10 tips for avoiding the single supplement

In preparation for being interviewed on the BBC World's travel program, called "fast:track," I asked experts if they knew of tour operators that waived or markedly lowered the single supplement. (Who knew the BBC piece was going to involve a boy blowup doll?!)

Many respondents told me about companies they knew or, or represented, that don't charge the single supplement. But I know better than to believe that right off.

And indeed, after some simple checking, it turns out that for many tour operators only waive the single supplement if you're willing to share a room with another person signed up for the trip. I don't think that's what people are looking for when they ask about the single supplement. But it's a relatively common option and a saving grace for those looking to save money, and who don't mind sharing a room that they won't be spending much time in anyway.

Here are some other tips for avoiding the single supplement:

Find the real deals.

- Overseas Adventure Travel is eliminating the single supplement on its land tours and reducing it dramatically on small ship adventures. Without you having to share a room.

- The BodyHoliday at LeSport on St. Lucia in the Caribbean built a wing with 29 rooms for single occupancy, all of them with queen beds. None of them ocean front, but hey, you can't have everything. The ocean's steps away, anyway.

- Tauck World Discovery is waiving the single supplement on some cruises in 2010, as it did in 2009.

- Uniworld River Cruises has a number of savings for 2010, including no single supplement on select cruises, according to a story in The Washington Post. If solo travelers book and submit a deposit by Jan. 31, the cruise line will waive the extra fee for solo travelers on several European voyages.  

- Windjammer cruises out of Maine offers single rooms and no single supplements.

- Red Mountain Resort & Spa in Utah has a deal running through January 15 that waives the single supplement. It's too late for anyone to scramble now to get that, but those deals may come around again. Or you could try to negotiate for such a deal once the (arbitrary) deadline is up in a few days. Which leads to my next tip...

Negotiate.

Wheedle, whine or beg for a discount. Or just ask nicely. "Any deals I don't know about?" If arriving last minute, ask for a discount and be willing to walk away. If, that is, you have somewhere else to stay.

Avoid package tours altogether.

Book your own travel and lodgings in hostels, bed and breakfasts or guesthouses that have single rooms. Some B&B's run solo travel specials from time to time. 

Enlist the help of a travel agent.

A travel agent can alert you when companies drop or lower their single supplements.

Be a savvy Web user.

Web sites such as CruiseCompete and Zicasso have cruise and tour companies competing for your business. Maybe there's still a single supplement but maybe the total cost is low enough to zero it out. 

Become a member of a hotel loyalty program.

Even if you don't use a particular hotel much, members probably are treated better. And hotels might be more willing to lower prices or sweeten the deal. (See negotiate above)

Book Last minute.

If you're flexible, use sites such as Lastminute, Lastminutetravel, Kayak and 11thhourvacations.

Shop around.

If you can't avoid the single supplement, at least try to find companies that keep them quite low.

Go off season.

You might think, "Why should I? Why should I be relegated to a less desirable season to get the deals I deserve?" Well, it's true for everyone, couples and families alike. I usually choose NOT to travel in summer, solo or no, because I don't want to fight crowds and pay high prices. Or get bumped off flights or frozen out of hotels I might want to stay at.

Do you have other suggestions for avoiding the single supplement?

(I've written up some of these tips before, but you can never hear them too much...I hope.)

Photo: Tomascastelazo

Comments

[brian @ nodebtworldtravel.com]

Great topic. I try to avoid the single supplement without sharing a room if I don't want to. Looks like there are not many ways around it if you're using a package tour.

[Ellen]

Brian,

Agreed. But here's the thing. Do you consider it a single supplement when you book a hotel room for $100 and the couple ahead of you technically gets it for $50 per person? (Because there are two in a room)

[DENNIS BEAN]

We watched the programme on avoiding single supplement with Ellen Perlman. We are the owners of Victoria Falls backpackers/bed and breakfast lodge in Zimbabwe,we have never charged a supplement on single travelers, took it off our website but then had this problem: a group of four will book as friends or couples then arrive and insist on each a double room for themselves at normal rates, so then decided to put it back on our website and give ourselves the choice that is not abused. Something interesting, about 70% of single travelers are women.

[Ellen]

Dennis,

Ouch. I hadn't heard of this "trick." Not nice. I understand why friends traveling together might want their privacy (I have close friends who prefer single rooms, and so would I, really, if it didn't cost me an arm and a leg.)
But couples wanting to split up? Is that what you're saying here? Crazy...
Does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this problem?

[MARY]

I am outraged! I have spent the last year scouring the planet for places with no supplement....mostly in Europe, but now moving into the US {ROUGH LUXE}. This is 100% robbery!
A screwjob they have gotten away with, but myself and my friends are going elsewhere, renting vacation homes and telling the ROBBERS they have lost our money. And what about all-inclusive? A very large man will benefit by this, but a small person who eats very little is paying an extra 100 to 200 a day for food they will never eat. How about some options for those of us who eat very little? If you find a place with no supplement....TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW....reward those people for being FAIR.....this planet is SICK WITH GREED!!!!!!!!

[Ellen]

Mary,

You're right that a small person who doesn't eat much is likely going to overpay at an all-inclusive resort. Might be something for a solo traveler to avoid, especially if it's priced per person, double occupancy.