Advice to the single traveler???

We need more information...such as....your age.....where you want to go.....approximate budget......what you're looking for in a tour......etc.

Hi Cheryl,, before anyone can answer you usefully, you have to give us more info. Your age and travel experience? Where in paritcular are you interested in going,, and how long do you want trip to be? I have taken solo trips,( as well as family trips, hubby trips, and kid and me trips) they are actually my fave way to enjoy places like Paris,,but I have also taken one tour, a RS Family tour that was a hoot. Alot depends on the why and what of your trip. Tours are not the only way to enjoy travelling solo.

I am s 40 year female and have spent most on my vacations on cruises. I would prefer to keep the budget under $5000, I am interested in Italy, Germany, The Netherlands and France. My biggest concern is traveling solo but I would hate to waste more time and not experiencing new places to travel.

Of course, the first suggestion would be either a Rick Steve Best of Europe tour[INVALID]either 14 or 21 days. This would give you a great introduction to Europe, you'll have a mixture of group and indpendent time, and you could then decide if you wanted future trips to be either with another tour or solo. You could easily do a trip by yourself. You would have to do all of the work in regards to planning, but it would also allow you to design a trip strictly to your preferences. If you want to look into other tours, Globus/Cosmos, Trafalgar and Insight are the largest English language tour companies and offer varieties of tour options. If you are used to cruises where everything is taken care of for you, you might prefer your first trip to Europe to be on a tour. Why not get a copy of Rick STeves' "Europe through the Back Door" which will teach you just about everything you need to travel in Europe.

Cheryl - hit the "Tours" tab at the top of this page and check them out. I've been on 2 RS tours and am leaving soon for the 3rd. In my experience, the city tours attract more single people. When I did "Paris in 7 Days", half of the people were traveling solo.

Hi Cheryl,, Thanks for the info,, it does help. I am a tad older then you, and I enjoy travelling solo, but I do tend to limit it to one or two cities at a time,, rather then actually touring around Europe alot. I find Paris and London super easy to solo in, and although I had my 11 yr old dd with me , Rome wasn't bad either.. but it was definately third in terms of ease for me . I have to say a mix of tour and solo might be a good idea for your first time. I would steer clear of Globus and the like,, they tend to be exhausting,, up at 6 am and they are larger groups,, so less likely to get that nice group feeling . I do recommend maybe trying a Rick Steves tour. As I have only done one I am no expert on them, but it was so well run, with lots of free time( for a tour) and best of all, the guides taught travel skills as we went. When we arrived in a city they showed us how to use the public transport,, explaining it all. I thought that was very useful for those who struck out independently ,, usually we would spend one day with an orientation, see a few main sites, and then second day was free. I felt the tour while a bit more expensive then some, was a good value. It will by no means be a luxe trip though,, everywhere we stayed was nice, clean and central, but you carry your own bags,( which on one hand I loved not having to leave suitcases in the hall the night before like you do on some tours) .

Cheryl, any of the ETBD tours would be "best" for a single person, as they're all structured the same way. The big question is, which area do you most want to see? For the countries that you listed, the "flagship" 21-day Best of Europe tour would cover all the bases, however it may be above your budget so the 14-day version would be a good compromise. One thing you'll need to decide is whether you'll want to share a room with someone of the same gender. If you'd prefer your own room, you'll need to add a bit extra to pay the single supplement. You might consider taking a short ETBD tour, and then travelling on your own either before or after the tour, as that will allow you to get to all the places that you're interested in. In order to get a good idea what the tours are like, order the FREE Tour DVD, which shows the "flagship" tour (it's a bit "dated" but still good to watch). You might also want to read some of the "Tour Feedback" comments to see what tour member are saying. I also travel "solo" and have been on four ETBD Tours and now planning the next one. I HIGHLY recommend them! Happy travels!

Frank, you worked for all those companies,, or are you just giving "second hand information " also? Amazing.

I worked for Globus/Cosmos, Insight and a company that was owned by Trafalgar but operated separately. (It has since been merged under the Trafalgar name.) I have friends who led tours for Tauck and Maupintour and I did interview with both companies and discussed the types of passengers they get with their respective managers in charge of tour directors....In the tour industry, it is customary to work as an independent contractor and get hired on a per tour basis. Working for 3-5 different tour companies each season during your first few seasons is not uncommon.

I would like to give you first hand knowledge of larger company bus tours rather than others here who have never taken them but have only heard "second hand" what they are like. My first trip to Europe, many years ago, was on a "big bus tour." I loved it and decided to become a tour director for those type of tours. You are not up at 6 AM, they are no more exhausting than any other type of tour, groups bond extremely well, and the majority of the people have a wonderful time. (If people didn't, the tour companies wouldn't be in business all these years.) What you will find on most of those type of tours is a lower "starting" price with more optional excursions being offered during the free time built into the tour. So, if you did not want to wander off by yourself, an optional excursion would probably be offered. You would not be pressured into taking it but some people prefer them. Additionally, and contrary to what many people here believe or claim, again with no actual experience, is that all these type of tours do is go from one shopping stop to another. Again, not true. Yes, some stops are made for those who wish to shop, but if you prefer to do something else, that's fine. As an example, you might be taken to a glass blowing demonstration in Venice. Not interested? Fine, enjoy Venice. Not interested in the leather shop in Florence, go enjoy a cappuccino next door. No pressure. I no longer work in the tour industry so I have no motive to profit from this. I just wanted to offer first hand knowledge rather than second hand "I heard" knowledge. Even Rick Steves, who used to really bash these types of tours, has recently changed what he says about them and has rewritten his opus about "big bus tours." It's not as deflamatory as before. All tours have pros and cons. The best thing to do is gather as much information as possible and decide which, if any, is right for you.

A couple of other points. On big bus tours, bell service is usually included. This does not mean you leave your luggage out the night before which is really ridiculous. Bags are usually picked up somewhere between 30 minutes and one hour prior to departure. What most people do is put their bags out when they go down for breakfast. And just to remind others who think I'm biased, in an earlier posting under this topic, I recommended an RS tour. Additionally, I want to note that my preferred way of travel today is doing it solo. I might take a day tour or city tour, but I prefer making my own arrangements. It's easy to do. And can be a lot of fun.

I am late 30s and often travel solo. My first trip was with a big tour, and I loved it. I met some great people in the group, didn't have to wait in long lines, and didn't have to make many decisions-very stress free for me. Even though I loved the tour, now I always go on my own. I like being able to plan out my own itinerary. I think any tour with an itinerary that sounds interesting to you is a good idea, but it is also a great idea to add on a few extra days on your own to see how you like going completely solo.

I agree with Leigh - try a tour but branch out on your own afterward, and see how you like it. Then the next trip, try planning on your own. I'm a single female who has been traveling solo for 20+ years, and I wouldn't give up this way of travel for anything! Once you get the hang of it, planning is easy (and cheaper than a tour), and you meet so many interesting people while traveling by yourself.

Gee Frank, I guess my MIL is such a liar,, I mean she just made all that stuff up for no reason.. I mean the getting up early, the putting the luggage out, the being exhausted,, and may I add the hotels that were NOT centrally located.. Yup, shes such a liar.

Reason those type of tours are still in operation is simple. Many people afraid to tackle foriegn travel indepentdently, afraid of language issues,, etc.. The tours can be cost effective,, and you do get to see many places in a short time. There are the young people tours, ( Contiki) that definately cater to the party crowd( again,, only going by my lieing nephew..er, and the pictures he showed us of the partying, ) and then there are the older people tours,, most people ARE over 50 ,, or really 60,, with only some exceptions,, and Frank,, you have to admit that ,, ,most big bus tours do attract an older crowd. The prices are what attracted both my nephew and my MIL,, so obviously they did not take the higher end tours,, which perhaps are nicer .. can't speak to that.

Tell me Pat, what tour company made your MIL get up every morning at 6 AM and made her put her luggage out the night before every time they moved hotels?..........Most tour companies look for a 9 AM departure with a few 8 AM departure if there is a lot of ground to cover. I have never heard of any tour making their passengers put their bags out the night before. Yes, Contiki tours are party tours. I'm not going to deny that. They are for the under 30 crowd which is why I didn't recommend them......However, the rule of thumb is basically the longer and more expensive the tour, the older the crowd. So a Cosmos tour will usually get a younger crowd than a Globus tour even though they are the same company and running the same itinerary. Why? less in included. ......Now, of course, Pat, I may not know as much as your MIL and nephew since they each took ONE tour each, and have their SINGLE opinion, and I've been on dozens....and from what I've been told, RS Tours, except the family tour you went on, gets a mixed bag of ages with many over 50....Here's something else to consider. Globus/Cosmos has mostly Americans. Trafalgar and Insight will have English speakers from all over the world with a large amount from Australia. More expensive tours like Tauck and Maupintour will cater to an older American crowd.....but then I guess I don't know as much as your MIL when it comes to tours and how the people taking them feel. Those hundreds who traveled with me and claimed to have a wonderful time must have been lying.

Now to get back to the OP's question.....There is a new company I'm not very familiar with but their concept seems interesting. They book your airfare, apartment, ground transportation (local and between cities) and have a local rep available for any questions. The rest, as in sightseeing, is up to you. www.untours.com

I have been on 8 RS tours and I do believe that we have had single folks on every one of them. It also seems to me that most of the other RS tour folks have made an exceptional effort to include the single folks into whatever was going on especially on times when we were on our own. In May and June of this year I took RS 14 day Turkey tour and we had several single women, one of who ended up bonding with my wife and I and we three did numerous things together. This was also the case on at least one other tour where we grouped up with a single deft person. And, we were not the only ones to do this. The RS tours seem to attract a group of people "of like mind" that we have found a pleasure to be with. I took the "RS 21 day Best of Europe Tour" on my first trip to Europe and still consider it to be one of my favorites. Happy travels aloha charlie

I have a single friend in her 40's who planned to do what Mardee suggested[INVALID]-take one tour and then apply what she learned to plan her own from there on. She went on a RS tour and enjoyed it so much she's taken 3 more; no solo travel for her. She loves the camaradie and the expertise of the guides, and has made some wonderful friends.

Thank you very much for your suggestions. Frank and Pat, I hope you work things out...:)

One other option to consider regarding tours: If you have any particular interests, there are wonderful special-interest tours, which typically are smaller groups and your traveling companions will have very similar interests. Museums and universities are great sources for those tours. And while I commonly travel alone (and prefer it), I had great experience with Archaeological Tours (office in New York) for ancient history, Franciscan Pilgrimages (Israel), and the Sierra Club (Carribean).

My wife and love to travel, when not traveling we plan for anoter trip. Sometimes I can't travel with her because of a thing called a job and income. She has opportunities to travel alone and I don't particularly like it for saftey reasons. But with others I welcome her to go for it. She is dead set on a trip to India, I refuse to go. I really really do not want her to make that trip even with a tour group but she has her mind to go. She wants me to go, no way.

Cheryl, just curious, have you made a decision yet on tour or solo, or which tour you might take?

Ken, I haven't made a decision yet, it will probably be next year. I am just putting my feelers out there right now and weighing my options.

Have you read "Europe Through The Back Door?" It's a great primer for people who are thinking of planning their own trips to Europe. It will answer many of your questions. (Also good for those on tours looking for ways to maximize their free time.)....Another suggestion is to go the the Graffiti Wall and look under the solo travel section, bus tour section, RS tour section, and just about anything else that might help you make a decision....There is no one right way to travel. We all travel in a way that suits us the best.

Cheryl, it's great that you're getting an early start on the planning. I find the planning process is "half the fun". I've found that the absolute best travel method for me is combining an ETBD tour with some time on my own. It's the best of both worlds, and the groups on the tours have been wonderful! One other point to mention. ETBD may again be holding FREE "Test Drive a Tour Guide" sessions in Edmonds in January. If you're able to take a short vacation then, you might enjoy speaking with the Guides and tour members. That should give you a good idea on whether an ETBD tour is right for you. You'd also be able to speak with the exceptional staff, and I'm sure they'd be able to answer all your questions. Good luck with your planning!

So according to Charlie, a RS tour is great if you're a couple looking for a threesome??? (hehe)

Frank, no I haven't read the book yet, thank you for the suggestion. Elaine, I thought the same thing when I read that, I sure he meant to keep it clean..LOL :)

(crying from laughter) Oh, Charlie!!! NOW, your post is absolutely hysterical!!! ROFL! ROFL! ROFL!

Suddenly those RS tours are looking a lot more interesting. I can't decide - sounds like the tour of Turkey worked out well for Charlie. And he says "The RS tours seem to attract a group of people "of like mind" that we have found a pleasure to be with......." ( I'm still ROTF). Sounds like the RS tours are for swingers!!!!!

Sounds like Charlie just open pandora's box...:)

What happens on an RS tour....STAYS on the RS tour...

Alright, does anyone have any suggestions about a RS tour that would not include swingers? LOL!

Frank II - I was only one one tour, it was with Cosmos, and quite a few years ago. We didn't HAVE to put our bags out the night before, but our driver came round at 6 am to collect them, so we preferred to put them out before bed, rather than be up before 6, just to get the bags out of the room. If I had a choice of putting the bag out at night or lugging it on my own, I definitely choose the former.

The driver came around to collect them? It's usually the bell staff. Where was the tour and what time did you depart? A 6 AM bag collection would be for a 7 AM departure. Generally, bags out one hour before departure. This gives the bell staff enough time to get all the bags and deliver them to the coach before departure time. (In smaller hotels, it might just be one person.) You had to put the bag out by 6 AM every time you checked out of a hotel? Something's not right here.

Much as I don't want to get into the tour luggage flame war, and no, Frank, I've never taken a tour because we prefer to drive or take the train, I have seen several seasons of a TV show, "Coach Trip". Yes, is most certain that they were not normal big bus tours, but it was always obvious that those folks, every day, had their bags (carried by they themselves, to the coach before they went to breakfast and had either a 7:30, 7:00, or occasionally 8:00 departure. They had to carry their bags off the bus too. Maybe its just because they were British?

Nigel, I'm not familiar with the show so I looked it up. It's not a documentary about a real coach trip. It's a reality show. So, the more drama and fighting, the better the audience likes it. Sort of like "Big Brother" on wheels.

I've seen "Coach Trip" a few times, while it is a reality show and there is a bit of drama, IMO it falls more under the category of travelogue than Big Brother antics. Here's a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7LI31LcjDc

Great clip Michael...thanks! The show looks really good!