Have you ever wanted to book a holiday, gone online, only to find that most holidays cater for families with children or lovey-dovey couples? You don't want the noise and activities that hotels and travel companies offer families and you also don't want to be the only single standing out like a sore thumb in a resort full of newly married, newly engaged or newly come together couples!
Well, things, thank goodness are changing. More companies are catering for single travellers and without all the stigma that used to surround single people doing things on their own!
Jayne Clark, writing for USA TODAY notes that mainstream travel tour operators are increasingly, targeting singles-only itineraries. The move, she writes, is designed to tap into a growing lucrative market – the baby boomers who are entering their retirement years.
According to Clark, a survey of 30,000 revealed that 25 million singles age 42 and older will spend $28 billion on travel this year. “This group,” she writes, “is more likely to take weekend trips and spend proportionately more per person than other travelers.”
Though travel companies are increasingly targeting singles, Clark is reminded by Diane Redfern, who tracks the singles travel market in her newsletter and on the website cstn.org, that some companies are merely engaging in "creative marketing" and aren't truly catering to solo travelers.
"What singles really want, Redfern writes, “is a single-occupancy room at a single-occupancy price. They don't want to pay more than two people sharing a room, " says Redfern, who maintains a list of 250-plus "single-friendly" companies in the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe available in the members-only area of her website.
Have you ever agreed to room with someone on a holiday to cut your costs only to realise, too late, the nightmare you entered into? A friend of mine decided to go on a holiday to the continent and agreed to room with someone in order to cut costs. She ended up with someone 20 years younger than her, who spent most evenings out clubbing, coming in late and talking non-stop before finally passing out. Then in the morning my friend found herself tip toeing around the room as her room mate was still sleeping. To avoid such a situation be sure you ask about single room occupancy and any single supplement fees before you book!
Clark notes that adventure travel tour operators have been particularly proactive in catering to single travelers. She refers to, April Merenda, president of At Gutsy Women Travel, whose company has noted an increase in the number of bookings by single people, “with up to 70% of clients booking as singles.”
So the good news is - being single and wanting to travel is no longer a disadvantage!
Better news still is that in a market where traditionally being a woman and wanting to travel was more difficult than for men, Clark reminds us that women ages 42 and older are twice as likely as men to vacation on their own.
Being single is an advantage. You can go where you want, when you want, at the last minute and do exactly what you want – and increasingly without the single supplement costs and with travel companies that understand the needs and wants of their single travellers!!
We would love to hear from you:
- What have been your best experiences traveling solo?
- Which companies for single travelers would you recommend and why?
We look forward to hearing your views!!
(See full article at: http://usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-03-13-singles-travellers_N.htm).
I'm a travel writer currently researching a piece on the subject of the changing market for solo travelers.
There's lots more to say on the topic. I also write a blog called boldlygosolo that has tips on solo travel and stories of people who have done so. I've been traveling solo for a couple of decades (in between traveling with friends) and have had all sorts of great experiences doing so.
Posted by: Ellen | May 23, 2008 at 08:01 PM