I now throw out the idea of "singles" travel for those who might be interested in joining a tour composed solely of people traveling alone, who are presumably not married.
I have not gone with the group Singles Travel Service, but I'm on the email list and they recently sent me a newsletter on some of their future trips.
Such as: Ecuador, a multisport and multicultural adventure; the Inca Trail in Peru,including Machu Picchu, of course; Ireland's Cities - including Dublin and Galway; and an Italy Cultural tour, that includes Rome, Florence and Venice.
I like getting these newsletters. They give me license to daydream. Peru (including Machu Picchu) is high on my list of places to visit. All four of these trips look promising. I'm big on multi-sport vacations. They guarantee there won't be days of bus trips and hopefully, they attract an active and energetic group.
But I'm not big on the prices charged. The Peru trip costs $1,977, not including international airfare, plus a $600 private room supplement. Yes, even though the trip is for singles, unless you room with someone - either a friend you go with or someone the group fixes you up with - there's a single supplement.
This trip could be done way more cheaply. However, if the price sounds okay to you, you get a ready made vacation with most of the details taken care of and a group of people guaranteed not to be all coupled up. You may find fun people, romance, new friends for life. Who knows?
As always with group trips, I recommend calling and asking about the typical age range of travelers the company attracts and the skill level needed for the sports.
However, if you want to brave it to Peru or the other destinations alone, it opens up more opportunities for great adventure and serendipitous meetings with locals and the likelihood of cheaper excursions to the sights you'd like to see.
Since going to Ecuador alone several years ago, I feel comfortable with the idea of booking multi-day trips on my own. It takes a little more work but the trip typically feels a little more "wild" and adventurous.
Instead of traveling with only Americans, and the same ones from start to finish, I could wind up traveling with Dutch, Italian and other visitors, as I did when I went on two separate trips to the Avenue of the Volcanoes and the Ecuadorian Amazon, with a break in Quito in between, which was an adventure all its own.
I haven't decided which is my favorite way to travel. They both have their up sides. You'll have to decide for yourself.
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