Boldly Go Solo

News on solo travel from Reuters

Is the market for solo travel slowly turning our way? Is the industry finally willing to cater to the solo traveler?

Hard to say.

But I would love to take at face value the following quote and others in a story about how the industry is wooing solo travelers irritated by the extra charges they face as a party of one:

"The tour industry is making way for the single traveler," said Margie Jordan, spokesperson for the American Society of Travel Agents. "This is nothing that's going to go away. The single traveler is going to have as many opportunities as anyone else."

She says that cruise lines, in particular, are offering solo travelers opportunities to travel without paying the single supplement. And indeed I've written here and here about a few that have waived the single supplement charge.

I'm not much into cruises myself. But how about we get the word out to tour operators?

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.

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:

Seven ways to increase the chances of having a great solo vacation

Last week, a friend told me that, following my example, she decided to go solo on a cruise to the Bahamas. How was it? "The first day was crushingly lonely." Ouch. The trip was only three days. That means a third of it was lousy.

I asked for more details. It turns out she was seated at a table by herself. I've never been on a cruise but I always thought that Captain Stubing, or whoever the people in charge are, watched out for things like that. Made sure people were comfortable. I guess not.

After thinking more about her experience I've come up with a few thoughts about why she might have been lonely and how, perhaps, it could have been avoided.

1. Know thyself

What was she thinking about when she signed up? Did she assume it would be a really sociable place and she'd meet a lot of people? Was she looking for single men? Point being, were her expectations too high? Would someone else have been happy just exploring the ship and sitting by the pool with a book on that first day? Going to the casino? Going to the gym, if they had one?

2. Know thy vacation choice

Was a large ship with a lot of people the best choice? The larger the group in general, the more people will break down into families or cliques. Singletons may get lost. That might not matter to some. But it will be agonizing to others. (see # 1)

In a small group tour, on the other hand, everyone will talk to everyone. If not, there is always a guide who will see you're not having fun and hopefully scoop you up and put you under her wing. Guides are paid to be friendly.

Two for one? Hey, how about one for half?

A cruise line is heading to the Arctic, with a "limited-time offer" of a two-for-one package deal until February 15th. These deals never cease to irk me. Which I'm sure they wouldn't if I were part of a couple that wanted to travel to the Arctic together. It would sound like a great deal.

Fine, for the twosomes. What about the rest of us? What about the couples who don't travel together? (Yes, it happens.) I dare anyone out there to give the company a call and say you want to go, but you're going solo. And want to know what kind of deals YOU can get when traveling alone.

Tell us what you find out and I'll write about it here. 

No single supplement?!

Whoa. Can this be true? A company called Overseas Adventure Travel, catering to travelers over 50, plans to eliminate the single supplement for all its land tours in 2009. And for many of its cruises, according to a USA Today blog entry.

But if you're not retired, be prepared to save up those vacation days. The group seems to run long trips - 13, 15, 17 days long and longer.

On another front, the company has found that the number of women traveling solo has more than tripled over the past five years. So it plans to launch a women-only line of vacations. That pretty much guarantees there won't be a lot of couples on those trips!

But I'm still marveling at the no single supplement thing. Is the travel world as we know it changing?

Silver lining for solo travelers in all this economic mess, says Budget Travel

If tour operators and cruise lines are having trouble filling slots in the near future, solo travelers may have luck in getting the awful, horrible (the word "dreaded" has become overused) solo supplement waived or lowered. So says Budget Travel at CNN.com.

I've written here before about the single supplement but I like to return to the topic any time I find useful tips I haven't touched on before. And sometimes to repeat tips for new readers who may not have gotten to all my previous posts. (What? Get crackin'! You still have 158 posts to go...)

A summary of some Budget Travel tips:

Book early.
As in six months in advance. Some companies waive the supplement for the first few people who sign up.

Wait until the last minute.
Hm. "But didn't you just said to 'book early?' " Yes, well, the closer to the trip it gets, the more likely a tour operator is to cut deals, if it's a choice between leaving a spot unused versus cutting a solo traveler some slack.

Negotiate.
Sob stories are good. Being friendly can work too. Small operators usually have more flexibility to offer deals that large ones.

Travel off-season.
This one's a no-brainer.

Develop a relationship with a travel agent.
If you're a regular cruiser, for instance, an agent who knows you can give you a heads up when there's a deal to be had.

Use a European operator
Europeans are not as accepting of the lousy, rotten (but not dreaded) single supplement. And they're more cost-conscious overall. Companies that cater to them take that into account.

The problem I see for Americans is that the weak dollar may make such trips more expensive overall than an American-based trip. Even when a single supplement is charged. So tread carefully.

Photos: Ellen Perlman. Snow carving festival, Jackson, New Hampshire. A fabulous cross country center.

Meant to inspire you to plan a winter getaway - either TO the snow or AWAY from it.

Vacation layaway. Reserve a spot on a cruise or a tour, then pay in dribs and drabs.

Speaking...again...of grim financial news...

If money's tight, or you don't feel comfortable dropping a lot of cash right now, how about paying for your next vacation in increments?

Were you ever the type to put money into a Christmas savings account (do they still have those?) or buy clothes on layaway? Now you can do it with vacations.

At least with the two travel companies that came up with the idea. You reserve the vacation you want with Gate 1 Travel or Gutsy Women Travel, (see my previous post on Gutsy Women) a year or more in advance, with a small down payment. Then you pay in bits, whatever amount you want, up to 45 days before the tour departs. That's when full payment is due. It's more like four months in advance if you reserved a cruise rather than a land tour.

Meanwhile, you get to lock in the price and the date you want. Of course, you're up the creek if something happens to the company between now and then...unless there's something in the fine print that says otherwise. Be sure to read carefully.

I've never been the type to plan that far in advance. But I have friends I know would jump on this type of offer. So here it is, for all you plan-way-in-advance solo travelers.

For the rest of you, tell me what you think. Gimmick? Or great idea?

Vacationing solo on a cruise to Greece, Italy and Turkey

A solo cruise to Greece, Italy and Turkey changed April Lutz for all time.

It wasn't the amazing ruins of Ephesus, Turkey, the best preserved classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean. Or the visit to Izmir, Turkey, dating back to 3000 B.C. Or the stop in her favorite place, Santorini, Greece, with its brilliant white houses and blue-domed churches built into a hillside that actually is a volcanic crater.

No, it was the realization she could strike out on her own. Book a solo trip. Deal with her nerves before going. Get over the fact she didn't speak the languages of the places she was going. Forget the fact she was supposed to go to Germany with her boyfriend...until they broke up three weeks before that trip.

She took what she felt was the easiest route to a solo vacation. She booked a reasonably priced cruise with Costa Cruises. With stops in Rome and Sicily in Italy, Patmos and Mykonos in Greece, and Izmir. After paying her money, she let someone else take over the details.

Jamming solo off the Maine coast

Sometime during my early 20's, my adventurous father treated me to a trip on a windjammer cruise off the coast of Long Island, in New York.

In those days, I wasn't traveling on my own. But I could see how easy it would have been to sail alone on a small boat like that and fit right in, no matter who else was on board.

Everyone pretty much does everything together. Sit up on deck. Eat below at a large table. Jump into the water when the boat anchors. It's a life of ease...(except for the captain and the crew, of course.) Although you're welcome to offer to help. Nah, I think I'll just sit still and watch the sun glisten on the water.

It appears the most active set of windjammers sails off the coast of Maine. A company called Windjammer Barefoot Cruises used to ply the Atlantic Ocean but they seem to be out of business. However, Maine is home to a large fleet of these traditional sailing ships.