If you’re an adventurous sort dreaming of an epic trip but have no travel partner, don’t let that stop you. Solo travel — with the freedom to do whatever, whenever you please — has been so gaining popularity in recent years that there are myriad companies offering options that will amplify the adventure while cancelling out the potential downsides, such as safety concerns and the added expense of the dreaded single supplement.
1. LEARN LIKE A LOCAL
The UK-based tour operator Not in the Guidebooks arose from a self-proclaimed mission to offer organised trips that weren’t about huge groups swarming over mass attractions in major cities, but rather off-the-beaten track experiences that support small communities and immerse guests in local cultures in respectful ways.
Among its many tour offerings is a subset of experiences designed specifically for solo travellers — all ages welcome — who want to “travel independently but never alone, meeting like-minded solo travellers who share their passions and interests”.
The selection is extensive and includes lessons in languages, surfing, yoga, art, photography and jewellery-making in countries such as Wales, Spain, France, Italy, Morocco and Costa Rica.
For its food-and-wine experiences in both Italy and France, small groups stay in countryside houses and learn cooking techniques from local chefs, visit local markets and vineyards and enjoy convivial meals over carafes of wine. Guests can also choose to share a room with another solo traveller or have their own.
• See notintheguidebooks.com.
2. FOR SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES
Travelling with children can be particularly stressful — and lonely — for single parents. For those who desire a bit of adult company and instant friends for the children, Intrepid Travel does organised trips for three to five single-parent families, with groups capped at 16 people.
The company takes care of the logistics and itineraries — put together by “family experts” — that are a mix of organised activities led by group leaders and down time, which means you can put your feet up while the children explore or get to know other children in the group.
Depending on the age of the children, you can book either a teenage adventure holiday or a family adventure holiday for which the minimum age requirement is usually five years.
Just one option is the 13-day Vietnam family holiday, which starts in Hanoi and takes in stops along Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta. Rates start from R18,952 for adults and R16,583 for children.
• Visit intrepidtravel.com.
3. CAN-DO CRUISING
One of the most prohibitive factors for solo cruising is the dreaded single supplement — book a stateroom for one and you’ll generally have to pay 2x the fare. However, several cruise lines have solo cruise cabins that get around this, including MSC, Cunard, and Royal Caribbean.
For lone travellers, however, Norwegian Cruise Line raised the bar as far back as 2010 with the Norwegian Epic, on which it debuted its Studio concept: cosy cabins for singles that are just 9.2m2 in size but still cleverly squeeze in all the standard amenities. The bonus is in the privacy and potential for meeting up with other people for those who want to. The solo cabins are in a residents-only, keycard-accessed area of the ship, and include a private lounge with a snazzy coffee machine where singles can mingle, or sign up to join other solos for special events on board (such as crew-hosted pub crawl around the ship) or shore excursions.
Other ships that have solo cabins include the Norwegian Viva, Prima, Encore, Bliss, Getaway, Breakaway, and Pride of America, with itineraries that criss-cross the globe.
See ncl.com.
4. SOCIAL COACHING
Specialising in what it calls “social travel”, Contiki offers group tours accompanied by a trip manager for people aged 18-35 all over the world. While it’s not exclusively for solo travellers — partners and groups of friends are also welcome — it works well for singles as the logistics are all taken care of, and friends can be made along the way. The company says almost 60% of its travellers join solo.
Eager explorers can choose from 300 itineraries across six continents with options to backpack, camp or sail.
The popular nine-day European Magic tour starts in London with stops in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Venice and more, and is priced from R21,900 with an average group size of 39 people.
See contiki.com.
5. VOYAGE TO VOLUNTEER
For an in-depth experience, volunteering is a great option as you get to stay in one place for a while, immerse yourself in the local culture and make a positive contribution too.
On trips arranged through reputable channels, solo voluntourists will find the experience safe and organised, with the added benefit of meeting new people, both locals and other volunteers from all over the world.
Volunteering Solutions is an international placement company with options in 25 countries, with 150-plus volunteering opportunities in areas including childcare, teaching, healthcare, community development, and conservation.
Many of its programmes are a blend of volunteering work and tourism. For example, a two-week trip to Cusco, Peru, entails helping out at a rural school plus guided tours of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. There’s also soccer coaching in Ghana, and turtle conservation in Costa Rica, but the company says its most popular programme for solo women travellers is in Arusha, Tanzania.
Volunteers live with locals and work alongside existing staff in orphanages to bring “some happiness to the lives of the little ones”, and also get to see Zanzibar and go on safari in the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater.
See volunteeringsolutions.com.
6. JOIN A HOUSE PARTY
Friendship Travel is a UK-based travel company that specialises in trips for solo travellers from the age of 25 and up. Trips are categorised according to themes including luxury, beach, winter, sightseeing, walking and ski holidays in France, Greece, Portugal and Turkey.
A standout feature of their offering is called “House Party”, where a small hotel is booked out for the sole use of Friendship Travel guests, with a host present to break the ice and help with logistical arrangements.
Contrary to what it may sound like, this is not a constant, rowdy party but rather a means through which solo travellers can socialise without having to share the space with larger groups or families.
One example is a seven-night skiing “house party” in Vaujany, France. The price, from £1,385 (about R28,890) includes skiing lessons on six mornings of the week, breakfasts and five dinners. They also offer solo travellers gulet-cruise holidays and hiking holidays in Turkey on the famous Lycian Way.
• See friendshiptravel.com.
7. BOARD THE BUS
For some safe and easy backyard exploring, the Baz Bus is a hop-on hop-off service with stops in 40 towns across SA, which will pick you up and drop you off right at the door of your accommodation (you can choose from over 200 hostels and hotels listed on the website).
It has several routes running (both directions), including Cape Town to Gqeberha; Gqeberha to Durban, and Durban to Joburg.
You can book a hop-on hop-off ticket from point A-B and get on and off as many times as you want along the way, in one direction with no time limit, or buy a Travel Pass so you can get on and off as many times as you want, in any direction, within a certain time period (there are eight-day, 14-day and 21-day options).
The 22-seater buses have Wi-Fi, TV & DVDs, USB ports, air-con, and trailers for big items such as surfboards and bicycles.
• See bazbus.com.
