For some people, the idea of travelling solo is wonderfully appealing, freeing them up to go where they want and when. For others, the mere thought is anxiety-inducing – and that’s just the expense. Solo travellers are typically hit with the dreaded single supplement, which can push favoured destinations clean out of reach.
But growing demand from solo travellers, often encouraged by intrepid souls on social media, is increasingly being reflected in supply from companies outside of the usual adventurer-friendly tours from G Adventures and Trailfinders, for example.
“What we saw was an increase in solo people travelling on our regular tours,” says Claire Doherty of Travel Department, a guided holiday specialist.
“Initially we couldn’t meet the demand simply because, when we were booking a group into a hotel, the hotels only had a certain number of rooms. But such was the demand that, a couple of years ago, we introduced entirely new, solo-specific tours.”
Today the company has more than 230 solo itineraries on offer, with certain dates set aside for solo travellers only.
Because of the volume of business the company puts through its partner hotels, these now offer good value for those holidaying alone.
These are also a great option for people who want to travel solo but in the company of like-minded people. They can also be of particular interest to widows and widowers getting used to travelling alone.
Solos are not, Doherty is quick to point out, the same as singles. “It’s not always single people who go. It could be that someone’s partner doesn’t share the same interests when it comes to travel. Often it is women who want to go away with a couple of their girlfriends and are old enough that they don’t want to share a room,” she explains.
Among the options available from Travel Department is a seven-night holiday in Croatia, staying half board in the three-star Hotel Valamar Club Dubrovnik, departing April or October, which includes flights and transfers.
For €1,469 you get a room of your own, tours of Dubrovnik’s famous Old Town and a full day’s boat trip to the Elaphiti Islands, with plenty of time to relax or explore independently too.
