Hi, everyone. I usually only post in the Caribbean forum since that is my primary travel interest, but I often travel solo and am always interested in sharing experiences with other solo travelers.

Anyway, after having recently read the post here on the Costa Rica "untours" and comments in other threads about what you all like and dislike about solo travel, it seems like at least a considerable number of you would like to see more options available to solo travelers. I'm posting links to a December 2007 NYT article suggesting that the options available to solo travelers are increasing, and also to reader feedback to this article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/tr...gewanted=print

http://community.nytimes.com/article...el/02prac.html

So, I would love to hear any feedback on the article, comments, or the following questions:

1) Do you feel that the travel industry meets your needs as a solo traveler?

2) What, if any, additiontal options would you like to see for solo travelers?

3)What specific things have you seen that you consider positive developments?

I'll kick this off with some of my thoughts.

1) Like many of you, I see the "double occupancy" view of the world and the accompanying "single supplement" fee to be huge negatives for solo travelers, especially for individuals who prefer organized tours, cruises, or all-inclusive resorts. Also, I often feel like solo travelers are treated as second class citizens and wish the travel industry would recognize us as a valuable market segment worth pursuing, rather than an inconvenience to be tolerated reluctantly or ignored.

2)Building on my answer to the first question, I would like to see more hotels offer "single" rooms that are fairly priced. I also would like to see the travel industry exhibit and offer options that better meet what many solo travelers want (from my perspective, that is fair prices and opportunities to interact with other solo travelers, without having to share a room with a complete stranger or being forced to be with a group 24/7 or being on a "singles" trip). For example, I would be more likley to stay at a resort that marketed to solo travelers (year round or for special events throughout the year, with the caveat being that I personally am unwilling to travel at the least desirable times of year or go to dinner at 5 pm) by offering some optional activities for solo travelers (it could be as simple as a happy hour or special activity or excursion).

3) I have seen a few positive developments in my travel and research the last few years. There are two sister resorts (The BodyHoliday at LeSport in St. Lucia and the soon to reopen LaSource in Grenada) that are all-inclusive spa resorts that offer "single" rooms that are very close to the price of half of a double room, and the resort welcomes solo travelers, and at least at LeSport, provides a communal table where individuals traveling alone can dine with other solo travelers. This kind of pricing approach is almost non-existent in the AI resort and cruise ship industry. I know many of you are thinking that this is exactly the type of vacation you would never take, and for the most part, it is not my preferred choice either. Nevertheless, I think that this is a positive thing because cruises and AI resorts open the world of travel to new solo travelers who would not travel (especially internationally) on more independent trips. Inevitably, some of these people will decide to expand their horizons after becoming comfortable with solo travel in a more controlled setting. Increasing the number of solo travelers will in turn, make the travel industry more responsive to this segment.

I am discovering a few non-AI hotels in Anguilla (the place I am researching for my next trip) that offer single occupancy rates that are slightly lower than the double occupancy rates. In some cases, this is in a smaller "single" room, and in other cases, it seems to be for the same room. One of the hotels even had something about a "solo travelers" week on its website (for last year; not sure if they are offering it again) which included a package of activities in addition to occupancy in single room. While this package involved more group activities than I want and many that were not of particular interest to me, I would consider staying there (room only) during a period when this was happening and would be interested in participating in some of the events if I could do so on an "a al carte" basis.

Sorry for the long post.

Hi beachdream - welcome to the Solo board!

I read that article when it came out, and maybe I'm too inclined to see the glass as half-full, but I thought the key sentence was: "Despite the greater range of choices, solo travelers are still largely plagued by single-supplement charges, unless they’re willing to share a room with a total stranger." Even Intrepid, the first company they mention (and whom I've used myself) expects singles to share.

I agree that the big problem is single supplements/high room charges. Unfortunately, I don't see much relief for that because of the economics for the hotel owners. One solution I've found is travel in Asia, where rooms still tend to be cheap enough I don't worry so much about the difference.

Thursdaysd,

Thanks for the welcome and your response.

I agree that the single supplement is pervasive and is economically driven, and certainly would not expect that my rate for a a room-only arrangement in a hotel would be half of the double rate, but I think that there is some room for hotels to offer something better than the same rate for single or double occupancy, if they are so inclined or pressured, to do so. From an economic perspective, a solo traveler will use slightly less resources (water, towels, lounge chairs at the pool, etc) than two travelers, and I would think it would be reasonable to expect a downward adjustment to the double rate similar in scope to an extra person charge for more than two people. Also, setting aside economies of scale, many hotels do offer incentives to attarct certain groups (senior citizens, families (i.e., the latter by not asessing extra person charges for kids).

At an AI resort, from an economic perspective, solo travelers should see a greater reduction in rates, since a significant proportion of the costs are for food, activities, and drinks, which one person will consume significantly less of than two.

I do agree that there is a basic economic argument and infrastruture issue because most hotel rooms are designed to accommodate two or more people. Furthermore, for non-AI properties, the additional revenue generated by two people is likely to be higher than it is for one. Over time, as new hotels are built and/or hotels are renovated, there is more opportunity for designated "single" rooms.

I'd love to visit Asia, but the problem is carving out enough time to make the trip worthwhile. Any recommendations for beach trips there? I've read great things about the Maldives and Thailand.

beachdreams~ Welcome to the solo traveler forum! And thank you for the thoughtful post.

I'm always interested to read about solo strategies for participation in cruises, tours, all-inclusives, and spa type vacations.

But for me, because of the way I always travel which is independently without packages or tours, I don't run into the phenomena of "single supplement". Sure I have to pay for my own hotel room without having someone to split the tab (like when traveling with a friend). But that only seems fair, I wouldn't expect hotels to lower their prices because I am on my own.

I'd sum up my own personal answer to your question 1) by saying I don't interact with the "travel industry" myself, so don't bump into trying to fit in as a solo travel to their expectations (double occupany always -lol!).

I saw that article when it came out, and considered it useless, except to the extent that it's sympathetic to singles as legitimate travelers rather than pathological misfit losers. Its basic message is that a few high-end resorts and packagers make enough profit to be willing to occasionally reduce their excessive markups for single occupancy; and a few "adventure" camping tours for women are willing to accommodate solo women without charging a penalty (because campgrounds don't charge double anyway). But for everyone else it's the same old Hobson's choice of paying double or sharing accommodations with a total stranger. Yawn.

The unfortunate fact is that tour packagers, cruise lines, and their respective suppliers are irrevocably welded to a double-occupancy business model. That is so fundamental to the packaged-travel industry that it's effectively impossible to change. When business is sufficiently slow, a packager might be willing to bend the rules and let a single person occupy a room for less than the full penalty rather than having it go empty. But that's an unusual-- and desperate-- exception (and it seems like cruise lines may often prefer to have a cabin go empty than to let a single person occupy it without paying the full penalty).

It's perhaps a good thing that some packagers are at least beginning to see solo travelers as a valuable market segment and are making an effort to reach us. Unfortunately, it seems the best they're actually able to do is to pair up strangers so they fit the immutable double-occupancy business model. They can get away with that because enough people apparently do take them up on it. Perhaps those people are the sort who really don't mind sharing because they regard it as an ideal opportunity to make a new friend. If that's the case, these companies serve a rather limited market by excluding people who might not be so willing to risk marring an expensive vacation with the difficulties of sharing close quarters with a stranger. I don't know if anyone has studied that issue.

I agree with suze that the best approach for anyone who loves solo travel-- or anyone who doesn't love it but doesn't feel like staying home and waiting for a suitable companion-- is to avoid tours, packages, and cruises entirely and book accommodations on their own. That doesn't directly solve the problem of hotels charging the same for a single as for a couple. But choosing a smaller hotel than the ones that can offer tour packagers discounted blocks of double rooms can save money and perhaps provide a better experience.

I still think it might be worthwhile to write to the the CEOs of tour and cruise operators and let them know exactly what we're looking for (i.e., packages that offer single occupancy accommodations at a reasonable price without bunking up with strangers). If their gatekeepers get enough well-reasoned letters from singles who are interested in spending money on their products but aren't willing to be ignored or treated as second-class citizens, they might have incentive to start using their clout to change a business model that they have considered immutable. Until then, go off and enjoy some great independent trips (and reserve packaged travel for those times when a suitable companion is available).

beachdreams - I'm totally not a beach person, and I don't go to Asia for beaches. I haven't been to the Maldives (seriously expensive) or the Thai beaches, although the photos of both look gorgeous.

But I have been to: Perhentian Besar, off the northeast coast of Malaysia - remote, idyllic, little development, Gili Meno, off Lombok in Indonesia - ditto, even less development, Kuta, Bali - way too much development, Sihanoukville, Cambodia - backpacker place, starting development, Nha Trang and Mui Ne in Vietnam - didn't think either was that special, Goa, India - hippie heaven, party central, package tour base, depending on when and where you go, but I stayed in a local resort and found it beautiful and peaceful.

Suze and JB,

Thanks for your thoughts on this. You both raised some interesting points, and JB, I agree that the article itself did not provide any new ideas that were particularly useful for me, but I thought it might provide options for some people, and that in general, it helps raise awareness.

When I first started planning to travel outside the US alone, I did quite a bit of internet research, and basically came to the conclusion that the offerings out there targeted to solo travelers did not meet my needs, so like you, I now put together my own trips, which works fine for the Caribbean, but would not be something I would be comfortable doing for a trip to Europe or Asia, where I would like to visit several countries and would have more language and cultural barriers.

Thursdaysd,

Thanks for the suggestions about Asia. I haven't given a trip there much thought or done any planning, but I would want to go for long enough to travel to a few different countries and include some beach time along with some cities, touring, etc.

I guess everyone has to find their own comfort level, but for me planning & taking trips solo to western Europe couldn't be easier (places like Amsterdam, Paris, Venice). I've done it 5x on my own with little to no language skills beyond English and a modest budget.

I agree with suze that Western Europe is really easy on your own. Asia isn't too tough, either. I find Eastern Europe/Russia a little more challenging with language, since the second language still tends to be German rather than English.

Helps if you read some of the guides to budget/independent travel. Have you read Steves' "Europe Through the Back Door"? I also recommend Hasbrouck's "Practical Nomad" and Lonely Planet's "Read This First" or Rough Guides' "First Time" series.

Suze and Thursdaysd,

Thanks for your encouragement and suggestions about solo travel to Europe. I'll definitely check back here if I decide to start planning a trip.

Welcome Beachdreams3!

I agree with Suze's comments.

As a traveler (single or not), I'm not interested in resorts, cruises and tours, so I don't run into single supplements.

By making my own plans, I can control how my money is spent rather than being at the mercy of a tour company, etc. I have also found that by going by myself, I routinely spend less on a hotel room than many people I know who are going double - simply because I'm not spending money on ammenities I don't need.