Note to cruise lines, tour companies

Marie Gable of Fort Lauderdale, a frequent cruiser I met recently aboard the Carnival Splendor, reminds me of a complaint I often hear from solo travelers, who say they'd travel more frequently if they didn't have to pay such high "single supplement'' fees.

If you've never had to face these, you won't know that a single supplement fee usually equals at least 150 percent of the price you'd normally pay per person, double, and sometimes 200 percent.

From the supplier's point of view it makes sense: After all, one person in a room or cabin costs them roughly the same as two people. The only reduction for them: Food.

But in this poor economy, I'm starting to see some more favorable deals for singles. And it might make sense for cruise lines and other companies to drop the single price to a minimum, say 125 percent of the regular price. Better to have one person in a cabin or room than no person at all.

If you're a travel supplier and are offering good singles deals -- or if you're a solo traveler and know of any -- please put them under comments here. I'll feature them as I can.

Comments

[Maureen Gordon, Maple Leaf Adventures]

Hi Jane, We're a boutique adventure cruise company, Maple Leaf Adventures. On our trips in Alaska and British Columbia, Canada, we don't charge a single supplement.

Instead, we pair a single person up with another single traveler of the same sex. It's worked well for 22 years.

While this might not be ideal in the world of large ships, where the cross section of humanity aboard is extremely varied and where there are a lot of people who may not be compatible with one another (or even able to get along), it works very well on our smaller ship.

In this case, our guests have a shared interest in nature and culture and experiential travel, have a shared ability to get along with others. And, much of the trip is spent in the natural world, on deck of our 92-foot sailing ship, exploring the rainforest with the naturalist or viewing wildlife.

As I said, I think this works well for a trip of our type and size but likely not for the big guys.

Hope this provides some food for thought.

Cheers
Maureen Gordon
Maple Leaf Adventures