traveling single with groups?
 

My daughter just graduated college and would like to travel a bit through Europe preferably Ireland but can't find anyone to travel with. Can you recommend a group for young singles that is safe? I was thinking of all the walking and biking tours but thought they might attract an older crowd. Any suggestions appreciated.

A lot depends on what you mean by safe! A parent's and a daughter's views might differ.

Seriously, it is worth considering http://www.paddywagontours.com/ . They are favoured by the young and the young at heart.

Would your daughter consider going on her own, staying in hostels, meeting other young people to hang with? When I was young lots of people traveled solo and I imagine they still do today.

She should check the thorntree site as that caters to younger folks.

Stoweflake, you could check out Contiki Tours - very reasonable and designed for the 18-35 crowd. The company offers a great many destinations.

If this is your daughter's first trip to Europe, it might be a bit intimidating to do it independently.

What does Daughter say - is it her own wish to travel with a tour group, or is that Mother's wish? There is nothing wrong with her going on her own. If she stays in hostels she'll meet plenty of people to hang out with, she might even make new friends to travel with. There are even more young backpackers on the road and rail nowadays than there were 'in my times'.

The young people I know and read about on the travel forums mostly prefer independent travel. Backpacking, staying in hostels, etc. both solo or with friends.

Yes you are correct that most the hiking, walking, biking tours attract older clientele.

You can look at Contiki, that's the only one I can specifically think of, but know that some of their trips are definitely about "partying" not educational, historical, and less about the country being visited.

Read on The Thorn Tree, which is a similar format to Fodor's forums, over on www.lonelyplanet.com. Many more younger travelers frequent that board.

She should check out some groups or clubs where she lives, as they might have trips planned for members. She wouldn't be able to pick her own exact itinerary and dates, though.

For example, I belong to my city's ski club (which is huge) and they plan a lot of club activities that are not just skiing trips, including some other kinds of travel. Ski clubs definitely have younger members. Any club for activities in her area might do that, as well as possibly Sierra CLub, etc.

Alumni tour groups tend to be older and more expensive, though, I think. Generally, look for budget tours as you tend to get younger folks (Contiki is one, of course).

Here's a group that sounds interesting that is definitely budget/backpacker-oriented, and young, and it specializes in Ireland

http://www.paddywagontours.com/

sorry it took me so long to apply. Yes it I admit it was my idea to travel in a group. I guess it's hard for me to think it is safe for a single young woman to travel in Europe and stay at hostels. She has been to Europe with family.Italy. She specificaly wants to go to Ireland. I guess speaking the same language would help. I'll forward all your ideas to her. They all sound interesting. Wish I was young again. Do alot of things differently.
thanks again.

I guess because I always have traveled solo, this idea just isn't surprising to me.

Yes I am older now... but I still would never travel as part of an organized tour group on a bus-around. If I have to do that, quite honestly I'd rather stay home.

I've been 5 times to the Carribean, 5 times to Europe, 20 times to Mexico, a few times to Hawaii... about half of those trips I gues I did alone. I have never had even a hint of a problem with personal safety.

Using basic common sense, I don't see anything dangerous about a young woman who's graduated college to take a well-planned solo trip to Ireland. It sounds fantastic, I think.

thanks for your comments suzie

" I guess it's hard for me to think it is safe for a single young woman to travel in Europe and stay at hostels." - what do you think that European women do? And in Ireland we're not even talking about a language barrier.

Sounds like traveling solo is simply something you didn't have the chance to experience in your own life. It sounds perfectly reasonable and safe to me because I've done it, I guess.

Hey, mums worry. It's what they do.

But I agree with the others, if she is willing and able, it is perfectly reasonable for your daughter to go to Europe alone.

And like suze already pointed out, companies like Contiki that cater to the 18-30 crowd tend to focus on partying, so travelling with such a group might not be any more safe for a young woman on her own in any event.

Well here we go with the I'll never do a group tour; it's better to do it independently stuff.

Contiki is a good experience if she wants to travel with other young adults...these tours have reputations of becoming all night drinking binges and sleep during the day during the part that is supposed to be site seeing.

Trafalgar tours runs tours for people under 38 called breakaway tours...go to their web site for information (www.trafalgartours.com).

If she is not the type who like to party every night, one of the regular Trafalgar tours (or globus or cosmos) tours of Ireland might be fine...single supplements can be expensive (I don't recommend the option the tour companies give of finding a roommate for you of your own gender to avoid the single supplements, these don't always work out)....on the tour she'll have lots of companionship and everything will be done for her...there are almost always singles with any tour.

Tours can be a great way to get an orientation, let you decide on places you might wish to see again on your own. Many include some meals.

Have done a few and one of the nice things about many of the tours, especially for a young person, is the opportunity to meet people from all over the English speaking world.

They're nowhere near as bad as some of the people here make them out to be.

I haven't got anything against anybody doing anything they want to do on a trip, including taking a tour, so this thread falls into a different kind of "here we go again" category for me.

I moved to New York City when I was 17. I went to Greece, Turkey and Egypt as my first trip abroad when I was 19, with my slightly older sister. I didn't speak (and still don't) Greek, Turkish or Arabic.

I was propositioned by bus drivers, medical students, rug sellers, military men, sheiks, Swedish pharmacists, jewelry traders, French photojournalists -- well, you get the point.

She's out of college for heaven's sake!!!!!

My ancestry is Irish, and I have to tell you I suspect she'd be safer in Botswana, and it's amazing how nice and protective people are when you DON'T speak their language, but I still imagine she'll be just fine.

If she wanted to go on a group tour, I suspect she would have thought of it by now.

I travelled alone to Europe at 24 and I didnt want to go independently as I wasnt an experienced traveller. I went with Contiki and had a great time:
http://contiki.com/trip_finder/europe

Yes, they do party, yes there is a lot of drinking...but you dont have to take part. I went to bed early and went sightseeing every day and was not hung over (others slept all day and missed the sights...up to them!). Contiki is a very well respected company, and although I wouldnt do it again it did allow me to see alot of Europe and hang out with lots of fun people. If your daughter isnt a big drinker than I doubt she will party all night and sleep all day on a tour.

Maybe give her the websites and let her decide. Either way I am sure she will have a blast!

I have used Explore on many occasions. These are mixed age groups and I can highly recommend them.

Contiki spammed this forum last year. I would never use anything they're telling me about what they do/where. I hate spammers.

Blackduff

Here's one of the spam senting from Contiki.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...duff&fid=2

Blackduff

blackduff - your link brings up all your posts rather than the spam post.