General FAQs

It's not age that matters but your attitude! Generally, our groups are made up of adventurous people mainly British, European, Canadian, Australian and New Zealanders predominantly in their 20's, 30's & 40's. We have gap year students to older professional people, and as long as you have the right attitude and enjoy being part of a group then you'll fit in fine. Many people book their trips either with friends or partners, but about half join our trips as individual travellers. We do not charge SINGLE SUPPLEMENT FEES, so if you are travelling solo, we will pair you up with a tent buddy of the same sex when we camp and the same goes for twin or shared rooms in hostels or hotels, so there is no need to go it alone!

On most of our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions our vehicles can carry a maximum of 22 to 24 travellers, the average however is around 12-18 on any one trip. Our Small Group Adventures have a maximum of 18 people per Tour Leader, although again the average is around 8-14 people.

A positive attitude and an open mind are probably more important than being physically fit. On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, we expect you to help with day to day tasks such as cooking and cleaning the truck interior, but any person that leads a normal, active life should be able to cope. On our Small Group Adventures, you will not be required to cook or clean, but some of the sightseeing involves an average level of fitness (e.g. the Inca Trail trek).

If for instance you decide to walk the Inca Trail, or hike to the Mountain Gorillas, then we suggest an average fitness level is required, and getting in some walking or visiting a gym before your tour commences may make these treks easier and more enjoyable. If you have any specific concerns about your ability to undertake a trip, then please feel free to contact us for further advice.

No! We do not charge single supplement fees if you are travelling solo. On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, we will pair you up with a tent buddy of the same sex when we camp and the same goes for twin & shared rooms in hostels, so there is no need to go it alone!

On our Small Group Adventures, we will pair you up with another Oasis traveller of the same sex for twin & shared rooms in hostels. If you specifically would like to request your own single room whilst on the trip, this may be requested subject to availability and payment of an additional fee. Please contact us for more information.

Yes you do, we value your loyalty and are happy to have you travel with us again. You will receive a 5% discount on your second trip and 10% discount on your third! Discounts do not apply to trips already discounted, Mini Adventures, Add Ons and Volunteer projects, or your Local Payment.

Yes we do. For bookings of 5 or more people travelling togther, please contact us directly for more details.

We welcome all comers, and feel that a diverse range of nationalities, ages, backgrounds and outlooks helps to make our trips what they are.

Our travellers usually range in ages from 18 to their mid to late 60's who have thoroughly enjoyed their chosen Oasis trip without experiencing any difficulties on either a physical or social level. We have had travellers on our trips in their 70's and early 80's, and they too have enjoyed their experiences, but we always try to make travellers aware of certain aspects of the trip, as we would never like to accept a booking or payment from anyone who was expecting a different style of trip or group.

On our Overland & Ultimate expeditions participation is a major part of our trips structure – with a strong emphasis and expectation that all trip members will need to get involved with various tasks such as cooking and shopping for the group, putting up and taking down your own tent on a daily basis, and generally navigating your way around the truck and helping out with anything that arises on the trip. The major ask we have is that our trip participants possess such qualities as being fit and healthy, and to have an understanding of the style of trips we run, as well as the kind of clientele who usually travel with us.

On our Small Group Adventures you travel by various modes of transport including trains, mini vans, 4 x 4 vehicles, overnight sleeper coaches, private vehicles, camels and aeroplanes. You stay in locally owned hostels and hotels, as well as the occasional night camping (e.g. Inca Trail). Meals are taken at local hotels, restaurant or cages, so no cooking involved!

If the above appeals to you, fantastic. We look forward to you travelling with us.

Oasis Overland adventures are based on a shared accommodation basis. On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, we use 'Dome' tents that are designed for 3 people, but we only use them for 2. They have an inbuilt ground sheet and mosquito netting on the doors, and we tend to stay in either campsites or bush camp. In some towns and cities where we use hotels and hostels, you should assume that accommodation will be dormitory based (and possibly mixed sex). However, on occasions it may be that you are placed in twin, double, or triple rooms sharing with other members of the group.

On our Small Group Adventures, we use small good quality locally owned pensions and budget hotels and accommodation is in either, Twin, Shared rooms, with other members of the group or Double Rooms (for couples). It is sometimes possible to pay extra for a single room (but this cannot be guaranteed).

Most of our trips involve two payments. One is the Trip Price which is payable to Oasis or your Travel Agent before departure. The other payment is what we term a 'Local Payment or LP,' which is payable to the Tour Leader upon joining the trip.

This is a pre-determined amount which covers the cost of your trips day to day expenses such as food, local guides, firewood, gas, some entrance fees to certain sites and game parks, accommodation etc. It goes towards a variety of services which your Tour Leader pays for in cash, direct to local people on the ground as international money transfers can be expensive and problematic. The LP helps reduce the overall price of the trip which in turn passes cost savings onto you. The advantage of Local Payments over 'kitty' based systems is that once the LP has been collected you will not be asked for additional payments. It is just as important to us as well as you, that there are NO hidden extras which are not included on our website. See each individual trip for details on how to bring your Local Payment (not all trips have a Local Payment) in the Essential Trip information.

Yes, just contact us and we will put your name on a cancellation list as occasionally we do get last minute cancellations. We may even be able to suggest an alternative trip or date for you.

The simple answer is yes! On the Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions your Tour Leader will help you with booking optional activities and general information, but you will be expected to get out there and take a look around cities and other sites yourself. If you just want to do your own thing for a few days, so long as the Tour Leader knows your plans, you can take time out from the group and trip. On our Small Group Adventures there will be plenty of opportunities of free time and your Tour Leader will be available to assist with any advice and information you may need.

We do not normally take children aged under 15 on our overland trips. This is because we do not feel that the style of trip is appropriate for children to join - both for their benefit, and for that of the other adults in the group. We may make exceptions on some departures, based on the type of trip, duration, and the make-up/ages of other travellers in the group.
Young adults aged 15-17 may join a group if they are travelling with their parent/guardian, and following a conversation with our sales team about the nature of the trip they would be joining. 

We are starting to offer some dedicated Family overland trips, which are specifically designed to work well with children aged from 5 to 14/15. And obviously you would then be travelling with other families as well. 

On our small group trips, we set a minimum age based on the nature of the trip and how it runs. Generally we would suggest that children under 12 would not fit in well on these trips, but we may take younger children on some, or set a higher minimum age. Please contact us for details. 

We do also offer dedicated family small group tours in many countries which have had their itineraries and accommodations customised to work better for families and children. 

If you see a trip on our website that you would like to do with your family (or together with other families), but we do not have a family tour, or a date that would work for you, please do get in touch. Often we will be able to arrange a private trip just for your party for very little, or no extra cost (or at a discount if you have several families travelling together).

Yes we can book your pre-trip accommodation and airport transfers in many departure cities. The pre-departure information for a particular trip will give you the information that you require for the campsite/hotel we start the trip from. You can request accommodation/airport transfers through My Oasis Account if it is available to book, or you can contact the office with your arrival details and accommodation request. This should be done at least 6 weeks before the trip departure date and is subject to availability. The cities that we cannot book, you can do so directly with the hotel/campsite, details can be found in the trip pre-departure information.

We suggest allowing yourself a minimum of 1 to 2 days before your Oasis Overland trip begins as most of our Overland Adventure and Ultimate Expedition itineraries do not include time to see the start city. There is usually a pre-departure meeting the evening before Day 1 of the trip.

Small Group Adventures, generally Day 1 is an arrivals day and a pre-departure meeting is held around 6pm on Day 1.

Please check each individual itinerary as the start day and time may vary slightly.

If you cannot attend your pre-departure meeting, please inform the office with your arrival details. We will get in touch with your Tour Leader to inform them when you are arriving, and we will inform you where you can meet up with the group or truck.

For Truck trips, we suggest you bring your main luggage in a conventional backpack/hold-all is recommended for your belongings from 70 to 90 litres maximum, we also recommend you have a 15-20 litre day pack to carry your daily essentials. 'Hard' luggage is really not a good idea on our trucks, and may well not fit in your locker.

On our Small Group Adventures, you will need to bring a 3 - 4 season sleeping bag.

On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, you will need to bring a 3 - 4 season sleeping bag and roll mat.

Oasis Overland provide roomy 2 person 'Dome' style tents for everyone on the Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions to share with another group member. If you would like to bring your own tent so that you need not share, this is possible. Please just contact the office for details for your specific trip.

Definitely! We require everybody to have their own travel insurance on all our trips.

If you reside in the UK or Europe irrespective of your nationality, then you can buy our tailor made travel insurance.

The insurance we offer covers you for medical, baggage, repatriation, most optional excursions and currency. See our Travel Insurance page for more information.

It is best to contact your local GP or travel clinic near you for advice on your destinations. You can also visit the Nomad Travel Clinic where Oasis travellers receive a 10% discount on all medication, vaccinations and anti-malarials.

No, we do not. Flight prices can be greatly affected by factors such as where you are in the world, what time of year you are flying, your route, and your age. It is easy to find prices for flights online, through various search engines such as skyscanner.net and direct with airline websites.

There is no cooking required on our Small Group, Family & Mini Adventures.

On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, you will be expected to share the cooking duties amongst the group on the truck - everything from shopping in a local market, to chopping and washing food and the actual cooking itself. You will be part of a cook group, usually around 3 people and have a day when your group are responsible for the cooking for the group. Usually it works out about once a week, but this will vary according to the number of people on your trip.

On our Small Group, Family & Mini Adventures, you will be relying mainly on bottled water, as in many places the local supply can cause upset stomachs for those not used to it.

On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, the truck will have a supply of treated water for you to use. We recommend that you use this as much as possible, to avoid the environmental impact of buying bottled water. There will still be times though that you are away from the truck, for example in cities or on optional excursions, when you may need to buy bottled water. It is also worth considering one of our discounted Water-To-Go bottles.

On our Small Group Adventures, most hotels have safety deposit boxes or safes. On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions all our vehicles have a safe on board where you can leave your money, passport and small valuables. Please note: Any personal effects that are left on the truck or hotels, even if they are stored in the safe, are left at your own risk and Oasis Overland cannot be held responsible for any damage or theft that may occur.

There is an unavoidable degree of risk involved with any type of travel, and you need to be comfortable with this before setting out. Though incidents are thankfully rare, there is always the possibility of robbery and other crimes, or personal injury through bad luck or misadventure. We will do our best to minimise the risks to you, but there is a lot more that you can do to help yourself. In terms of theft, our general advice is that the less expensive items that you travel with, the less of a target you are. Everyone wants to bring a camera, but we urge you to consider leaving lap-tops and mobile phones as these are desirable items for theft. When going out in a city, do not wear valuable jewellery or flash clothes, and if you are taking your camera, consider carrying it in an old looking carrier bag or something, so that it does not attract attention. Try to order taxis through hotels and restaurants rather than hailing them on the streets, and wherever possible do not travel alone. Excessive consumption of alcohol will impair your judgement as well as making you an easier target, so be sure to moderate your intake. Your tour leader will be able to offer you further advice, but general steps like those above will help to greatly reduce the risks to your personal safety.

In terms of political and local issues, we will do our best to take account of these when planning our itineraries. Your safety is our primary concern, and should a problem arise with an area on one of our trips, we will where necessary make changes to the itinerary to avoid it. You may wish to take a look at the UK Foreign Office advice for any countries that you are intending to travel to, as they have details of current political and safety issues as they see it. See the following link: UK Travel Advice

We understand that many of our travellers have dual nationalities and that visa costs, and the ease of the application process can vary a lot depending on the passport you travel on and apply with. So, we often get asked whether one can switch between passports at borders, particularly on our longer trips. 

In principle this should be OK. However, in practice at the vast majority of land borders it is not at all straightforward and can cause big delays for the rest of the group. The immigration staff of the new country will want to see an exit stamp from the country you just left before they stamp your entry into their country. And when they don't see one and you need to explain why, this causes problems. Particularly when English is not well spoken, this can cause big delays, extra costs for you, potential refusal of entry, and problems for the crew, even amounting to fines at times. 
If you are not allowed to enter a country for this reason (as for any visa/passport related issue), there is the chance we may need to leave you at the border. 

So, if you do have dual nationality, we ask that if at all possible, you select one passport to do the entire trip on. We can help advise on which is the best to select.

In many places, yes you can. But this isn't possible in many places, and obviously not when we are bush camping (which happens most on our West Africa trips, but also on others in Southern & East Africa, South America and through Asia).
When we are camping, often the campsite we are staying at will also have an accommodation block, chalets, safari tents or other types of rooms available for people to stay in. When we arrive at these, you are welcome to upgrade your camping to stay somewhere and enjoy a bit more comfort. The tour leader will credit the cost of your camping towards your room booking IF the property allows them to do this. This is normally, but not always possible and you may need to pay the full cost of your new arrangements. 
The same applies to hostel stays, if you want to switch from a dorm room to a private twin/double room, or to a single room. Again you can do this, but the tour leader will only be able to credit you with the cost of your original accommodation if the property allows it. 
If you choose to stay somewhere else entirely, away from the rest of the group, then you will need to cover the full cost of this yourself. 
If you want to arrange accommodation upgrades ahead of arriving somewhere, you are welcome to do this. Your tour leader will be able to tell you where we plan to stay (though bear in mind that often bookings are only made during the trip, so they won't have all details right from the start). But it is the traveller's responsibility for making the new booking - your tour leader will not have time to manage multiple different room requests for different stays during the trip.

Quite often on our much longer trips, people will take a few days or more away from the truck and group to do their own thing. This may be to visit a country that we are having to miss or skirt for some reason, to do a particular activity or visit a particular place that we are not going to, to stay in a nice hotel and relax for a few days while we are in a big city, or even to fly home for a period before re-joining (for example to attend a wedding or funearl).
This is perfectly fine and we will accomodate this as best we can. We will ask you to sign a simple bit of paperwork saying you are leaving the trip voluntarily, with a proposed place and date of return. You can stay in touch with the crew while you are away and liaise with them and with our head office about when you will re-join.

However, please bear in mind that we need to leave promptly on days we depart a location and if you are not there when we are scheduled to leave, you may be left behind and would need to cover any costs for re-joining yourself. 

Also, our overland schedules are flexible, and we will not always be able to give exact dates for upcoming locations for you to meet up again. You will need to be prepared to be flexible with this, and to cover all your costs for accommodation and transport yourself while you are away from the group. The crew need to put the arrangements of the group on the truck first, and won't be able to re-arrange the trip schedule to accommodate your plans.  
You will also not be due any refund either of the main trip price or the local payment if you spend time away from the truck and group.

Generally no, if you choose to leave the trip early for some reason then there is no refund due of either your local payment or the main trip price. 

If you are leaving for an insurable reason (for example illness, or a death in the family), then this is exactly one of the things that your travel insurance is there to cover you for and one of the reasons that having adequate travel insurance in place is so important.
We will be happy to provide some paperwork to assist you with your insurance claim, showing the amount you have paid and the value of the portion of the trip that you have missed. 

On some occasions, if you have to leave a particularly long trip very early on, we may consider a partial refund of your local payment. However, this would be done as a good-will gesture and on a case by case basis.