raderbarbarian

A group of travelers who often take solo journeys were grumbling on another message board about the lack of options for solo travelers, the odiousness of single supplements, the inappropriateness of many tours, etc. So we decided to "do it yourself", and we put together our own "untour" to Costa Rica.

In February and March, ten of us will meet in San Jose and share hotels (but not rooms, single occupancy!) and transportation costs while we travel about the country for two weeks. We've had great fun planning the trip together (I live in Costa Rica, so I've taken the lead on this project, but everyone has contributed their ideas and wishes).

We've booked no activities in advance. Once we arrive, we'll each decide what he or she wants to do, and I'll help arrange it. Sometimes we'll share meals, but all these things are our personal choice, not built into the trip - which is why we call it an "untour" by "A Group of Solo Travelers".

I'm already planning the next Costa Rica "untour", for August, I believe. I am not, by the way, a tourist industry professional of any sort (although we are using a well established travel agency to coordinate the trip). I am a US citizen living "la pura vida" in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

It seems to me that this model would work for any group of solo travelers. Pick a spot, invite people to help you plan the trip, and see what happens. You might be surprised!

P.S. Seven of the ten people on the upcoming "untour" are women traveling solo.

tzarinna

Interesting. Not sure if anyone here would want to do that. I don't have a problem traveling alone, I do agree there aren't a lot of options available to us solo travelers.

I guess if we were a little more established here I wouldn't see a problem meeting up with people on here, but this section is really, really slim and slow moving.

thursdaysd

I met up with a fodors poster and her sister for dinner on my last trip, and have a great time. But I don't know that I'd be so keen on your "untour". If it's single occupancy, I don't see where there is any savings, and I guess I'd need to know something about the other people before deciding to spend time around them. Unlike JBHapgood on another thread, I don't travel solo simply because I don't have a travel companion, I actually enjoy it.

suze

I think it's great that you have found an interested group of people.

But I like traveling solo or with my own friends. Going somewhere to join a group of strangers would not be something I'd want to do myself.

JBHapgood

suze, it's a matter of what you like and dislike. You've consistently said that meeting new people isn't an important to you. But others have said that meeting new people is one of true delights of solo travel. For people in the latter category, this sort of "untouring" could be a very good thing.

While I have no particular desire to visit Costa Rica, I would like to see a large packager offering "untours" with single occupancy. Currently, packagers that recognize singles and solos as a viable market are nonetheless firmly wedded to the standard double occupancy model. So they offer their customers the usual choice of sharing a room with a stranger or paying a large "supplement." That's what now passes for "single-friendly," but it's really nothing more than a choice of penalties.

If one major player in the industry decided to use its market clout to negotiate more favorable rates for single occupancy, that could open the door to changing what has so far been an "immutable law of nature." Tours (or untours, or cruises, or whatever) that are genuinely friendly to singles and solos would probably be very popular and ultimately very lucrative. Even if you're not specifically looking to meet other singles, being in a group of singles and solos has to be much better than being the "odd [wo]man out" on a bus or ship full of couples and families (something I have definitely not enjoyed at all).

So maybe the OP is starting a trend that we can only hope will give some canny executive the idea of finding a way to profit from a market segment that the industry now prefers to ignore.

JBHapgood

thursdaysd, I think of solo travel as a spectrum. At one extreme are people like you who enjoy it and are genuinely enthusiastic about it. At the other extreme are people who are so genuinely spooked by the very idea of it that they would rather stay home and watch the Travel Channel than even go to a movie alone.

In between are a whole range. Some are at least willing to think about "soloing" even though they're too scared to do it. Some would be afraid to take a completely solo trip but would consider a tour or cruise (if they could either afford the punitive supplement or accept the risk of sharing a room with a stranger). This sort would be a good candidate for the subject of this thread.

I think a lot of solo travelers are like me in greatly preferring to go with a suitable companion, but can and do go alone when that's not possible because it's better than staying home. Solo travelers of all types are already a stigmatized and discriminated-against minority. So denigrating those who aren't effusively enthusiastic about it doesn't help anyone.

toedtoes

I don't see cruises or "organized tours" dropping the single supplement anytime soon. They'll lose too much profit. Honestly, I can't say I'd blame them.

I do think this "untouring" idea is great - especially for people who are concerned about traveling alone, scared to be alone, wanting to meet other people, preferring to travel with a companion, not interested in doing the trip planning, etc.

However, like Suze, I am comfortable with my mode of travel and I don't see the personal benefit of traveling with a group of strangers versus traveling on my own.

So, I think there is definitely a place for this type of setup, but it's not the answer for every solo traveler. But then, is there any one thing that is the answer for everyone?

scotlib

I tried to organize a group trip and many said what a wonderful idea, but at the point of stepping up and going, they all stepped down and away, so alone it is for me.

I want to travel because it has become a higher priority for me. For everyone in the above group who said there was no time, or esp. no money, I am finding the time and esp. hoarding the pennies to then spend on my lovely travels.

thursdaysd

'So denigrating those who aren't effusively enthusiastic about it doesn't help anyone. " Denigration not intended, maybe in the eye of the beholder?

suze

Who's "denigrating" who?

toedtoes

JB- I don't think Thursdaysd was knocking you. I think she was just pointing out that some people travel solo out of necessity (but don't really like it) and others travel solo because they really enjoy traveling alone. You fit the former, she fits the latter.

Grassshopper

It sounds like a really interesting arrangement. I know a lot of people who would jump at this opportunity.

raderbarbarian

Actually - and surprisingly - a lot of people ARE jumping at the opportunity. I have a waiting list of more than 30 people interested in the next "untour." I have limited the size of the group to no more than 8 people (plus me - enough to fill a 9-passenger van, which we use for transport between locations). For the upcoming trip, we had to tell a few folks that they had waited too long to reserve and that all the seats in the van and rooms at the hotels (all small, non-chain hotels, by the way) were full. In some of the hotels we booked every room, so it will just be us there.

The best part of this arrangement is that there are OPTIONS - you can choose to eat alone, go sightseeing alone, and hang out by yourself OR you can probably find a companion for lunch or dinner if you want one - and someone who also would like to visit the same site as you. But you are not MARRIED to them, and you have your own room and they have theirs.

We are finding it to be the "best of both worlds" for solo travelers. There is security in numbers but not "familiarity" more than you want. And we are saving quite a bit of money, too!

With the current group, we chose to exchange email addresses, and several folks have developed nice relationships as we have planned our trip together. Even the sharing of email addresses has been optional, however.

I'll give a report after our trip, which will begin on Feb. 27 and end on March 12, and we'll see how it goes. And if this idea has "legs."

thursdaysd

raderbarbarian - I'm glad this is working for you, and I'll be interested to read the trip report, but I'm wondering how this saves money if you all have single rooms?

suze

I too am curious about financial savings. I can see how that would work when 9 people split the cost of a van, for example. But don't see how it benefits for single hotel rooms, airfare, food, etc.

raderbarbarian

For the upcoming 15 days-14 night "untour" (hotels, single occupancy; all in-country transportation via private air-conditioned minivans; all breakfasts and three dinners), the total cost is $1,226.59 per person. I cannot find ANY travel deals anywhere near this cost for a trip to Costa Rica for 15 days, much less single occupancy. If there are some, let's hear about them!

raderbarbarian

Ah, and where are we staying and how are the hotels?

Mawamba Lodge at Tortuguero (2 nights, all inclusive); Arenal (Hotel Arenal Jireh, 3 nights), Mirador Valle del General near Mount Chirripo in southern Costa Rica (2 nights), Villas Rio Mar at Dominical (3 nights), and 4 nights at Hotel Rincon de San Jose in the capital city. (I happen to like San Jose, and besides using the city as our base, we are actually going to "discover" some of its delights, and there are many despite what some folks think).

thursdaysd

That doesn't really answer the question. Clearly, splitting transport costs can be a saving (can be - public transport may be cheaper, depending on where you are). So can sharing a guide. But are you negotiating special deals with the hotels to get accommodation costs down? With restaurants?

raderbarbarian

If you cannot find the answer to the "question" in what I have posted, then you simply are too cynical to try. Every place I mentioned has a website. Go to them and check the rates. Go to some transportation providers and check their rates. Then add those costs up. See for yourself if there are savings. Are you waiting for someone else to do that for you? I am not a travel agent. I care not whether you accept this or not. If you cannot see the savings, you have not done ANY research about travel in Costa Rica.

toedtoes

How about just simply stating whether you are getting group rates on hotels or not?

Giving us a total price doesn't tell us where you're cutting costs - it's simply telling us you ARE cutting costs somewhere.