When booking any tour your budget and the location are your biggest choices when choosing a tour. The more isolated the location; chances are the pricier it is to reach and your airfare will jump up significantly. Your comfort level is important as well. Many travelers are content with staying in basic conditions with minimal amenities, eating simple food, and a guide that may not even speak the same language. Be sure to have a written contract stating everything included in your tour, especially if they provide food and accommodations.

Trips for solo travelers tend to be more expensive than with others because hotel rooms are usually based on double occupancy. Single supplements are common with most tours and will raise the price of your trip maybe 5-20 percent. In some instances a tour operator will set a solo traveler up with someone, although this can be a trip ruining experience if that person turns out to be someone whose company you don’t enjoy.

Suggested Tour Operators

Absolute Travel (http://www.absolutetravel.com, Tel. +800-736-8187)
This NYC based travel agency specializes in customized luxury trips including a new service that pairs compatible travelers.
Backroads (http://www.backroads.com, Tel. +800-462-2848)
Backroads offers Singles & Solos trips for adults traveling solo or with single friends. They also allow solo travelers to request a roommate on a tour to avoid the single supplement fee and if no other traveler shows up they don’t add the extra charge.

Do-it-yourself options

Piecing together your solo trip can give you much more flexibility in planning and dates. Traveling on your own allows you to stay in places you like for longer. It gives you the option of being free to go where you want, whenever you want. You don’t have to worry about someone else’s wants and needs. You can finish when you are ready, or more likely, when you run out of money. You are completely free.

As mentioned previously, traveling solo is costlier. On tours and in many guesthouses and hotel rooms you will need to pay slightly more than a group of two. You can take dorm beds in hostels, which are significantly cheaper than single rooms. You can always join groups for day tours or local tours as well, although you may have to wait until there is a group ready. If your budget is less of a concern than the experience you want to partake in, putting your own solo trip together is an experience that few will forget.