Can solo travel be affordable?

You hardly can pick up a travel magazine or Sunday travel section in the remaining newspapers, and NOT see Solo Travel mentioned.     Traveling alone still brands you as doing something odd or different.

So now that solo travel has become the new target market, when will travel service providers take us seriously?   Just as I planned to blast all the travel providers for pricing my trips at 50% to 100% more than other travelers,  I receive emails all week advertising no solo supplement on cruises for 2012!   Wow.


An article in The Australian newspaper in NSW, Australia listed several ships that are offering attractive rates for solo travelers and even which companies will create more solo cabins for future guests.  Travel.     Recently Cunard offered several of their transatlantic crossings an European cruises without any solo supplement.     Even without a supplement many of the upscale ships may not fit in your budget.  Or like me, you prefer a number of trips each year, not just one grand adventure.    Other solo sales.bit.ly/Qhk3oY   www.advtvl.com/OfferDetail.asp?sid=18887&PriceId...

I just finished the last issue of Budget Travel magazine. Their special deals section lists great prices for trips all over the world.    However, even in the summer 2012 issues there were many of the special trips with solo supplements.

How do you handle the solo supplement when you travel?


UPDATE:   I just saw this on line, NO SOLO SUPPLEMENT!
 

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Value-Packed Savings

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Single Supplement Waived Savings

Solo travelers can cruise at no additional charge as Uniworld waives single supplements

on select 2013 departures.

Book and deposit at time of reservation to take advantage of these savings.

 Click here to view applicable dates.

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Itineraries           Available Departures

Springtime Tulips & the Rhine (2013)       Mar 27

European Serenade (2013)          Mar 29

Portugal, Spain & the Douro River Valley (2013) Aug 15

Tulips & Windmills (2013)              Mar 23, 25

Enchanting Danube (2013)           Mar 24, 31

European Jewels (2013)                Jul 14

Paris & Normandy (2013)              Mar 15, 22

Burgundy & Provence (2013)      Mar 24, 31

Grand France (2013)       Mar 15

Venice & the Po River (2013)      Apr 7, 14, Jul 21

 

 

Solo and Safe not Sorry

For solo travelers one ever present concern can be safety.

Short or long trips, local or long distance, when you travel solo there is no one to notice if you do not return on time from a day of exploring or an evening meal.   Many travelers buy trip insurance to cover the unexpected, but how do you answer the questions SafeCheckin.com posses?

       If you go out alone and something bad happens, will someone notice you're missing?

          Realizing you are missing, will anyone know where to start looking?

 



Solo travels may need to be more careful that those in two's or larger groups.   SafeCheckin makes some interesting points:

"You do not need to be in the wilderness or out alone to go "missing"! It can happen on a date, a road trip, out for a run, taking a bike ride, or any activity. It happens EVERYDAY to individuals who least expect it."

Children, students, elderly, if you are traveling solo, on a date with a new 'friend' you may benefit from having someone watching our back.    This is fee memebership.  

When you leave for a trip or an outing, members will tell SafeCheckIn when ther are expected to return

The member will email or text SafeCheckIn when they return.
What i like BEST is what the company does if you do NOT check back in: 

• If the member becomes overdue, SafeCheckIn will attempt first to call the individual by cell phone. If we cannot reach the member, SafeCheckIn will begin to notify and inform the member's primary contacts of the member's overdue status

If you are hiking or walking, have car trouble in a remote area and no cell service, off on a solo adventrue, having someone checking if you do NOT return can give you additional peace of mind.
http://www.safecheckin.com

 

I am waiting for SafeCheckIn to expand to countries

 outside the USA......  

Solo Fares on Cunard: Single Occupancy Rates! It is about time.....

Cunard is Breaking Waves with  Single Occupancy Rates!

For all my fellow solo travelers who have the time and funds to travel by ship, or what other travelers call cruises, the BEST NEWS was sent to me today. 

As a former Cunard passenger, I just received notice that there are SINGLE OCCUPANCY RATES on several of their trans Atlantic and New England cruises.

Here is the email......   Just be sure to leave one cabin for me!

There are other sailing dates and destinations offered.

Now what must be done to encourage other cruise lines to offer NO SOLO SUPPLEMENTS?

 

It is Time!