Low or No Single Supplements

One of the problems of setting out to travel alone is the nearly ubiquitous single supplement charged by tour companies and hotels. You may pay nearly as much or even exactly as much for a hotel room, tour or cruise as two people travelling together would pay.

This practice seems unfair, but the companies do it because they can get away with it.

According to Affordable Tours (www.affordabletours.com,) there are a number of companies that charge little or nothing to lone travellers in terms of a premium for voyaging alone. Azamara River Cruises has a single supplement of just 125 per cent of the per person double occupancy charge, while Tauck Tours offers up to $600 off the usual single room surcharge. Regent Cruises has reduced single supplements on some cruises, as does Avalon River Cruises.

If you sail with Ama Waterways, the single supplement is waived on some cruises in Europe this November.

Unfortunately, all the above companies seem to have pretty steep tariffs to start with. For instance, with Ama Waterwyas an eight-day cruise between Luxembourg and Nuremberg starts at $2899, or about $362 per day.

If you want to take a tour or cruise and are travelling alone, it cn't hurt to ask whether the company will set you up with a roommate of the same gender so you can both save money.