Alexander Zaitchik
Expert picks for the solo tourist
The same old images still adorn the walls and windows of your local travel office: Smiling nuclear families discovering Disney World and well-tanned, hand-clasped couples honeymooning on the white sand shores of a Caribbean paradise.
While families still go to Disney World and couples still honeymoon in the Bahamas, these images are increasingly anachronistic representations of the typical American traveler. Millions of people today travel with neither families nor mates, but alone—as unattached singles.
In the last decade, the number of single travelers has exploded to reach more than a quarter of the entire industry—a percentage that continues to rise along with divorce rates and the average marrying age. According to Connected: Solo Traveler’s Network, a leading online singles travel community, one-third of the adult population is single and travels that way. “We're divorced, widowed, married to spouses who don't care to travel, or we're just plain single,” say Cstn.com’s editors. “The one thing we have in common is that we are all looking for comfortable and economical ways of traveling alone… without paying expensive single supplement fees.”...
Expert picks for the solo tourist
The same old images still adorn the walls and windows of your local travel office: Smiling nuclear families discovering Disney World and well-tanned, hand-clasped couples honeymooning on the white sand shores of a Caribbean paradise.
While families still go to Disney World and couples still honeymoon in the Bahamas, these images are increasingly anachronistic representations of the typical American traveler. Millions of people today travel with neither families nor mates, but alone—as unattached singles.
In the last decade, the number of single travelers has exploded to reach more than a quarter of the entire industry—a percentage that continues to rise along with divorce rates and the average marrying age. According to Connected: Solo Traveler’s Network, a leading online singles travel community, one-third of the adult population is single and travels that way. “We're divorced, widowed, married to spouses who don't care to travel, or we're just plain single,” say Cstn.com’s editors. “The one thing we have in common is that we are all looking for comfortable and economical ways of traveling alone… without paying expensive single supplement fees.”...
Alexander Zaitchik Expert picks for the solo tourist The same old images still adorn the walls and windows of your local travel office: Smiling nuclear... more
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Created 07/28/08
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1
Singles Travel International
Former stewardess Tammy Weiler founded Singles Travel International in 1995 at the beginning of the singles travel boom. She has since grown the company into one of the nation's leading tour operators catering to the singles market. Along with traditional party cruises, the company also offers educational cruises, such as the "Real Estate Investor's Cruise" aboard Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. Part-party cruise and part-infomercial, the STS web site promises water sports and "national speakers shar[ing] their wealth of knowledge on real estate."
2
Adventures for Singles
In 1990, former flight attendant Suzie Davies started Adventures for Singles as a way to share her love of travel with other adventure-minded singles. Thirteen years later she met the man she would marry on one of her own safari tours of South Africa. The company primarily focuses on international travel and consistently leads journeys into Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. With many repeat customers among the company's database of 7,000 customers, many trips sell out within one week of announcement. Quirky trips include "Halloween in Transylvania" and a "Grape Stomp" tour of Tuscany.
3
Steve Fox Singles Travel
A veteran organizer of upscale singles parties in New York and Florida, Steve Fox has recently entered the singles travel market by offering adventure and sports trips and cruises under the Steve Fox Social Cub Brand. The 2008 calendar includes cruises to Brazil and sports vacations in Death Valley.
4
Connecting: Solo Travel Network
This Vancouver-based non-profit organization has been offering a forum for exchange on all aspects of solo and singles travel since 1990. Founded and operated by veteran solo traveler and writer Diane Redfern, CSTN lets members communicate through a bi-monthly newsletter and a web site. These and other member resources, writes Redfern on the CSTN site, "provide a wide range of contacts for travel companies and organizations that have been deemed 'single-friendly' because their pricing and general policies are attractive to people who travel on their own."
5
The World Outdoors
The World Outdoors is an adventure travel company with custom tours designed for single and solo travelers who want to get off—way off—the beaten track. Some of the company's singles travel 2008 offerings include a rugged six-day tour through the Alaskan wilderness involving hiking, biking, sea kayaking, rafting and ice climbing.
6
Mango Tree
"Anyone else heading to Ecuador this summer?" For single travelers looking to avoid both package tours and single-person surcharges, this British company allows solo travelers to post their photos and profiles and search for others interested in joining and shaping their journey. Set up like a dating site, users pay a $40 fee for six-month access, during which time they can send and receive an unlimited number of emails in an effort to meet their ideal travel partner.
7
All Singles Travel
The singles division of Travel Services Worldwide, All Singles Travel has distinguished itself by organizing groups of singles according to not just age but also religion. Along with its seniors-only Bermuda tour, the company offers Jewish and Christian singles trips. This May, All Singles Travel is offering an Israel tour in celebration of the nation's 60th anniversary. The itinerary includes visits to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the fortress of Masada and "the incomparable opportunity to relax with a float in the Dead Sea."
8
Singles Travel Service
STS arranges tours of groups ranging from 10 to 300 singles, several of which are age-specific. Tours include ski trips, sporting visits to the Caribbean, traditional cruises and cultural visits to historic sites in Central America and East Asia. Like many singles tour operators, the company has entered into partnerships with dating sites. Still, CEO Mark Braunstein plays down the hook-up scene. "Only a small percentage of guests expect to find a love interest on a singles vacation," he says. "The focus is much more on not going alone."
9
Singles Cruise
The oldest singles cruise operator in the U.S., Singles Cruise has been ferrying around stag travelers since 1991. Focusing on the Caribbean, the company offers trips that last from four to eight nights. Reviews of its trips, and those of other large singles cruise operators, can be found at cruisemates.com, an online magazine that's become the go-to guide for cruise reviews and last-minute deals.
10
Back Roads
Back Roads is an active travel company that offers "Singles and Solos" package tours for fit and active singles. Most trips have heavy biking or hiking components, usually set against romantic and hilly backdrops. Popular trips include biking Tuscany and hiking Norway above the Arctic Circle. Depending on the tour, accommodation ranges from roughing it in a tent under the stars, to staying in premiere rural inns such as those that dot Napa Valley.
[source: https://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/single-travel-story.html ]
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