traveled people on all these trips - but, of course, you would probably expect that when traveling to more off-the-beaten track destinations like Tunisia or Myanmar or southern India. There were many travelers with each company who were extremely loyal to that company - 20 or more trips with that particular company!
Both companies seem to have itineraries that move a bit slower than Rick Steves trips - many two, three, or even four-night stays. I like the slower pace and the chance to become a bit more familiar with a location. Both companies do a good job in providing pre-trip information that was helpful.
Both companies will arrange airfare. I always do a bit of research on flights and costs from my home airport before talking with the tour company. If they have a comparable itinerary at a reasonable cost, I use them. Other times I have booked my own flights because I can do better and don’t mind organizing my own airport transfers.
One difference is the tipping policy. OAT expects you to tip the trip leader (usually suggesting the equivalent of $10-12 per day per person) while including all other tips. Road Scholar includes tips for everyone, including the trip leader, but some people still tip the leader. The policy isn’t made quite as clear as Rick Steves makes it so there is some confusion. I prefer a no-tipping policy, but wouldn’t write off a company that expects tips since that’s the norm across much of the travel industry.
In the end, I choose a trip based on a careful comparison of the itineraries, available dates, group size, airfares, etc. That’s why I’ve traveled with several different companies rather than sticking with one.
