Solo travelers get help avoiding single supplement on tours, cruises

For many years, true solo travel was the Rodney Dangerfield of travel: It got no respect from the industry.

Standard cruise and tour pricing is almost always per person double occupancy, or PPDO, so solo travelers were generally told to conform to the Noah’s ark formula: If they didn’t want to pay an outrageous single supplement, they were told to pair up with someone. And if they didn’t have someone to share with, the travel provider would find someone they could share with.

But that’s changing: Grand Circle Cruise Line has announced a substantial increase in the number of single cabins the line will offer next year, citing increased interest among older travelers. It’s about time.

True solo travel is a lot different from sharing. Not every single wants to share accommodations with anyone, friend or stranger. As a widower, I want my own space, not a roommate. But I also don’t want to pay a huge single supplement.

Airlines, railways and bus lines have always been pretty good to solo travelers. They price most ordinary tickets on an individual basis.

Solo hotel rates are a mixed bag. Rooms in most modern hotels and motels are designed for double to quadruple occupancy, with one queen, one king, two twins or often two queens. Rates are generally the same for single or double occupancy.

But small and midsize hotels in Europe, which typically include breakfast, often offer single rates that are less than double rates, and many have dedicated single rooms.

Bed-and-breakfasts and other nontraditional accommodations often offer single accommodations and single pricing.

Many cruise ships actually have at least a few single-person cabins, and some of the newer ships, such as the Norwegian Epic, were designed with a substantial number of single cabins.

Still, most cruise lines put solo travelers in a conventional two-person cabin, and typically these singles get slammed with the dreaded single supplement that can often double the price. You occasionally see singles promotions with reduced single supplements, but finding good solo deals can be a challenge. When I last checked, I couldn’t find either a big cruise line website or online cruise agency that offered single rates through their search systems, not even on the Norwegian Epic.

When I asked my colleague Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of Cruise Critic (www.cruisecritic.com), about the best way to find solo pricing, she told me that the only practical approach is to contact a travel agent personally, either by calling an online cruise specialist or visiting a retail agency location. Cruise Critic also posts a guide to the best solo options.

Although most conventional tour packages are priced per person, double occupancy, agencies such as Singles Travel International offer some solo-accommodation tours.

But solo deals without a single supplement require some research. Even Club Med, the epitome of resorts for swinging singles, prices on a per person, double-occupancy basis. Go figure.

Also check into study-abroad programs, which can be great values, along with such companies as Road Scholar (www.roadscholar.com), which offers single pricing options.

travel@latimes.com