How to Avoid One-Time Surcharges When Traveling Alone
Life-changing solo travel is a pop culture staple, often portrayed as a rite of passage and a step toward independence leading into adulthood or ending a relationship. In real life, people travel alone for a variety of reasons, including because it is their favorite way to explore new places and/or take a vacation.
Unfortunately, solo travelers often have to pay dearly for this privilege. And given that much of the tourism industry benefits financially from these outdated policies, there’s no rush to fix them. Until that happens, here are some ways to avoid those daunting one-time surcharges when traveling alone.
What is a one-time supplement?
A common policy on cruises, resorts, and excursions, ” single surcharge ” refers to additional fees and surcharges a person must pay because they are traveling without a partner.
For example, if a resort doesn’t have single rooms, travelers traveling alone may need to pay for an entire double room, effectively making their trip twice as expensive as for someone traveling with a partner.
How to avoid paying the only copayment
In some situations, separate supplements are unavoidable. But the rest of the time, there are several ways to avoid them when traveling alone. Here are some examples:
Let’s start with the search
Yes, it’s obvious, but if you’re all caught up in the excitement of booking a trip, this strategy can be easy to overlook. Using the search engine of your choice, enter the combination of “single additive free”, “single additive free” or “single additive free” plus your destination and see what you find. Unless it’s a last-minute trip, consider creating an alert for such searches.
Another option is to look for “ custom travel tours ,” which by definition will not have one-time surcharges.
Be flexible
Those who aren’t sure where exactly they want to go, or who are more concerned about saving money than visiting a specific destination, may want to set up daily or weekly alerts for search terms like “solo travel deals,” “custom travel.” tours” or “discounts on individual travel.” Sometimes there are only a limited number of discounted seats available on a trip, so it’s important to act quickly.
Waiting until the last minute
People with flexibility can also look for last minute deals. Some companies will waive a one-time supplement to fill empty seats just before departure. To find these deals, follow the company on social media and/or check the part of their website that lists upcoming flights. Even if waiving the one-time additional fee is not specifically mentioned, you can always contact us and ask about this option.