Peter Greenberg ROAD WARRIOR
VALUE TRAVEL
Say No to
Solo Fees
half the food—still pay full
price. Can you avoid solo-traveler discrimination?
Your options are limited, but
here are three smart moves.
If you’ve traveled alone or
as a single person in a group,
you’ve probably fallen victim to the dreaded single-supplement fee. Almost all
ground-tour accommodations and cruise cabins are
built for two. So when travelers go solo, they often get
socked with an additional
fee to make up for lost revenue. If a cabin costs $200 a
night for two people, solo
travelers—even though they
use half the towels and eat
1. Shop for a single
Norwegian Cruise Line’s
newest ship, the Norwegian
Epic, features an industry
first: 128 lower-priced studio rooms for solo cruisers,
plus a private two-story
lounge reserved for studio
guests so they can relax
and mingle. This could be
a cruise-industry game
changer: Shortly before the
Epic’s maiden voyage in
June, the P&O Cruises ship
Azura launched with 18
dedicated single-passenger
cabins priced at 70 percent
of the cost of a double. For
land tours, Gutsy Women
Travel—which obviously
caters to female travelers—
is one company that offers
low single-supplement fees.
waive or reduce fees on sailings if they expect unsold
cabins. Check around: Paul
Gauguin Cruises recently
waived single-supplement
fees on South Pacific cruises.
It never hurts to inquire.
2. Ask for a break
Instead of requiring the
nearly standard 200 percent single-supplement fee,
Princess and Holland
America cruise lines sometimes drop fees to about
150 percent. Booking early
is often helpful. Also, smaller
luxury lines occasionally
MORE INSIDER
TIPS FOR
Going It Alone
SAFETY
Get advice at
Solo Travel
( solotravel.org)
and Solo
Lady.com.
PAIR-UP INFO
Go to Connect-
ing: Solo Travel
Network (cstn
.org) and Travel
Chums.com.
CRUISE DEALS
Find single-
cruiser info
and bargains at
SoloCruise
Resource.com.
3. Get a roomie
“Guaranteed Share Options” are popping up
among lots of land-tour
companies: They’ll attempt
to pair you with a same-sex
partner, and if they can’t,
they’ll waive the fee. Try
Intrepid Travel, Mayflower
Tours, Backroads, and O
Solo Mio Tours.
On some cruises Holland
America books singles at
half price with the caveat
that the company may put
another same-sex single in
your cabin. If they don’t have
a match for you by sail date,
you get the cabin to yourself
at a 50 percent discount. ;
GOT A TRAVEL
QUESTION?
