When Singles Pay More Than Their Fare Share : Trips: Traveling alone usually means higher prices since tour and hotel operators base their rates on double occupancy. Some companies will try to match singles.

Read the fine print in travel ads and brochures and you’re apt to conclude that everybody travels in pairs. Invariably, prices for tours and cruises are “based on double occupancy.” So what happens to those who prefer to go it alone? They may well have to pay the dreaded “single supplement,” which can add substantially to the cost of a trip.

Few aspects of travel are as misunderstood as the single supplement, which partly accounts for the dismay--even anger--it engenders in many solo travelers. But the proliferation of the supplement also is evidence that the travel industry--hotels, cruise lines, tour operators--hasn’t fully come to grips with how best to serve the large numbers of singles of all ages looking for a fair deal.

“It’s outrageous,” asserts Ed Perkins, editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter. “The travel industry says we will punish you economically if you do not travel as a couple.”

As one example, many U.S. hotels and motels these days don’t offer single rooms. So, solo travelers are forced to book a double room furnished with an extra, unneeded bed. And when the bill comes, singles usually pay the same (or almost as much) as two people, even though that second bed and half the bathroom towels remain untouched. Singles ought to get a break, too, because they use half as much hot water when they shower.

The single supplement obviously hits hardest at budget-minded travelers for whom the extra cost could put a trip beyond the realm of possibility. Even on inexpensive tours, singles often are charged an additional $20 to $50 a day over the per-person rate quoted for double occupancy. On a cruise, singles often pay as much as 50% to 100% more than the per-person (double) rate for a cabin. Though singles continue to protest, the industry defends the supplements as an equitable way of apportioning the costs of a tour or cruise.

“Basically, they are justified,” says consultant Doris Davidoff of Belair Travel in Bowie, Md., “but sometimes not to the level charged.” A recognized expert on travel practices, she questions the policy of cruise lines that assess a single the same price as a couple occupying a cabin. You are paying for two berths, Davidoff points out, but as a single “you can’t eat two portions of food.”

Fortunately, there are alternatives to the single supplement. Some tour operators and cruise lines will arrange for two singles of the same sex to share a room. And a few will guarantee a match, which means you get a single room or cabin without an extra charge if no one else wants to share. For a modest fee, Travel Companion Exchange attempts to match singles before they embark on a trip.

Another way to escape the extra charge is to sign up for an outdoor adventure trip--such as trail riding, white-water rafting or backpacking--where a lodging supplement isn’t necessary because everybody sleeps in individual tents. And, with the help of a good travel agent, you may be able to find a singles-friendly cruise line that will book you into a private cabin without the supplement.

Presumably, tour operators could eliminate the words “single supplement” from their brochures if they advertised a trip at “$2,000 per couple” and, say, “$1,700 for singles.” But, of course, $2,000 somehow seems more expensive than “$1,000 per person (based on double occupancy),” and it might discourage bookings. Singles probably would question why they weren’t being charged just half the couple’s price.

Since lodging is the basis of the single supplement on tours, travelers on a tight budget should look for tour operators who feature economy-priced accommodations or off-season trips. Not only is the basic tour price lower, but so is the supplement.

Singles may be able to find an off-season break on the single supplement at some resorts, including some that feature an all-included rate structure. For example, the supplement at the all-inclusive Club Med can range from nothing at some properties during the off-season to a whopping 50% more than the per-person double rate during high season. Until Dec. 14, there’s no single supplement for a private room at Club Med’s Playa Blanca resort on the west coast of Mexico near Manzanilla.

Like tour operators, the cruise lines almost inevitably charge a supplement for single passengers who want a private cabin. Few cruise ships have single cabins, so singles generally pay a full fare for themselves plus a percentage of what a second person in the cabin would have paid. Depending on the itinerary and the quality of cabin, the supplement can range from 25% more than the per-person double rate to 100% more.

For example, Princess Cruises adds a 25% supplement to the per-person cost of its mid- and lower-priced cabins on its Caribbean and Mexico voyages. But singles must pay an additional 40% to cruise to Alaska and a full 100% extra if they want to book a top-of-the-line cabin or a suite on any cruise.

But now through the end of March, the line is offering cabins on some of its three- and four-day cruises from Florida to the Bahamas at a bargain rate of two people for the price of one. A single can take advantage of this sale, according to spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz, by paying one full fare. Two friends sharing a cabin would each sail for half-price.

An upscale company, Royal Cruise Line, has targeted singles for a special promotion on all of its 1992 cruises, which includes voyages in the Caribbean, South Pacific, Hawaii and the Orient. Instead of a percentage, single passengers pay a supplement of $75 per day for a private cabin. On an eight-day cruise, this adds $600 to the per-person double price, but that is far less than the 50% to 100% extra that Royal regularly charges. For example, a mid-priced cabin on an eight-day cruise from Mexico to Honolulu, sailing Jan. 30, is $2,574 per person based on double occupancy. The normal supplement would be an additional 60% for a singles price of $4,119. Instead, the single rate will be $3,174--based on space availability.

Good travel agents, particularly those active in the cruise market, often can use their influence with a cruise line to negotiate a reduced single supplement or even have the supplement waived entirely. “It depends on the line, and it depends on the cruise,” says Richard White of White Travel Service in West Hartford, Conn., an agency specializing in cruises. But the lines are willing to do it to fill empty cabins “because we do a lot of business with them.”

Carnival is among the cruise lines with a guaranteed share program, as is Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, the fleet of tall ships sailing the Caribbean. Not everyone will want to share. “A single to share has its ups and downs,” says White. “It can be difficult traveling with a friend, let alone a stranger.” Davidoff raises another concern. Some tour companies don’t make matches, she says, because they don’t want to be liable if your roommate turns out to be a thief and steals from you.

An alternative to a departure-day match is Travel Companion Exchange of Amityville, N.Y., a long-established firm that attempts to pair travelers months in advance so that they can become friends before the trip. Subscribers fill out forms describing themselves and their interests, and they are printed without names in a newsletter. Matches between the same sex and the opposite sex are arranged through the exchange, which attempts to minimize nuisance contacts. For more information: (516) 454-0880.

Singles may get a better deal on tours and cruises sponsored by organizations catering to singles only. Among the resources:

--Singleworld, a Rye, N.Y., organization offering a variety of cruises and tours. Some welcome singles of all ages, and others are for singles under 35. No effort is made to balance the number of participants by sex, and on a cruise ship, the Singleworld group may comprise only a small number of the total passengers. Room shares are guaranteed. For information: (800) 223-6490.

--White Travel Service, which is putting together a series of cruises for singles. The next is a seven-day Caribbean voyage on the Norway of Norwegian Cruise Line, departing Miami on March 21. For information: (203) 233-2648.

--Windjammer Barefoot Cruises of Miami Beach, which has scheduled four all-singles cruises in 1992 aboard the Polynesia, which sails from Sint Maarten. Departures are June 22, Aug. 31, Sept. 7 and Nov. 23. Shares are guaranteed. Call (800) 327-2601.