Smithsonian Journeys/Odyssey Unlimited to S. Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Vic Falls

I think you should call the company and get your issues clarified (ideally before booking, not after). Why are you "freaking out" over a single bad review? It's one data point among many hundreds...it doesn't tell you anything about how often this occurs, just that it occurred to someone once. There may be a good reason why they don't give you flight details earlier than that (ask them) - but why does that worry you so much? Ask them what to expect, even in the worst case scenario ( read what your contract says you agreed to). Other than that, if your trip is guaranteed to go, then sit back, relax, and let them deal with all the logistics. If something doesn't turn out as expected, just prepare to be flexible. It sounds like you just have regular pre-trip anxiety and you're making yourself more anxious by focusing on random reviews. You're probably paying a lot of money for this trip, so let the tour company be your go-to resource for all your pre-trip concerns..call them up and ask away, voice your concerns. They're in a better position to do that than a European Travel Forum.

Thank you for your reply. And yes of course I am asking for clarification from the company but not all companies are honest and this is an incredibly expensive trip. I just want feedback from others who have actually used this company on these issues. Pardon me for using a travel forum to pose such a question!

Can you make your own air arrangements? Can you go a day earlier so you have a day to rest some before your all day tour the first day?
I have never been happy with a tour company doing my air travel arrangements. I’ve always done a lot better booking flights on my own or through a travel agent. One tour company put us on a 5 AM flight and pickup time at our hotel was 2:30 AM. Never again!!!
We flew out of LAX to South Africa with a stop in Amsterdam, or as we did, the long way through Hong Kong. We spent two nights there before continuing on. I think some flights go through Dubai?

Have a great time!

I've read on other travel sites that there is no advantage to letting the tour company or cruise line book your flights. Some people are under the mistaken idea that they would save money booking with the company. And yes, there's the possibility that you will get some crazy itinerary. Some people wrote they could change it but it was a really big hassle. You should compare the price of booking independently. We always arrange our own flights to get in a day or two before the tour to recover from jet lag.

When you booked with SJ/OU, wasn't there a place to list your food allergies, etc? I'm sure it must be there. Give them a call.
Most tour companies pre-pay the restaurants to prepare the group meal. It makes economic sense for both the restaurant and the company. That's why there's no choice or flexibility. So, this is not unusual for tours. It is probably doubtful that you will dislike all the meals. If it is just one or two not to your liking, you could pay for something else off the menu. I've done that.

If those minors and inexperienced travelers are picky eaters, that's a different problem.

Since there are 14 of you and you've already booked I agree that you need to call and talk with them. Even companies that provide airfare can usually organize things so that you can arrive a day or 2 before your tour start date on Day 2. Arriving on Day 3 would be unacceptable to me especially on what might be a very expensive tour.

As mentioned, the other option is booking airfare on your own but if you are wanting to travel with the full 14 people, I would not want to book that on my own.

If the person you talk with initially can't answer your questions or help, I would escalate up thru a manager.

Thanks. I appreciate the replies. My mother booked this trip as a "once in a liftetime family trip" with all of us so I was not really invovled in the booking process. I think they will work with us from what we are being told by the company. I was just more curious about people's actual experiences of traveling with them.

As a side note, I am told that if you book your own travel (which I would have ABSOLUTELY done had this been my call), the tour company will not assist/accomodate if there are problems since it's not their problem. Supposedly, that's the benefit. I'm skeptical on that one ...

None of it is fatal. It'll be a great trip. Teens are beyond excited and just asking a billion questions that I'm trying to answer for them. The youngest was 4 the last time he traveled internationally (on a tour no less). I'm pretty sure he didn't eat the food the first 4 days of the trip. When we arrived at Le Mont St. Michel, he was served a pureed vegetable soup that you would have thought was the best thing he had ever put in his mouth based on his vigor eating it! They won't starve!

"Supposedly, that's the benefit. I'm skeptical on that one ..."

I think you are right to be skeptical. I think that is a sales point that isn't really a sales point but is frequently used by companies. It certainly is what Road Scholar says when they are trying to get you to book airfare thru them. To me, booking with the airline gives the best flexibility but it sounds like that is what you would do anyway if this were your trip.

In any event, it sounds like a wonderful trip and will make SO many family memories. I am sure your Mom will be thrilled to have everyone go on this adventure.

We recently returned from an OU trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, and were very pleased with our experience. Here are some particulars on the issues you’ve raised.
Food:
One of the first things the guide did was to ascertain who had food issues. Some were just dislikes, e.g., fish. Those people always got food they could eat. The meals were “set,” but that was no problem. They were either buffets or had so many courses that everyone found plenty to their taste.
Flights:
I haven’t decided what I would do if I take a tour in the future. The down side of booking through the tour company is you can’t go early or stay extra days. The upside is that the company takes total responsibility for getting you to the destination. We, in fact, had 5 people who missed a connection because of a delay. The guide got them rerouted with minimal tour time missed. Nice to have someone to deal with that kind of hassle. There was also one woman whose bag didn’t arrive, and he handled that, too.

"The down side of booking through the tour company is you can’t go early or stay extra days."

Rosalyn, that is interesting, and yes, something for people to consider. It's not something a person new to tours might think to ask.

I have not travelled with OU, but have with OAT. On my two tours, I had them handle my air reservations. They were very accommodating and allowed “personalization” of the flights. On my trip to SE Asia, I arrived in the first city three days early and had a three day layover in Hong Kong after the tour was over. For my Morocco tour, I added a layover in Amsterdam on my way over, and a layover in Paris on my way home. None of this added to my cost on either trip. So I would suggest seeing if OU will do something similar. Happy travels!

Thank you, Roslyn and Renee! That's the info I needed.

My information about personalizing flights is 2nd hand. A friend told me that. Since we weren’t wanting to do that for our recent tour, I didn’t investigate the issue. I certainly will if a future plan materializes.

We book oir own flights and go a few days early and stay on after the tour ends. Our FT business class flights were cheaper than the price OE offered for a Business Class upgrade. The xompany is very nice to deal with.