My husband and son hate to travel. Any ideas on how to find female travel companions? I am retired and can pretty much go whenever I please, altho school vacations are preferable.

Go on the web and look up single traveling as your search. I think many organizations will come up. I can only think of one off the top of my head called Grand Circle. They cater to a more mature group. There are couples and mature single travelers as well. They also get discounts and travel all over.

http://www.women-traveling.com/

I have been traveling alone for years Margie. Not difficult alone outside of the U.S. If this seems daunting to you than by all means seek out a tour group.

Travel partners are a sticky business. I have met up with people for a 2-3 days here and there but I can't imagine touring with a complete stranger for the length of any one trip. Too hard to travel with people you know. Everyone having there own ideas on fun, idiosyncrasies blah blah. In a group though you could politely loose someone that is getting on your nerves.

Sarah is correct...I've been traveling
solo for years, mostly in the US and
what she is describing is factual.

Try a trip solo...it's very liberating
and wonderful to follow your own schedule.

The solo idea is fine if you are comfortable doing this. I would go with a group, pay the single supplement, and have my own room. Nothing worse then being stuck with a person you have nothing in common with in close quarters. At least in a group, you are with others, but also by yourself. You could do Europe, and many places like that. You don't need husband or son to go with you. If traveling within U.S. there are also bus tours, (Starrs etc.) Good luck.

www.journeywomen.com

Read "A Foxy Old Woman's Guide to Traveling Alone: Around Town and Around the World" by Jay Ben-Lesser. Bought this for some (female) friends of mine and I (a male) read it too, picking up some good tips. As of today, I see it on sale at amazon.

It's a great book and true to it's title, moves the reader, in small steps, to trying things alone, such as dining solo in a local restaurant, to learning how to be more assertive, to all kinds of tips like safety, packing, and warding off unwanted romantic attentions.

I agree with xxx (9:55 a.m.) -- and that's the way I do it. Others invite you to join in with them for dinner, etc. When you room with someone, others automatically assume you are their friend. When you complain, they think you are a whiner. Yes, you miss sharing the aahs and oohs with someone, but it's 100% better than dealing 24/7 with a stranger. Try a tour group - it's easy and very comfortable.

I agree with all of the above. I would just like to say, for goodness sakes if you have a passion for traveling please just do it. Solo. Don't not do it cause your husband and son hate to travel. There is so much to see and experience. My Mother wanted to travel Dad did not. He passed away suddenly, and my Mom traveled alone and had a wonderful time. She really did. Cruises, Hawaii etc. She was amazed how many people she met cause she was alone. I give her a lot of credit for doing so. She traveled in groups at times, tours, but traveled alone.

I really like traveling alone, but I do get lonely at times. When on my own, I tend to stay in B&B type places, for more contact with other people.

If you hook up with a traveling companion, make sure you have some time on your own during the trip. It's also useful to get clear on who makes what decisions, and when. I have one female friend I love traveling with. We give each other plenty of space. My husband feels better knowing that there's someone with me in case of emergency.

I'd feel better going on a trip with an acquaintance, even if I didn't know her well, rather than someone I got paired up with without meeting her.

Look at www.travelchums.com. It is a free travel companion matching service. You enter a profile and when someone matches your profile you get an e-mail. Those looking at your profile do not have access to your e-mail address. They can contact you through the site.

I know this post is old but I am hoping for some new info on the subject. I too have this problem! A great website I recently found was www.women-traveling.com They are jsut like what you indicated. They ofer probably 50 trips a year, everything from long weekends to transatlantic cruises, to multicountry treks thru Europe. These trips limit the number of people to under 25 (all women) stay in great hotels and you get some free time an dsome group time. It caters to people like us (either single, married hubby doesn't like to travel, and some of the trips are for "mature women" who are widowed). I haven't booked with them yet but am looking seriously at doing a trip with then in the near future. The website looks great! anybody done a trip with them?

To add...

If you go to your search engine and type in women, solo or group travel a long list of very exciting organizations will pop up.

The ones I looked at "sound" great!

Happy Travels
Oaktown

Check with your local tour company or local banks for group tours. One of the banks in our city organizes tours and you might run into someone in your own city with the same traveling interests.

HI,

I have heard of a web tour agency that organizes great trips for women in the best spots in Italy. Married, single, widow etc... Just have a look at www.wttn.org
They offer culinary courses in Tuscany or shopping in Milan and things like that. Let us know