Ideas for Solo Travel
Individual travel has become more and more common over recent years. Solo travelers now make up a full 25 percent of the U.S. travel market and the industry is starting to recognize the buying power of the single demographic. A variety of options exist for the solo traveler, some specifically designed for singles and some not.
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Singles Tours
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Singles tour companies combine solo travel with social networking. The tours are often marketed as a chance to see the world and meet people at the same time. The specifics can vary from finding potential mates to enjoying the company of contemporaries.
Singles travel tours are way for many Americans to travel alone without feeling alone. Specialized agencies offer weekend trips, cruises, adventure tours and leisure trips to destinations around the globe. These companies focus on the nearly on-third of adult American who are single and who are tired of paying a single supplement penalty when traveling.
Specialty Tours
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Solo travelers who do not wish to be solo much longer can check out the latest hot singles destinations. Travel publications and style magazines are always putting out new lists of trendy destinations for all types of travelers. Amsterdam, Holland is a perennial favorite for its combination of scenery and red light activities.
Las Vegas is famous for its motto and its singles scene. Party cities like Miami and Buenos Aires are well traveled by the singles set, and New York often makes the list for its sophistication and the fact that single women greatly outnumber single men in the Big Apple. More hedonistic options are also available like Margarita Island Venezuela, Negril, Jamaica and the Greek Isles.
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Overlanding
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Overland adventures lend themselves to singles travel due to their extended length and often rigorous nature. Overland tours exist on every continent except Antarctica, but are most common in the more rural landscapes of Africa and South America.
Overland trips involve trekking long distances in a large 4-by-4 vehicle designed to serve as transport, kitchen, storage room and sometimes accommodations for passengers. Most sleeping takes place in tents and the entertainment consists of whatever you have seen that day. Overland tours are a good bonding experience and a great way to meet fellow wandering spirits who want to see it all at a slow pace.
Cruising
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For many years cruise ships have catered to couples and families, offering double, triple and quad occupancy rooms and charging single cruisers a surcharge to travel alone. This trend may finally be ending with the launch of Norwegian Cruise Line's mega-ship, Epic, and its industry-first single studio cabins. Each of the 128 studio staterooms has a full size bed and smaller living space than a standard double, but features access to a private two-story studio lounge where solo travelers can meet and talk, have breakfast, high tea or a nightcap. The cost is perhaps the most important feature of the new room category at only a few dollars more than per person double occupancy inside rates.
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References
- Gadling: Solo Women's Travel Surges in Popularity; Laurel Miller; Aug. 16, 2010
- Ask Men.com: Top 10 Destinations for Single Men; Harry Marks
- ShermansTravel: Top 10 Singles Vacation Destinations
- OverlandingAfrica.com: Overlanding and Budget Travel in Africa
- "Orlando Sentinel"; Norwegian Epic's Studio Cabins Seriously Go After Single Crusiers; Ed Perkins; Jan. 26, 2010
Resources
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