How to find a companion for a travel to France in September 2010
 

Hi - I am a 43 years old female and I have not traveled a lot, except for one business trip to London last year and trips to Moscow (where I grew up) to visit my parents. Family and work have always been my priority so my life was centered around it. Now kids grew up and I want to start doing something for myself. My daughter just returned home from a grand tour of Europe and she said that I absolutely have to go and see Europe.
I want to start with France and maybe Switzerland. I am looking to do a good combination of city and scenic site seeing 12 to 16 days vacation. I checked a few organized tour options and all are for young kids/ students, couples, or elderly people. I do not belong to either category - I am young / mid-age, single and energetic person - but I do not want to travel solo - especially for the first time. I am afraid it will be boring and complicated to figure things out all by myself. I saw a few tours for singles but do not really feel comfortable with option either.
I am thinking there have to be people who are just like me - who are looking for a SAFE way to find a travel companion.
if you have any ideas, suggestions, recommendations or advice - Please share.
Thank you.

If you think it will be boring and complicated to figure things out for yourself then you should take a tour. Single people go on tours all the time. That's why tour companies have single supplements.

I can't imagine it would be boring to figure things out and it's certainly not complicated (IMHO) but everyone travels differently. Figuring things out is part of the adventure of travel.

I don't think you really want a travel companion since that person would expect you to do half the work of figuring things out.

Given your criteria, your best option is to hire private guides in the places you want to visit. That way you won't be alone and someone else will figure things out for you.

It's certainly not boring and complicated for me, but if it is for you, finding a travel companion will most likely make it more complicated, and possibly more boring.

People have all sorts of varying approaches to travel. I have some very dear and mostly like-minded friends I absolutely cannot travel with (I just cannot stand to move around at a snail's pace); traveling with someone you don't know well is a potential nightmare. And even if you find a companion, you have to get involved in the planning details, times two because now there's someone else involved.

I agree that going alone and hiring private guides is probably the best solution.

I agree with StCirq. It can be quite complicated to travel with another person who may not want to leave the hotel when you want to/not want to go where you want to, etc. It's actually quite easy to plan a trip these days I think, there's so much information available to you.

Also, you're going next month?? That gives you hardly any time at all to find a companion or do any planning, no matter what kind of trip you want to take.

FWIW, I'd take my time about this and plan a trip for next spring. That would give you time to find a suitable companion or do some more research into a tour group that would be a good fit for you. Maybe in the meantime someone with whom you work, live near, etc. will emerge as a good travel buddy. Do you belong to any kind of professional organization, book club, fitness club, etc., where you could let it be known that you are looking for someone to travel with? Any of your daughter's parents? Do some networking, and I bet you'll come up with someone if you give yourself enough time.

Good luck with this; I'm sure it will work out well!

Madame, I think you sell yourself short. If you raised kids, took care of a family, and were in business that had you travel to London, I would think that traveling by yourself would be a snap for you to organize and accomplish.

If you prefer traveling with someone, that is a choice too. I prefer it myself. Many of the posters on this Fodors, however, love nothing better than the freedom that traveling solo allows.

The folks on this Forum would be happy to help you plan such an adventure, whichever course you choose.

All the tours I've seen allow singles on them, I've never seen one only for couples (maybe some honeymoon thing or resorts like Sandals). Maybe you are thinking that because they price things based on double occupancy, but you can go alone if you pay the single supplement. Of course you have to pay more as you will have a room to yourself which is more expensive than half the cost of a double room (when prices are per person).

Here are a couple, I haven't used them, where you can look
www.cstn.org
www.osolomio.com

Rick Steves has tours where he matches singles with roommates, if it is the cost thing you don't like.

Aside from being safe, I would think it a zillion times more potentially boring or just distasteful to travel with a stranger if you end up not liking them much (or their habits or tastes, whatever).

There are lots of active or adventure vacations if you want activity, such as hiking, bicycling, whatever. I belong to a ski club and they have lots of group trips, and it is a year-round club so they aren't just ski trips (they are in winter, of course). They are doing a beach vacation one over Labor Day, for example. Alumni organizations often have travel, and other groups like that, also.

There are quite a few travel groups for single women wanting to travel with others. Do a Google search for "women's travel groups" and you'll get an idea of what's out there.