For the single person who is planning his first solo trip, a weekend trip can help ease the nervousness that accompanies traveling alone without the full week commitment. Numerous travel agencies and websites offer weekend trips all over the world. One such agency, Singles Travel International, offers trips that range from a weekend at the Kentucky Derby to a jazz festival in Chicago to a balloon festival in Albuquerque. A singles weekend is the perfect way to sample solo travel. Singles could also use a weekend at a spa to get away and pamper themselves.
Singles Travel International
7491 N. Federal Highway, Suite C5328
Boca Raton, FL 33487
877-765-6874
Singles cruises offer another option for the single traveler. Many cruise lines offer cruises that specifically cater to single individuals. Mixers and other on- and off-board events help singles meet new people. Instead of going home with t-shirts or key chains, singles can end their vacations with a different kind of souvenir: new friends. Companies such as Singles at Sea work with major cruise lines including Carnival, Holland American and Royal Caribbean to plan cruises that specifically cater to singles. .
Singles at Sea
5851 San Felipe, Suite 500
Houston, TX 77057
800-362-5918
singlesatsea.com
Besides singles specific weekends and cruises, adventure tours offer another and less well-known vacation option for singles. Exploring exotic and harsh jungle locales or jumping out of a plane, while not suitable for family vacations, can give singles a chance to challenge themselves on an individual level, walking away having conquered challenges and fears they never thought they could.
According to TrekAmerica, an adventure tour company that specializes in American adventures, "over 80% of our trekkers are young single travelers joining their treks alone."
TrekAmerica
16/17 Grange Mills Weir Road
London, United Kingdom
800-873-5872
trekamerica.com
While vacations are normally all about fun and relaxation, a solo vacation is the perfect time to learn a new hobby or give back to the world. A woman who loves to bake in her spare time could venture to Paris to learn the right techniques under the best pastry chef in France. Give one woman a month in Paris, and she could muster up enough drive to open her own bakery. A carpenter could fly down to Haiti to help re-build the damage the earthquake inflicted on the nation. Give one man one week in Haiti, and a family could have a roof over their heads.
Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program offers trips both nationally and internationally where you will "work on house construction, renovations, or disaster relief. Trip itineraries are balanced with plenty of work, rest, and free time." (See References 3) The possibilities are endless; how will your solo vacation change not only your life, but the life of others?
Habitat for Humanity's Global Village Program
P.O. Box 369
Americus, GA 31709
habitatforhumanity.org
