Boldly Go Solo

17-plus ways to meet people when traveling solo and other solo travel tips

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Today's post is a roundup of solo-related pieces I found on the Web in the past few days.

First, in a continuation of travel deals from my last post, there are two cruise lines that are waiving the single supplements on certain voyages. 

Avalon Waterways has some European river cruises available with no single supplement. And Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced what it's calling Norwegian Epic Studios, "contemporary staterooms priced for the solo traveler." Cruises still are pretty pricey for my taste, but hopefully my cruising readers can take advantage of these deals.

For more info NCL's solo cruises and others, see this story in Cruise Critic.

The rest of these posts offer reasons for traveling solo and good places to do so.

The Travel Channel has a nice post on solo travel on the topic, saying that "few experiences offer the inspiration for self-growth and discovery as does the act of hitting the road solo." Despite the the apprehension one might feel before setting off.

For one, local women in countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, are quick to approach single female travelers with offers of hospitality, the writer found. Such as a a meal at their homes. Something that is less likely to happen if you travel with others. The post offers thoughts for traveling in India, Morocco, Iceland and Vietnam.

No more solo-only trips with Backroads but not to worry

Backroads, an "active travel company," is ending its singles and solos trips next year. The owners found that more of their solo travelers ended up on regular trips than on solo ones. There weren't getting enough people to make the singles and solo trips fun.

After doing some of Backroads solo trips years back, I realized I prefer a mixed group anyway. It's more relaxed. Less of that meet market feel.

Along with the change, the company has reduced the single room charges. Nice little benefit.

The part I like is where they say, "Just give us a call and we’ll help you find the departure with the most Singles+Solos, if that’s what you are looking for."

That's exactly what I did for my first major solo adventure, a rafting trip. I called Holiday Expeditions and asked them to find me a trip that other solo travelers had signed up for. I didn't want to be the only person traveling alone. I didn't need a LOT of solo travelers. Just some.

I ended up in a fivesome with one couple, one married guy traveling without his wife (she wasn't much of a rafter, he said), one single guy and me. We became tight as ticks. We hardly made make a move without one another. We simply enjoyed one another's company that much.

I would consider another trip with Backroads. I've taken three with the company. Biking in the Colorado Rockies, biking in the Canadian Rockies and biking and hiking in Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon.

They were all run well. And I wouldn't have gotten to those places without joining a group that was already going. None of my friends are that gung ho about biking to plan a week-long trip out West to do so.

And I did things I never expected, including biking 120 miles in one day. (Trust me, there was a lot of downhill. But the 80 mile-day uphill day it took to earn the downhill was a major killer.)

Backroads is not the only company that will provide the service of putting a group together and getting on the phone with you to discuss who is signed up for the trip. On the other hand, I would probably avoid a company that wouldn't be willing to share that information. 

The Hershey quiz and fun facts about chocolate town

In Monday's post I asked you to name which item did not belong in Hershey, PA. Now for a rundown of what Hershey has, and the one thing I put on the list that it doesn't. And, finally, whether this is a place for solo travelers.

Hershey has a large amusement park, as well as a minor league hockey team called the Hershey Bears. And a medical center that is the town's largest employer.

Milton Hershey opened a school for orphans that still operates today. And I saw Highmeadow Campground, with its 300 sites, with my own eyes. Who would have thought? A campground at Hershey? (It feels more KOA than Yellowstone in that it is not particularly woodsy rustic. But it's inexpensive and close to the attractions.)

There is a Chocolate Workers Local 464, the union Hershey workers must belong to. And an iceless "ice" skating rink, but let me tell ya, there is no real gliding without ice. Raptors? Yes, you'll find them there. I tried falconry and I highly recommend it. 

The rose-filled garden is down the hill from The Hotel Hershey and hosts many weddings. On the way to the new "cottages," which are actually modern stone buildings with luxury rooms good for business retreats, is an activity area with shuffleboard and croquet, along with bocce, horseshoes, volleyball, basketball and tennis. Shockingly non-gimmicky.  

There's a spa at the hotel, and the boardwalk and the tubing are at Hershey Park, the amusement park. Harvest Restaurant is under construction now and will open soon, serving food from local producers.

 The pond behind the hotel is filled with koi, a Hawaiian fish and the imports I mentioned? From Tanzania, Ecuador and Java? Those are the cocoas you can try during a cocoa tasting made with beans from six different countries. 
 
What doesn't Hershey have that I put on the list in Monday's post? An inline skating factory. (As far as I know.)

And the winner is...drum roll please...

ME! I'm afraid no one guessed correctly and I get to keep the Hershey's chocolate bar. But, as consolation, here is a view of the wrapper I designed, which would have wrapped around your very own imported Hershey bar.

As I've gone on too long already, I will save for the next post descriptions of the two things I think solo travelers would enjoy - the spa and falconry - and the things they might want to avoid.

Photos: Ellen Perlman

1. Cocoa pods at The Hershey Story's (it's a museum) chocolate lab; 2. Thunder, a Harris's hawk; 3. front porch of The Cottages; 4. the chocolate tasting at The Hershey Story.

Hershey, Pennsylvania - chocolate, sports, chocolate, amusements, chocolate, gardens and chocolate

When you think of Hershey, Pennsylvania, what comes to mind? Really, I want to know. I've just returned from a weekend there and having been there at least twice before, I now think of it with a new twist. 

But everyone seems to have their own impressions. What do you think? Is it land of chocolate? That's a given. What other impressions do you have? Talk to me.

And now, here's your chance for a prize. Which one of the items in the following lists is NOT found in Hershey? There's just one correct answer. The first one to send it, either via comment or email, wins.

Here we go. Hershey. Home to:

A large amusement park? Minor league stadium? Medical center? School for orphans? A campground?

An inline skating factory? Labor union? Raptors? Iceless ice skating rink?

Rose-filled garden? Museum? Old-fashioned outdoor games such as shuffleboard and croquet?

Luxury spa? Boardwalk? Tubing? Weddings? A restaurant with food all from local producers?

Hawaiiian fish? Business retreat? Imports from Tanzania, Ecuador and Java?

Name which one doesn't belong. The winner will get a prize: A milk chocolate Hershey bar imported directly from, um, Hershey. By me. Wrapped in a one-of-a-kind wrapper I created myself at The Hershey Story, a museum on Chocolate Avenue. At one of the interactive exhibits.

I will send this unique chocolate bar to the first person who correctly names the one item/answer that doesn't belong.

I'm going to limit the "contest" to U.S. residents for two reasons:

One, how well is a chocolate bar going to hold up over days and days during a trip overseas? And two, I have found from experience that non-Americans are not enamored of Hershey's chocolate. It tastes odd/unpleasant compared to what they're used to. So why waste the postage?

On Thursday, I will announce the "winner" (with permission) and reveal the wrapper I came up with. Don't get too excited. It's not like I'm an artiste or anything. I was just fooling around as best I could with the tools the exhibit provided. (And having a good ole' time doing so, too.)

The exhibit allows you to email your creation to yourself and print it out in the perfect size for a regular-sized chocolate bar.

Contest rules: Employees of Hershey and its affiliates not eligible. haha.

Photos: Ellen Perlman. The Hershey Hotel, from the front and back.

Trips and tours for singles, also known as solos who are looking

A Brazil cultural and multisport tour. A Napa Valley long weekend wine tour. A Montana camping trip. Skiing in Chile in July. These are some of the vacations offered by Singles Travel.

I can't vouch for this particular tour operator. But I'm impressed with the variety of adventure trips they offer all over the world. It's worth taking a look and weighing them as an option. Especially of you are single and looking. Or single and looking for a vacation fling.

I like the fact that they offer a fair number of camping options. Those are great for saving money, although I know a lot of you like your luxuries. But these are not cheap trips so you may be a convert to camping for the sheer economics.

Be aware that if you want a private room on some of these trips, you might still pay a single supplement. But the organization does offer roommate matching if you're willing to bunk with a stranger. I've done that many a time. Let me clarify. I've bunked with a roommate of the same sex.

I can't say I love sharing a room. I like my privacy as much as the next guy. But the match up was never a disaster and I got to go on some pretty amazing vacations, for less money, by willing to make that compromise.

Photos: Singles Travel

Utah: Home to some of the best national parks in the country

Utah has some of the best national parks in the country. And I mean, spectacular. When I saw this article, it struck me all over again how cool a place the Beehive state is for fantastic scenery and action adventure.

I have visited four out of the five top parks (at least as designated by the writer) by going solo on adventure trips. One was with Holiday Expeditions, the other with Backroads. And I would highly recommend both companies.

One of my first set-out-solo trips was mountain biking and whitewater rafting on the Green and Colorado rivers with Holiday Expeditions.

On the Holiday Expeditions trip our group of five went mountain biking in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and then joined a larger group to raft through Canyonlands. So peaceful and mellow drifting through the canyons, bathing in the river, relaxing by the shore. No electronics whatsoever. Clocks and watches unnecessary. Just drift and eat and soak in the colorful rock formations and hike the smooth chasms where the river has cut through to form a winding path.

The fab five from the biking portion formed such a tight bond that when the trip ended, four of us who didn't have immediate flights home drove our three cars by caravan to Moab, Utah and stayed overnight.

The next day we explored Arches National Park together before we had to fly home to our respective corners of the country: Washington, New York and California. For years, my favorite t-shirt was "Go with the Flow," purchased at the company's store.

Horseback riding in the Masai Mara: a trip to remember, if you can afford it

Riding horses across the Masai Mara, a large reserve park in Southwestern Kenya, is something I'd love to do. Paying $5,675 plus $875 for the single supplement is something I really don't want to do. And won't.

In this case, even if I were spared the single supplement, I wouldn't shell out close to $6,000 for an eight-day vacation. But it is fun to dream about. For those who have the bucks, Cross Country International, the company that offers it, promotes itself to single travelers:

"Many of our customers travel alone. Many of our riders are single. This is a great way to meet other people and just be yourself."

(They seem to have left off the "well-to-do" between "meet other" and "people.")

I've never been to Africa. It would be amazing to go horseback riding and visit a wild animal reserve and meet with the local Masai at Acacia Camp, a game-viewing area.

But some things simply are out of reach. For now. (Who says a bag packed with $1,000 bills couldn't fall on my head tomorrow?)

Best outfitters on earth, or so National Geo Adventure said

I may be sooo 20th century, but sometimes I prefer to pick up a magazine instead of heading for the Internet for trip ideas. I'm looking, as we speak, at a section I ripped out of my National Geographic Adventure from November 2007. It's called Best Outfitters on Earth.

When you don't exactly know where you want to go or what you want to do, a listing like this can be helpful. And inspiring. The section sorts outfitters into: Do-It-All, Biking, Hiking and Trekking, River and Sea, Safari and Luxury.

Five to 10 companies are listed under each category, along with each one's "signature" trip and its price.

If you know you want to go to Greece and bike with Aegea Adventures, you don't need listings like this. But if you're wondering what you should do for vacation, it helps to have a lot of random ideas and companies all in one place.

Row, row, row your raft

I talked to my friend Laura into going alone on a river rafting trip. We were in our 20's. I'd loved my trip and insisted she would have a great time too. Risky recommendation, I suppose. I couldn't guarantee her happiness.

Her trip was on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho with Holiday River Expeditions, the company I'd gone with. Recently, I asked her about her memories of that trip. "It was one of the travel highlights of my life."

The only other solo travel Laura had done was to visit a friend who worked at Club Med. Mostly, she'd traveled luxuriously, with her parents, to ski resorts in Europe.

The rafting trip really was her first ever on-her-own trip where she wasn't meeting up with anyone familiar. She was nervous about the whole thing. The idea of an adventure vacation, with a bit of roughing it, was a new concept. No little bath soaps. No comfy quilts. "I didn't know what to expect," she says. "I don't know what possessed me to do it."

Bears and whales and ice caves and eagles. May I go too, please?

My friend Anya, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and sometime travel writer and photographer, recently sent me her story on Juneau, Alaska. After reading it, I'm totally sold on the place. I love this line in her story:

We saw bald eagles lock talons in midair, tumbling toward the ground like comic-book foes before they soared free.

But I'm veering off here... My point is, now I want to go to Juneau. I want to view the bears and the beauty she describes. Since I'm going to a conference in Seattle in June, it would be easy to head north from there. Easier, at least, than starting from the East Coast. My company is already paying for the round-trip flight to Seattle, so I would save plenty on airfare. I'm definitely going to be looking into this.

Do other people think this way? Or do they shy away from such opportunities because they don't have someone to travel with? Tell me why, assuming you had the time, money and desire to go to Juneau, you would or wouldn't go if you were in my situation.

Photo: Anya Sostek. Ice caves in Juneau, Alaska