Boldly Go Solo

Solo vacation in DC for cherry blossom seekers

The cherry blossoms are coming! Very soon now. I happen to be highly aware of the impending pinkness (pinker as buds, then very pale pink as blossoms) because I was immersed last month in writing a cherry blossom guide for a hotel magazine.

Recently, the National Park Service announced its prediction of the peak cherry blossom bloom times: March 20 to April 3.

While a lot of the cherry blossom events are for kids and families, several would be perfect for solo travelers looking for company while in D.C. I'm thinking about doing one or two of these myself, even though I've been to the Tidal Basin's beautiful cherry trees many, many times. And even though I might visit at other times with friends.

Washington Walks offers a "Blossoms Secrets Stroll" that teaches you all the cherry tree lore you could possibly want. I just learned that the 17th-century Japanese stone lantern near the Tidal Basin, where a veritable forest of cherry trees resides, is the oldest manmade object in the country that's not housed in a museum.

Single supplement waived on cruise lines in 2011

'Tis the season to go cruising. And, I'm seeing a lot of offers from companies waiving the single supplement.

What astounds me is how much people have been willing to pay to travel solo on a cruise. Avalon Waterways' announcement about waiving the single supplement on some 2011 cruises in Europe says that you can save up to $5,396.

Yikes. If that's the savings, how much is the cruise? Not only am I not going solo, I'm not going at all unless somebody treats me to it! Then again, some of the cruises are 23 days long so the price may not be outrageous for what you get.

But clearly the clientele is wealthy and retired. Either that or these cruisers saved vacation days and money to take the trip of a lifetime.

But there are other, less expensive, cruising choices. USA Today says that MSC Cruises is reducing the cost for solo travelers as much as 30 percent on 7-night Caribbean voyages.

Norwegian Epic offers Caribbean cruise with no single supplement

Norwegian Epic's solo cabins rated a major travel story in the Los Angeles Times today.

The reporter went on a Caribbean cruise specifically to check out the solo sailing on a cruise line has taken notice of the solo traveler market.

Norwegian Epic offers private rooms on a seven-day cruise for $1,271-$1,409. It would cost nearly twice as much for a solo traveler to book a double room, as they have to on most cruise ships.

The Epic "shows promise of being great fun for those who travel solo," the reporter says. The 100-square-foot studios are, however, a "small shock," although there was plenty of storage space for her stuff.

And the size didn't seem to bother other folks who took advantage of the low price to stuff two people in the room.

The writer met other solo travelers who told her they chose the ship not for the destination but for the solo cabins. Still, Epic could lose up to $5 million in the first year due to the lost revenue of two people in a cabin.   

I sure hope they find some major advantage in offering benefits to solo travelers. And that other people in the industry take note.

I don't want to rewrite the whole story here but I was amazed to read that not only are solo travelers freed from the nasty single supplement, they actually get special treatment. Like a lounge for solo travelers only.

What a great way for people traveling alone to connect. I'm impressed.

Photos: Courtesy of Norwegian Epic

 

Best cruises for solo travelers

I'll leave the details about the best ships for solo travel, to the folks at Suite101.com. I'm not a "cruiser," as people in the biz call travelers who board ships and sail off for vacation.

But Suite101 provides here a list of companies that offer single cabins with no single supplement.

They say the down side is a very small room. But people don't really go on cruises for the luxury rooms do they? They go for the never-ending food, the deck chairs, the activities and visits to various islands and ports. Is this not so?

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 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?