Mandatory single supplement

Your alumni discount has not disappeared. With 13 tours, you will receive $650 off on your final invoice.

You may or may not save money on the mandatory $50/night single supplement charge.

In June I will be on my 14th tour and will get $700 off the 8 Day Scotland tour in August 2026.

Others might be able to "enlighten" us, but I am not aware of any other reputable group tour company that will arrange "roommate" situations for those who would otherwise be traveling solo. Single supplement bump-up also appears to be "industry norm" for group tours.....at least those with which I am familiar.

Perhaps, if you are planning to book a tour, you could post "looking for roommate" on the Forum, and maybe you will find a similar person.

If I were a tour company, NO WAY would I put two random people together sharing a room for the duration of the tour.......too much can go wrong..........the list could be long.

At the end of the day, it is relaxing to have some "self time" and not have to be "on" (meaning on best manners and putting on a robe every time you jump out of the shower, trying to be "oh so quiet" when one has to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, apologize when a call comes in from home at a odd hour and on and on, etc.) with a "stranger."

I think it's a fair price (and they said they are supplementing the rest since $50/night isn't going to cover all of the costs.) Personally, I think you are the rare traveler, as I can't imagine wanting to share a room with a stranger. And clearly it doesn't go as smoothly for everyone as the experiences you've had; because I'm sure tour managers trying to referee unfavorable situations between roommates isn't fun for anyone.

“ Others might be able to "enlighten" us, but I am not aware of any other reputable group tour company that will arrange "roommate" situations for those who would otherwise be traveling solo. ”

I can only speak for tour companies based in the Netherlands and Belgium, but all the very reputable tour companies that I’ve used in the past 20 years offer the opportunity for single travelers of the same gender to share a room. Only those that wish to have their own room, have to pay a supplement.
When I first started traveling in my early 20’s, I chose to share a room, mainly for financial reasons. In all my travels I never had a bad experience. Only in recent years have I decided that the extra fee is worth it for me. I must admit however that this extra fee was never a fixed rate of $50 per night. The supplement was always based on the actual costs of hotel rooms in the countries in question and always much less than $50 per night. For my next trip to Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, the fee amounts to €28 per night. As far as I can tell the company I travel with uses similar hotels as RS. Not high end ones, but no dumps either, just charming locally owned hotels.

G Adventures, Intrepid, Exodus, Explore Worldwide all do room sharing if you don’t want to pay a single supplement.

Others might be able to "enlighten" us, but I am not aware of any other reputable group tour company that will arrange "roommate" situations for those who would otherwise be traveling solo.

There are a number of companies that will do this, but if no other solo traveler signs up then the person is required to pay the supplement. I think this is very common among companies that cater to younger travelers. I do think it is a shame that RS doesn’t offer this option, but it would be more work for their office.

I am not upset about the mandatory single supplement. When I started traveling on RS tours, for financial (i.e. saving money) reasons, I chose to not pay the single supplement. On over a dozen tours, I only was paired with a (stranger) roommate twice. Both roommates were wonderful and I had no complaints. Then I had that ONE bad experience that I never thought would have ever happened. I won’t go into details but I seriously considered leaving the tour very early (as in after the first 2-3 days). To their credit, the RS organization did their best to accommodate me and alleviate the “problem.” After that experience I realized that I had earned enough alumni discounts that it would pay for the single supplement. So I have been using my discount to pay for the single supplement and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. So I don’t look at the new policy as a negative.

You may have already seen this, but this is the reason for the change:

Our tour prices are based on the efficiency of two people sharing a double room. A single traveler having their own room throws off that arithmetic. For solo travelers, we've historically offered two choices: Pay a "single supplement" to be guaranteed your own private room or default to the "single share" option, and be paired off with another solo traveler to share a twin room. (In some cases, if you were the only solo traveler on the tour, this might have netted you a "free" private room for the duration; in other cases, you'd wind up with a roommate for the entire tour.)

While many of our solo travelers have had positive experiences with this approach, it's become clear that the "single share" option is no longer feasible. Conflicts between solo roommates sometimes arise on tour, which can be stressful and time-consuming for guides and fellow tour members; and the process of managing these room assignments is complicated for our home office team in Edmonds. At the same time, we've noticed that only a small percentage of our solo travelers prefer the "single share" option, most opt for the single supplement. That's why, ultimately, we believe the best overall tour experience — for our guides, our groups, and the vast majority of our solo travelers — is to make the single supplement the only option.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/policy-updates

Cheryl the alumni discount is clearly noted as still being available: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/the-most-value-for-your-money

As an early budget traveler, I did take advantage of the room sharing option to save money and had several not great roommates (but not you Laura from Virginia, you were the best one!). It does require a lot of willingness to be patient and flexible - I have less of both as I get older. On one occasion I was the only single that didn't pay the supplement and by default got my own room without paying the extra fee. On my recent Turkey tour all the solo travelers but one paid the supplement, so one person got a deal like I did. My hunch is this situation may be one of the bigger "complaints" the RS folk hear on their tour feedback forms, along with input from guides who have to mediate shared room disputes on the ground (see Mary's post above).

FWIW I have taken tours with GAdventures (didn't pay supplement, had a room share) and Gate1 (paid single supplement). The roommate situation from the G tour led me to pay for the single supplement on all tours with any company since then.

As noted in a prior post, your alumni discount will offset the single supplement charge for any tour up to 13 days. I personally think $50 per day is a decent price especially in some higher cost locations, and is less expensive than the single supplement charged by other tour companies.

Not upset at all because I have always paid a single supplement anyway. This change has actually lowered the price of the single supplement for many tours and I wholeheartedly appreciate that.

The risk of being "matched" with an incompatible travel companion when spending thousands of dollars was always too much for me. I'd rather know I had my own space at the end of the day. I'd like to continue in sweet fantasy that I don't snore:)

“ There are a number of companies that will do this, but if no other solo traveler signs up then the person is required to pay the supplement”

Actually, this isn’t true. If you elect not to pay the supplement and there are no other singles, you don’t pay the single supplement. But it’s a gamble.

The problems lie in if there are 3 people not wanting to pay the single supplement. It isn’t fair that one person gets the single room without having to pay the supplement so there is usually a rotation so eacjh one of the three has a single room for some of the nights.

KB, I am not sure why you are saying my statement is not true.

For example, Backroads has this option on their registration form, ” Request a roommate. An additional charge may apply if Backroads cannot find a roommate.” There are other companies that do this.

I agree that there are a number of companies that operate the way that RS tours used to with regard to room sharing, but there are others that will try pair you up and charge extra if they cannot.

Adventures with Sarah, a tour company founded by former RS guide Sarah Murdoch, has the following language on single supplements:

We welcome singles and if you do not have a travel partner, please sign up for a single spot. In the event that a roommate is found, your booking can be changed to a double before final payment is due.

Imprint Tours, founded by former RS guide Reid Coen, also has the following about single supplements in their FAQ:

As a single traveler, if I am willing to share, can I avoid the Single Supplement?
For those willing to share, Imprint Tours will attempt to arrange a same-gender roommate, and if so, the Single Supplement is waived. If a roommate cannot be found, you will be required to pay the Single Supplement.

I'm not upset at all. I never wanted to share with another traveler so always opted to pay the single supp. anyway. I am sorry this change has upset you. I am an extroverted introvert and need my solo time away from the group.

I used to say in my introduction on the first night that my goal in life was to do enough RS tours that my alumni discount would pay for the single supplement, lol.

Road Scholar is still matching roommates.

Since 2023 I've taken tours thru Seymour Travels and Mark does not charge a single supplement. There are usually 2 or 3 solos on each tour.

What are the odds of finding a compatible roommate who is a stranger. Some of the best entertaining stories on this forum have been about people who traveled with a friend or family member to Europe and said after the trip, "never again!!!". LOL

And the Tour Alum discount per person was still in effect as of last week when we booked two France Tours back to back. Once you have been confirmed it then shows in the receipt you receive but not initially when booking a tour.

I do actually get the per tour discount, but since I have to pay the single supplement, that discount has disappeared.

Cheryl clearly many of us did not understand your original comment about the alumni discount. This clarifies it:

I do actually get the per tour discount, but since I have to pay the
single supplement, that discount has disappeared.

If you don't like the new policy, you may want to branch out and look at some other tour companies. Some, like OAT, have a very single friendly policy and don't charge a single supplement on many tours. Best of luck.

I traveled with a friend recently. We’ve been sharing rooms on our travels for 15 years. This past trip was a nightmare. She snored nonstop. I had ear plugs and could still hear her.
Nobody wants to room with my sister! She runs a buzz saw on inhaling and exhaling. When I visit her, (soon), I will hear her from upstairs and across the house.
Single supplement works for me.

I don't know if you were aware of this, but in the early days of Rick Steves Tours, and I think well into the 1990's, a single had to share a room. There were no single supplements.

And many of the hotels had shared bathrooms.

I’m not upset because I think it reduces the issues tour guides have to spend time dealing with from the shared rooms issues that arise. Adding an extra single room last minute after the tour is in progress is a lot of work for each of the hotels, the guide, and the Edmonds office.

I shared a room on the RS Paris tour, and my roommate & I did fine together. I was older than she was. I woke up early & showered to have breakfast when it first opened to give her the room to herself to get ready each morning.

During the Adriatic tour several years later, I paid for the single supplement. I had traveled often for work, and I liked having a quiet room to relax at the end of the day.

What are the odds of finding a compatible roommate who is a stranger. Some of the best entertaining stories on this forum have been about people who traveled with a friend or family member to Europe and said after the trip, "never again!!!". LOL

Threadwear, I think it might be easier on a tour than with independent travel. You are only sharing a room with the person and you are asleep most of the time. You don’t have to be best friends or even spend time together beyond the rooming arrangement. And since you are on a tour, someone else is doing the planning. On a tour, you can sit with different people at dinner and on the bus and spend your free time separately. When you travel independently, you are stuck with the person 24/7.

The main thing that made a good roommate on a tour (in my opinion) was someone who was considerate (e.g., didn’t spend hours hogging the bathroom) and didn’t snore. I shared on 6 RS tours with dozens of different people and the majority met these criteria. I also had some great roommates (right back at you CL from Oregon) who I still keep in touch with. I also had a few not so great roommates, but usually that lasted just a couple of days and then you rotated to a different roommate.

Before about 2009 or 2010, RS didn’t even offer a single supplement as an option. I took 5 RS tours before that time and always shared. It was generally fine and there were anywhere from 4 to 9 solo women on each of those tours. Because RS rotated roommate assignments, I never shared a room with the same person for more than about 4 nights. The first tour I took after the single supplement was offered in 2010 had just 2 other solo travelers. One was a terrible roommate and one was a great roommate. The great roommate transferred to the tour at the last minute because the volcano in Iceland had impacted her flight. If she had not joined the tour, I would have been stuck with the terrible roommate for the entire trip. That really made me think. When I took my next RS tour as a solo traveler, I paid the single supplement.

I do think it is a shame that the share option is no longer offered. This was very helpful to me when I was young and on a budget. On the other hand, the new single supplement is very reasonable as compared with some of the other tour companies that I have looked at.

Wow!! Interesting. I think ETBD/Rick Steves has made a good business decision.

And, I think it would be the very, rare, kind person who, if he/she had "The Roommate from Hell," to not very quietly share info with another/others on the tour...especially if that person was exhausted from hearing the roommate snore all night.......or if the roommate "made a pass at them" or just hogged the shower for so long all the hot water ran out...or had a really, really bad case of gas (even worse if it could be heard, but "silent but deadly" might be worse).. all night........people are people and, like I say, if it were really, really bad....then it would be hard to not "confidentially share" with at least one other tour member what he/she was dealing with. And, as I used to say in the corporate world, each person then trusts at least one other person, and that is what they call gossip. Soon, half the tour group would likely know what was going on.

Even worse, would be if the roommate driving the other roommate nuts was also "clingy" and wanted to sit with the roommate at every meal, on the bus, and talk their head off while touring.......NO ESCAPE!!!!

It would be hard for the ETBD organization to have a "confidentiality agreement" signed by "stranger roommates," that one would not disclose the other roommate's irritating or odd behaviors....and, if weird/irritating enough, it is often (not always) human nature to confidentially seek the ability to "vent" with another (or others), especially if there was a humorous angle to it all. Not everyone....but I likely would discretely "share a few details," if I had been "issued the roommate from Hell."

Yep, pay the supplement and be happy to avoid (potential) uncomfortable issues. You also would not want to be "the one" being talked about. None of us is perfect...I'm far from it.

I’ve paid the single supplement on most of the RS tours I’ve taken. I lucked out with the “free” room on one tour, and one other time I had a roommate. I welcome the policy change and the $50 per night cap. I work hard, I have limited vacation time, and I’m willing to cut corners while at home to save money on other things in life to offset the supplement cost. As other posters have mentioned, vacation time is precious for many of us, and I’d rather have my own room after spending thousands to travel.

The new policy sounds fine to me. I’ve always paid the single supplement on RS tours. I need time to decompress after a busy travel day.

I just took it as a sign of the times that there were more problems pairing up strangers in these circumstances. Making it not worth it to do it anymore.

But I tend to be a pessimist.

I'm single and many people ask me why I don't want to travel with a tour group. The single supplement is one reason why.

This isn't against the Rick Steves travel company, which I highly respect, but just a general comment.

My travel budget isn't huge. I'm close to 70 and just started traveling when I retired. I'm attempting to make up for lost time and am attempting to hit some highlights in Europe. I can't afford to spend $5000 and up to travel with a tour group.

The single supplement is understandable. I figure it this way: the tour company is charging a rate based on 2 people being in the same hotel room. I got a hotel room in Paris for 300 Euros per night. A married couple would pay the same $300 per night if they booked the hotel on their own. Going with a tour group, they are being charged PER PERSON though. So what is the room actually costing each person? We don't know, but the fact remains that I can get a hotel room for myself by searching around and I don't need to spend an extra $1000 single supplement. Many of the tour companies charge singles an extra $1000. This is due to the fact that married couples are paying PER PERSON.

The fact of the matter is that I cannot and will not pay that $1000 single supplement. I will book my own travel arrangements.

I got a hotel room in Paris for 300 Euros per night. A married couple would pay the same $300 per night if they booked the hotel on their own. Going with a tour group, they are being charged PER PERSON though. So what is the room actually costing each person? We don't know

That's not how it works. First, the tour company is not paying 300 Euros. They have made a deal for a certain number of rooms in the year and pay a lot less. But let's say they are charged 300 Euros. The tour company takes that cost and splits it since there will be two people in the room. This becomes part of the cost per passenger for that trip. The tour company does this for all costs--hotels, coach, meals, guide, etc--and figures out the cost per passenger. Then profit is added and they come up with the price you are charged.

@Daisy

There is so much more to being on a tour than hotel rooms. The value of a guide is a little hard to quantify, but a good guide greatly enhances the experience.

I travel multiple ways and sometimes take tours. If you want to try a lower cost tour and don’t want to pay a single supplement, pay attention to Gate 1 tours. Twice a year they have a sale where they waive the single supplement. For example, they have a 13 day affordable Turkey listed for $1799. Add in $200 for their optional tours and you are right at $2000. There are 11 nights so about $181 a day for lodging, transportation, admissions, all breakfasts and quite a few lunch and dinners. You also get a tour guide to teach about what you are seeing and the culture.

Don’t automatically discount tours as more expensive. if interested in Gate 1, watch for when the single supplement sale is on and give one a try.

In the world we live in now I feel certain that matching up random strangers probably caused a lot of issues at various times. I’ve done only a couple of tours in my life, but there was always at least one person on the tour bus or one couple on the tour bus that everybody was just like “oh my goodness “. when I did a tour of Turkey one man told me he didn’t like me because I smiled too much. I really didn’t even know what to say to that so I just kept smiling, by the end of the tour every time we got off the bus, they were kind of on their own because this couple had just spent the entire tour being miserable. They didn’t like the bus, they didn’t like the hotels, they didn’t like the meals, they didn’t like the tour guide, the ruins were in bad shape. I mean it was hysterical. but if you get that for a roommate. YIKES.

(Yes, they told some of us that they didn’t understand that the ruins would actually be unlivable They thought they would’ve been restored so you could see what it looked like when people actually lived there ).

Yes, I'm disappointed by the change! This year I'll be taking my 6th RS tour and I've always signed up as a single requesting a room share. I've had good and not so good experiences, but to me it isn't worth the added cost. I save up for one big trip every year. I understand that $50/night is much better than the current single supplement rates, but that's still an added $500-600 for most itineraries! To me, the optional single supplement was a always a great selling point when I told people about RS tours. I can understand why they changed their policy, but I'm still disappointed.

I had an issue with my 2025 tour this past week and had to speak with someone in the office. Although you can no longer request a room share as a single and be randomly matched up with another single on the tour, you CAN still sign up with another single and agree to room together. (You'll need to select the double option and provide their name when signing up.) If you keep in contact with some of your former roommates and would be willing to travel together on the same tour, that sounds like it could work. I'm planning to travel with a former roommate this year and hopefully next! I also definitely considered using the forum to possibly find future roommates.

the ruins were in bad shape.

Carol, that is hilarious.

I've always known that were I to travel on my own, I would always opt for the single supplement. Not because I fear my potential roommate, but because I know I would be a terrible roommate!

I consider myself a pleasant person, fun even, but I have strict room requirements: As little noise as possible, especially late in the evening. No TV, ever. No chitchat late at night or early in the morning. No air conditioning. Windows open in all but the worst weather.

Other than than, I'm great company!

You're probably wondering how I've managed to stay married for well over 50 years; honestly, I don't know. Trading off quirks, I guess. (I put up with a lot, too!)

Let me guess .... people who don't use Single Supplement are nonchalant about this new policy :)

I'd sit in the last row middle seat next to the bathroom on the airplane (which would be absolutely a nightmare!) before I would share a room with a stranger. And I'm a nice, friendly, decent human being. But there's no way. I truly admire those who are more open minded, and willing to try it. And it's nice to hear the success stories!