Now that I have retired (early, I am in my 50s) I plan to devote a significant amount of time to travel. There are a number of air/hotel/escorted tour packages to countries that I am very interested in visiting. THOUGH MY WIFE HAS NO INTEREST IN VISITING.

I have never traveled overseas by myself. I thought it might be easier to travel solo as part of an offical package tour where a large group of people were together on the bus, eating together, and touring the sites together. Maybe I would not be lonley because I would be part of the group.

Though, on the other hand, if everyone on escorted package tour was traveling with their friends/spouse/family and I was the only one in the group alone- I may feel even more isolated. Any feedback from solo travelers who have been on escorted tours? I am especially interested an escorted tour of China, Turkey and Egypt (three places my wife has no interest in seeing)

Sometimes tour companies will pair you up with another single as a roommate. Otherwise you have to pay a "single supplement" extra fee to have a room alone (since prices are based on double occupancy).

Elderhostel is an organization with excellent tours to the places you mention and attracts single people of your age group.

Suze, Soom tours offer a no single supplement if you are prepared to go off season.

You may or may not find other single people on your tour but you will make friends with others although it is up to you to make a movement. Don't hang around waiting to be asked. There will be other people only too glad to share another person interests rather than their friends/spouse etc.from time to time

What about a cruise up the Nile in Egypt.

you won't be alone in a boat

Cambe, that's great to know, thank for the tip.

I also know there are tour groups that specifically cater to single people (but I don't know any names, so didn't include that info in my post above).

I've travelled with Grand Circle Tours on 2 tours around Christmas solo--one was to Mexico/copper canyon and the other one was to Thailand. Both trips had around 6-8 solo travellers. Everyone mixed pretty well.

This tour company is mostly 50+ and they have tours to China, Turkey, and Egypt. The website is www.gct.com
I had a great time on both my tours and am going to Russia (both land/river trip) with them in June.

Faith

I am happily married for 36 years....and my hubby HATES to travel while I am addicted to it. Soo I always take tours and have found them to be perfect.

I always pay the supplement and then enjoy having my own room and space. This is the best of both worlds to me as I have the group all day and then silence and peace in the evening!!

I find that couples are always very welcoming, and Im always very sure I pay my way and share on any cab rides or extra dinners etc. I've made several couple friends and then joined them on other tours!

There are many places where a tour is not necessary, but to see a country in detail over 3 to 4 weeks, I just prefer the ease of a tour.

Try one and then you can see how you like them. Enjoy!

thirdworldtravel,

Like Leanna, I often travel without my husband and have made friends with many wonderful couples.

I think going with a group for your first overseas trip is a great plan. Since everyone on the trip has a common interest, you'll be able to socialize easily. Seeing new and amazing places and sights together seems to have a bonding effect on people. You may even meet other travel partners for future adventures.

Go for it!

I almost always travel solo but wanted to do something different. I just got back from India last month on my first "tour". It was through imaginative-traveller.com. I can't recommend this company enough. Small groups, less than 15 people. I never felt like I was on a tour, just with a bunch of new friends. There were three couples and 7 people traveling solo (one who was married, but wife wasn't interested in going). Check out their website. They have trips all over the world. I'm sure you would love this company.

Dori, That looks interesting (particularly for those destinations I don't want to do by myself!)

Can you tell me what the age range was on your tour? How active/strenuous was it?

Glad to see your post since I am thinking of traveling solo for the first time myself. I have always gone on a single supplement but with other friends. Grand Circle has a trip to Turkey with no additional single charge, after Nov. 10th. Although the weather can be cool and wet then.

I have traveled with Overseas Adventure travel [OAT], which is affiliated with Grand Circle. They have single supplements on most trips. OAT is limited to 16 people. GCT take 40 or more I believe. I have always met other singles and couples who were more than friendly. I have traveled to Greece, China,Europe, Costas Rica, Russia and other places on a single supplement and there have always been a few singles. You will always find some who keep to themselves, singles and couples.

A few other agencies I have traveled with were Go Ahead, Trafalger, Brendan and Cross Culture. Trafalger tends to book their busses solid.
Enjoy

The age group on my trip was from 28 through 50ish. However, my guide says he's had them as old as late 70's (and they had more energy than the younger ones!). It was not physically difficult at all. If you are in reasonable shape your fine. One of the aspects that made this trip and company so special is the group size. The smaller groups are much more personal and fun. I did go on a tour group with my mother (her idea) and sister once (I believe 40 plus people) and it wasn't any where near as fun or intimate. In fact, there was much less socialization amongst the group, people tended to stay with their own. I think whether your solo, married, young or older, if you are going to do a "tour", Imaginative-Traveller, is the only way to go.

I have been to all three of the places you are considering, all as a solo traveler on escorted tours. I went to Egypt with Globus, Turkey with Cosmos, and China with China Focus. Most people on tours are coupled off, but there are always singles, and often one or two parent-adult child or brother-sister "couples."

I don't feel at all out of place or uncomfortable traveling solo. I often break away from the tour and do things on my own, so socializing with tour group members isn't a big concern for me. However, like Leeann, I have found most couples to be welcoming, and there are always other singles to talk to if you wish.

If you do decide to go to China, I highly recommend China Focus. The group I was in only had 15 people, although I understand some groups are larger. Of the 15, 8 of us were traveling solo, 4 of whom had spouses at home with no interest in going to China. For more info, see www.chinafocustravel.com.

My Egypt trip included a 3-day trip down the Nile, which you may enjoy. I loved Turkey, but I went during the Christmas holidays and the weather in some parts of western Turkey was in the 30s, which I wasn't prepared for (my own ignorance). I recommend going in the spring or fall when the weather is nicer.

I hope you have a wonderful time on your upcoming travels.

Walkabout, I actually looked at the Cosmos tour to Turkey a few years back.

I took a Cosmos tour to England & Ireland in 2002 and really liked the international mix of tour mates.

Mostly I've done tours over the Christmas/New Years holidays. I have always been pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few other solo travelers.

Faith

I have traveled with Intrepid Tours. They do not charge extra for singles. Their tours are always under 12 people. This is a tour company for 'travelers' rather than 'tourists'.

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/impulse.php

I would like to take the Trafalgar Cost Saver tour "Cossack Explorer" in summer or fall of 2006. Are there any other female solo travellers planning this trip?

Dear Third World Travel, I began to travel by myself when I turned 30. The days of traveling in packs during my 20s or with my boyfriend had just ended. Most of my friends were interested in traveling to more exotic locales other than our usual beach/nite club haunts but no one actually ponied up so I left on my own on a guided tour to Portugal/Morocco (everyone said that they wanted to go to Morocco!). I was 30 and everyone else (6 others)on the Portugal tour was 80 and retired early each night (8:30 pm). The tour guide was in his 30s and he let me sit in the front seat of the minivan from where I took some awesome pictures. He kindly took me shopping during alone/down time (built in to the tour to give people a leisurely break from intensive touring) where he had to describe in Portugese "camisole" and "allergies to cats" to some confused salesgirls.

Morocco was a big bus tour with lots of husband/wife teams but several teams took me in as the daughter they never had who wanted to go to Morocco. I made one long lasting friendship and was never alone. Most people have spent significant alone time with their partner/family/friend so they will seek you out just to speak with someone other than those they are travelling with. They tend to be curious about your situation (why you are travelling alone) and believe you me I do not look approachable (they call me the ice princess at home) nor am I the friendly type (at least not initially) but by the second day I had people telling me what to eat/what not to eat and clamoring for me to sit at their table. I paid the single supplement and to me it was worth it. One hotel room in Morocco had a sitting room which easily seated 40 people and included a king size bed.

I enjoyed my venture so much that I sent my mom solo on a senior guided tour to Santa Fe. My next solo venture will be Tibet which is another trip that everyone wants to go on but so far no one has firmed up time off days.

swapcat - great post! your story is exactly the experience that many solo travels hope to have. good for you for not waiting for others. life is too short!