Solo-Friendly Travel Companies

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Message Submitted by Karyn on Sat, 07/08/2017 - 22:31
OAT, with whom a number of ITN readers have travelled, recently announced a policy that will apparently severely reduce the number of single rooms available on its tours. A thread was started on its forum requesting suggestions for alternative companies, although some people feel uncomfortable and reluctant to discuss other companies on OAT's forum. As I thought the ITN Message Board would be a good place to have such a discussion, I am writing this message to ask for recommendations of tour companies that are friendly to solo travelers, that is, companies which have no single supplements or have very low single supplements and which do not strictly limit the number of singles on its tours, i.e., which are willing to add extra single rooms or convert doubles to singles after any set singles quota has been met.

Reply Submitted by liebersfeld on Sun, 07/09/2017 - 14:56

I am a solo traveler who enjoys fairly frequent international trips. I started traveling internationally in 1968, two years after graduating from college.

I took my first tour with GCT/OAT in 2010, and have taken a total of 9 tours to date.
OAT: Southeast Asia, Vietnam & Bali, Israel, Central America;
GCT: Argentina & Chile; South Africa; Central Europe; Mexico (Colonial & Pre-Hispanic); Spain's Cultural Cities.
I have enjoyed excellent experiences that were based on interesting itineraries and skilled tour leaders. Their free single supplement was an additional enticement. And, honestly, I never had difficulty booking a single accommodation on the date of my choice. However, the company has stated that they will be strictly enforcing their standing policies concerning a ceiling on the number of singles available on each trip. In the past, the company has been flexible about allowing adjustments to this ceiling. Strict enforcement will effectively limit the number of solo spots available in the future.

In any event, all the time I was traveling with GCT/OAT and before, my varied travel interests have led me to use a large number of different providers. When I first started traveling, I was satisfied with the broad itineraries offered by commonly used companies including Globus, Trafalgar, and Insight.

As my travel experience and maturity increased, I needed to look for more specialized companies. I have never had difficulty booking a single accommodation, and I have not found the single supplements to be burdensome or unfair. Besides GCT/OAT, I have been completely satisfied with the tours that I took from the following providers. I found the tour leaders to be engaging, knowledgeable, helpful, and flexible. I found that the accommodations were usually centrally located, 3-star (sometimes 4-star) establishments similar or identical to those used by OAT/GCT. Other than breakfasts, there were few included lunches or dinners. Lunch was usually "on the road" or in a town where the tour leader made several recommendations and then led those who were interested to a favorite spot. Similarly, although dinners were at your own expense, tour leaders often escorted interested participants to a favorite restaurant. The exceptions are Collette, Insight, and Globus, and GCT/OAT whose tours generally included several special meals. For most of the companies, virtually all the tours mentioned in the itineraries were included as opposed to optional. Gate 1 and GCT/OAT are exceptions because several of their tours were optional.
Collette Tours: China, Peru, Ecuador, Australia/New Zealand;
Globus: Egypt;
Insight: Morocco, Southern Italy/Sicily, Ireland/Scotland, Southern Spain;
Gate 1: Israel/Jordan, Northern India;
Peregrine Adventures: Jordan/Syria, Bolivia, Nepal;
Explore: Ukraine/Moldova, Silk Road, Baltic States, Former Yugoslavia;
East-West Tours: Russia;
Insight Cuba: Cuba;
Discover Brazil: Brazil;
Awaze Tours (Local: Addis Ababa): Ethiopia;
Arara Tours (Local: Yerevan) (Upcoming): Armenia/Georgia.

I have also found that it was convenient and enjoyable for me to organize independent travel to the following regions:
Northern Europe (Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Luxembourg);
Eastern Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City);
Central Mexico (San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato);
Colombia (Cartagena, Bogota);
Nicaragua (Granada, Leon, Managua);
Arabian Peninsula (UAE, Oman);
Malta & San Marino.

I used Kayak, Expedia, Viator, and similar sources to make the arrangements. My independent tours to Columbia and to the Arabian Peninsula were inspired by Gate 1 itineraries. But, while doing researching, I found that I could organize very similar trips independently and at a lower cost. My tour to Malta was similarly inspired by an itinerary offered by Explore.

Reply Submitted by Pinky on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 05:02

Explore, a UK company often mentioned on this forum, has announced a no-single supplement offer on 23 of its trips. Bookings need to be done by the end of July.

I'm glad they have caught on to how powerful an incentive this can be! www.exploreworldwide.com

Reply Submitted by Karyn on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 20:46

Thanks, Pinky, for posting this news.

Of course, no single supplement is best, but I would also like to alert people to the following info:

Even without that deal, Explore's single supplements are usually not very high and when combined with the basic trip costs, the total amounts are generally cheaper than tours such as OAT tours. Although tipping amounts are of course a personal decision, money spent on tips on Explore tours, even including a tip kitty for persons other than the tour leader, tends to be much less than with OAT because the extremely high American tipping standards are generally not used.

Moreover, Explore has a loyalty discount of 5% when you book your fifth to ninth Explore group trip and a 10% discount when you book your 10th and all subsequent group trips (excluding the single supplement); one doesn't have to book the trip months in advance to receive the discount.

Additionally, in my experience, Explore has been able to make more singles available after the original allotment has been filled.

One more way Explore is very traveler-friendly is that it has guaranteed trips. One of my tours had only 4 people and it still went.

Reply Submitted by Pinky on Fri, 07/14/2017 - 04:45

Ponant Cruises, which has five expedition ships has announced no single supplement on several of their cruises. I did their Siberia/Aleutian Islands itinerary last year and will sail with them in Australia and Indonesia this year. They are excellent.

www.ponant.com (then click on "Special Offers")

I usually book thru ExpeditionTrips based in Seattle. Jennifer, one of their agents, knows my travel schedule keeps an eye out for no-single-supplement offers I might be interested in. I've booked both Ponant and Zeagrahm with her. She is a good person to know: [email protected]

Reply Submitted by margie4koi on Fri, 01/26/2018 - 14:28

I've travelled with Adventures Abroad to Syria & Jordan; Morocco; Central Europe; Malta and Southern Italy; and Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro. While there is a single supplement, on all trips there were many "singletons," some of which booked single rooms and others who opted for a matched "share."

Reply Submitted by travelseg on Sun, 02/04/2018 - 11:53

I have traveled with OAT twice and have a trip coming up later this year. I haven’t chosen their trips based on the lack of a single supplement, in fact, I would prefer to be able to book whatever trip I want, rather than being forced to fit in with their schedule of available singles. For the past 10 years, the majority of my trips have been with ElderTreks, I like their itineraries. It seems that their trips have been filled with singles recently. I know back in 2010, when I took their Bhutan trip there were 3 couples and 2 singles. Last year, both trips had 1 couple and 5 or 6 singles. ET does charge a single supplement, but will pair people up if they wish and as far as I understand, do not charge the single supplement if they don’t have someone to put with you. One downside is they sometimes stay in smaller lodgings and will require singles to share for a few nights.

Reply Submitted by Marian on Mon, 02/05/2018 - 08:17

My husband and I have taken 8 trips with Eldertreks and only once (that I can think of) in southern Ethiopia did the singles have to share if they hadn't signed up to do so and that was only for 1 or 2 nights.

Reply Submitted by travelseg on Sun, 02/11/2018 - 12:59

Hi Marian, singles had to share a room on the Stans trip for at least 2 nights, counting the overnight train. Off the top of my head, I also shared a room in Mongolia, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, and Tribes and Temples of India. ElderTreks has changed some itineraries or removed one of those tours, but sharing has happened, which I haven’t encountered in any other companies. So while I obviously enjoy the tours offered by ElderTreks and would recommend them for singles, I wanted to warn about the possibility of sharing, which they normally do mention at the time of booking.

Reply Submitted by Marian on Mon, 02/12/2018 - 12:14

Point well-taken. I had forgotten about the Stans. I was so sick on that trip (particularly the train ride) that I was oblivious to what was going on elsewhere.

Reply Submitted by xela on Wed, 02/21/2018 - 09:55

Thank you, Karyn, for starting this discussion. I have been a loyal customer of OAT and have recommended them to many folks. I was disheartened to hear of their new policy and am now finding it hard to book with them, having to give them a $350 deposit to have an early chance at a trip more than a year away. I'm annoyed, as you can tell. So I'm glad to have the info about Explore, Pinky, thanks.

Reply Submitted by Bkwmn on Sun, 06/17/2018 - 03:07

I travel solo with OAT too, and have 4 trips booked...plus a deposit on a trip for April 2020 ! I’m taking a Road Scholar trip this summer, and found the single supplement tolerable. I’ve enjoyed the comments here and am looking into Explore and possibly Eldertreks.

Reply Submitted by xela on Sun, 10/07/2018 - 13:14

I just made a deposit on an OAT’s Egyot trip in 2020, 2018 and 2019 being booked already, for the privilege of being given early notice when the trip opens for reservations. The deposit is now $500, refundable, but a hefty interest-free loan in the interim.

Reply Submitted by mrpatwik on Mon, 04/08/2019 - 11:26

No single supplement on some(?) Roadscholar trips...............Last year I traveled 20 days in Turkey with Roadscholar. There were 23 of us -8 couples and 7 singles. I remember thinking the single supplement was ridiculously cheap but when I went back to my notes it seems I never kept copies of the actual bills/receipts. So I went to their website and looked up the exact same tour being offered this year. From Legends to History: Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Cultures. The base price for the 17 day tour, without international air, is $4,499 - this year there is no single supplement.

Reply Submitted by [email protected] on Fri, 05/03/2019 - 17:38

Book far ahead if you want a single room! Even when I travel with a friend, I want my own room. That said, I'm finding that others feel the same way, so the number of single rooms (whether you pay a supplement or not) is quite limited. I'm finding I have to book a year in advance with OAT (no SS) and Road Scholar (with SS fee).

Reply Submitted by Pinky33 on Tue, 05/07/2019 - 09:44

I've been in touch with Wilderness Travel about no single supplements on their small-ship cruise collection. Some of the cruises are expedition-style. This is what their agent sent me:
XXXXX
Thank you for your email and interest in our small ship cruise collection. Some cruise companies do offer a reduced or no single supplement on select departures. Below are a few trips that offer reduced single supplement rates:
The Laos Mekong (No Single Supplement on select departures)
Circumnavigation of Iceland
Best of the Great Barrier Reef
Australia’s Kimberley
Melanesia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu
New Zealand: Milford Sound to Wellington
Pristine Tasmania
Olympic Wilderness and San Juan Islands
Costa Rica and Panama: Canal, Culture and Adventure
Hawaiian Seascapes
River Cruises – Many of the River cruises we feature offer reduced or no single supplement specials on select departures.
XXX
Single supplements on cruises can be up to 100%; so I was happy to find a company with no or a low single supplement. Website is: https://www.wildernesstravel.com/experience/cruise-collection

Reply Submitted by Wanda on Sat, 07/06/2019 - 05:04

As a newly minted solo traveler wanting to travel to the Galapagos, but NOT combined with the rain forest or Machu Picchu, I happily stumbled into the "Galapagos Aboard National Geographic Endeavor II." Their 96 passenger ship includes 9 dedicated single cabins. For anyone who books before July 31, 2019, the single supplement is waived, a savings of roughly $2400. Couples have their international air waived. I have never traveled with them, but booked one of their single cabins. Natural Habitat Classic Galapagos also features one solo cabin on a 16 passenger ship, but with supplement.