New Horizons Travel

Traveling Solo

In a slow economy, you can avoid a single supplement-and still get your own double room.

Many people who go on tours or cruises alone: They don't like to room with strangers, but they also hate paying a single supplement-the fee many travel companies levy on singles who want their own two-person room. Because of high fuel prices and the struggling economy, however, some tour operators and cruise lines may have trouble filling their slots in the coming year-meaning single travelers could have luck getting around the dreaded supplement. But you need to know how to find the deals--single supplements are like rack rates--you can usually do better. Here are tips on how to find a sweeter deal:

Be the first one in line...
Tour companies sometimes scrap the single supplement for the first few people who book trips the operators believe may not sell out. For example, Singles Travel International will waive the supplement for the first six people who sign up for a Solo Super Savers trip to Europe in early 2009. To find this kind of early-bird special, ask your travel agent. Your best bet is to start looking at least six months before a trip's departure date, as most tours begin to fill up after that.

...Or wait till the last minute
Operators also occasionally reduce the single supplement as the deadline to book a tour approaches and they get desperate to sell any remaining spots. If you can wait until the last week before the sign-up deadline, chances are you'll get a deal. But it's a risk-reward kind of thing. You could miss out on the trip altogether. Some companies also offer what's known as a "guaranteed share": If they can't find a roommate for you before a certain date, you'll get your own double room at no extra cost. This works only if there's an odd number of men or women on a tour, so check in with the your travel agent regularly before the deadline to see how many people have registered.

Last-minute deals are possible on cruises, too. Some companies try to off-load unbooked cabins in the weeks before a departure by offering "happy hour" specials in which they reduce the supplement. The sales are typically held the same day they're announced on the companies' websites. Most travel agents receive advance warning of the sales.

Small-scale tour operators generally have more flexibility than larger companies when it comes to giving single travelers a break on fees. With a large company, the reservationist can't really diverge from official policy. Assure the operator that you will not share information about your discount with other travelers on the tour.

Travel when others don't
Discounts for singles abound in the less busy off-season-summer in Mexico and the Caribbean, winter in Alaska-when tours and resorts have difficulty filling all their spaces. The off-season is also a good time to save on the supplement on cruise ships, although the companies often do not advertise the deals. Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, charge less for the supplement on what they call "repositioning cruises," when companies move their ships from their summer cruising waters to their winter waters (from the North Atlantic to the Caribbean in the fall), or vice versa. These kinds of specials are out there with the mainstream brands, but they're not so easy to find, so have your travel agent look on your behalf.

Try a European operator
Tour companies based in Europe are also less likely to charge a supplement, mainly because the fee is not an accepted part of the culture there. Europeans are not as couple-oriented when it comes to travel plus, they're more cost-conscious and simply would not agree to pay the supplement, so tour operators have less choice. The market drives the cost. In addition, European companies often offer accommodations in family-run pensions and older hotels, which have rooms of varying sizes-including single rooms.

So, next time you're planning a solo trip, be sure to have your travel agent check into getting you a "twofer" for one!