Picking A Singles Vacation

What should I consider when choosing a singles vacation?

I think some of the factors you should consider when you're choosing a singles vacation include, first of all, is that is it a place that is open to single travellers? Is it a place that is more oriented towards families or is it a place where you, as a single person, can feel really comfortable? I think safety, also, should be a significant factor when travelling as a single. And the third thing that that I would consider is, are you going to be penalized as a single traveller? In other words, do you have to pay double for what is a one-off charge. Are you going to have to pay, instead of two-hundred and fifty dollars, five hundred dollars for a room or a tour or a cruise because many things are based on double occupancy and you're organising a single's vacation.

What are popular resort destinations for singles?

There are a lot of popular resort destinations for singles. Particularly from California, along the west coast of Mexico, there are tremendous resorts - Puerto Vallarta, Mazapán. California, itself, of course has tremendous resort destinations. Europe, also, particularly along the Mediterranean coast of Spain and France. And then, of course, in the Far East, places like Bali, which is in Indonesia which is on the State Departments warning list, but is actually a more separate entity from the rest of Indonesia – Bali is Hindu, the rest of Indonesia is Muslim - Bali is very popular with singles as is Australia and New Zealand.

What are popular senior destinations for singles?

Seniors probably aren't going to feel comfortable in spring break destinations. It's probably easier to say what's popular for a senior adult by saying what might not be popular. So, for example there's certain times in the year when Florida along the coast may not be the best place for seniors, and yet Florida is very welcoming to a lot of senior singles. Palm Springs at certain times of the year is more oriented toward younger singles than to older singles, but generally any place that a single can go who's younger, a single can go who's older.

What are popular adventure destinations for singles?

Singles have amazing choices in adventure destinations. One of the things that comes to mind very quickly is Africa, which is sort of the ultimate adventure destination. Not only do you have amazing big game parks, but a lot of singles choose to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which is very rigorous, very taxing but from what I understand, a tremendous experience. There are amazing destinations all over the world that offer adventure travel. One of them is in our own back yard and that's Utah. Utah has a variety of skiing, hiking, biking destinations. Certainly, it has some interesting national parks . California has some great adventure destinations for singles as well. One of the places that I hear about over and over again is Mount Whitney. There's people who train and train to climb Mount Whitney and the sense of accomplishment they feel is amazing. It's a very good first fit for singles. So, lots of adventure places are great for singles, indeed pretty much anywhere in the world.

What is an 'all-inclusive' vacation package?

An all-inclusive vacation package is one in which everything is included. But you need to be careful when you're looking at all-inclusive vacation. Usually it means that your accommodations, your meals, and your activities are all included in the price, however, at some destinations, there are some add-ons. For example, alcohol may not be included in that, or drinks may not be included in that. Clearly, your tips probably will not be included in that, so yes, it is pretty much all-inclusive, but not totally inclusive.

What are some singles destinations I can find in my backyard?

In your own backyard, if you're a single traveller, start looking at places like museums. There are museums of art, of history, places where you can feel comfortable. That's one of the issues, I think, for single travellers - do they feel comfortable going by themselves? And there are places that are cultural institutions where you simply blend in with the crowd, and there's no stigma attached to being a single traveller. There really is no stigma attached to being a single traveller anyway, but there are some people who just don't feel as comfortable. So I would choose those places, if that's an issue for you, where you feel like you can be a part of a crowd, without being a part of a crowd.

How can a single traveler break the cultural barriers of their destination?

Sometimes for a solo traveller, it's more difficult to penetrate that cultural barrier between you and the place where you're visiting. So for example, if you are going to a country where it's very foreign to you - no pun intended - where it's very different or very unusual you might check with the government tourist office or the local tourist office to see if they have a program that will pair you up with a local person, or allow home stays because that's a way to get an insight into the local culture and to find out more about the way people actually live and not be quite so isolated. Those are programs that I really recommend for the solo traveller so that they can feel more that they learned what the came to learn on their vacation and not get shut out.