Avoiding the costly single supplement

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 03/02/03

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When it comes to travel, it's a double-occupancy world. The one in four US travelers who go it alone almost always are socked with extra fees for their hotel room, cruise ship cabin, or packaged tour — fees that often increase their cost by a third or more. From the travel providers' view, the extra charge is necessary to partly make up for loss of two-in-a-room income. But for the solo traveler, the extra fee is an expensive irritant.

So what's a single traveler to do? Sharon B. Wingler, author of the booklet "108 Resources for Solo Travelers," says to look for solo-traveler-friendly tours, cruises, and volunteer organizations that charge a low single supplement or none at all, or will match you with a roommate to avoid the supplement. A few, she says, even offer a guaranteed share rate when you book early enough; if a roommate is not available, you will not be charged the supplement.

Contact information for such groups is listed in her 24-page booklet, which costs $5.95 and is available by mail order (Aller Press, 7210-D Adams St., Willowbrook, IL 60527). But for free, you can visit Wingler's website (www.travelaloneandloveit.com) for tips, advice, and answers to questions. Here's a safety tip on going overseas: "Solo travelers have the advantage of being able to blend in more easily than those in a group, or [those] speaking English on the street with their companion. Look like you belong: Be aware of who's around you, don't gawk at the sights, and carry a local newspaper even if you can't read a word of it."

Wingler says: "You actually meet more people when you are traveling alone. And by interacting with the people who live there, you end up learning more about the place you are visiting."

Eleanor Berman, author of "Traveling Solo: Advice and Ideas for 250 Great Vacations" ($16.95, Globe Pequot Press), notes another advantage: "You notice more things. I could wander into neighborhoods in a way that I wouldn't be able to do if I was with other people." Her book offers advice for all ages and budgets.

But don't stop there: Simply entering the words "solo travel" or "single travel" in an Internet search engine will turn up hundreds of organizations and possibilities, from Connecting: Solo Travel Network (www.cstn.org) to Going Solo (www.goingsolotravel.com). When looking at listed trips, however, it's worth checking elsewhere for similar trips that do charge a supplement, just to be sure you're getting the best deal.

. . . Intrav has eliminated the single supplement on all this year's European river cruises. Prices (which include air fare, excursions, meals, and more) range from $2,595 for the "Cruising the Douro" departure in Portugal aboard the 80-passenger Douro Princess to $4,995 for "From Amsterdam to Alsace" or "La Belle France" in the Rhone River Valley aboard the 46-passenger Provence. Without the supplement, a single traveler will save $2,600 on the $4,995 trips.

. . . Single parents, meanwhile, often have the company of their children when they travel but usually have to pay the solo supplement, too. Beaches Resorts, which operates all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, is both waiving its single supplement at various times through the year and providing special attractions for single-parent families. The time periods are May 1-31, Aug. 24-31, Sept. 1-30, and Oct. 1-31. Single parents are still eligible for current promotions during those times. Prices begin at $230 a night but the discounts can cut that by as much as a third.

Call 800-232-2437 or visit www.beaches.com.

Sweet package

The Sugar Hill Inn in Sugar Hill, N.H., has Maple Sugaring Weekend vacation packages March 21-22 and March 28-29 that include a lot of maple.

Participants will learn about maple sugar production in a two-hour Saturday program at the 1,400-acre Rock's Estate in nearby Bethlehem, N.H., being told such things as why sap moves and how it is collected. That will be followed by a horse-drawn wagon ride and a visit to an operating sugarhouse. The program will conclude with maple syrup and doughnuts. Inn guests will then have a five-course dinner, with maple syrup in each course.

The packages start at $370 for two sharing a room and go to $675 for a luxe room with gas fireplace and two-person Jacuzzi. Included are two nights' lodging, a casual dinner Friday evening, the maple program, the special dinner, a full country breakfast each morning, and all taxes and tips.

Call 800-548-4748. For information on the inn, visit www.sugarhillinn.com.

Sign of the times

A new SuperClubs cancellation policy allows travelers to postpone a vacation up to 12 months without penalty. The program is automatically in effect in the event of war in Iraq or a terrorist attack in North America and applies to any of SuperClubs' 12 resorts in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Curacao, Dominican Republic, and Brazil.

Dutch country

For the 55-page "2003 Free Map & Vacation Guide to Lancaster County, The Heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country," visit www.padutchcountry.com or call 800-723-8824.

Longer and shorter

Here's the good news: Northwest WorldVacations' $278 Paris air-and-hotel offer has been extended. Packages must be booked by the end of March and are good for travel through May 27.

And here's the bad news: Because of incorrect information supplied, the offer includes two nights' hotel accommodations, not three, as mentioned in this column Feb. 23.

Call 800-800-1504 or see a travel agent. More information is available at www.nwaworldvacattions.com.