First solo trip
I've taken several Tauck trips with friends but am thinking about making my first solo trip in 2024. Any recommendations from experienced solo travelers? Thanks.
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I've taken several Tauck trips with friends but am thinking about making my first solo trip in 2024. Any recommendations from experienced solo travelers? Thanks.
Comments
Mimi, questions, where have you been in the past,? What are your favorite type of tours , countries, activities?
Mimi, once you select a tour you might consider calling Tauck to inquire how many singles are registered for that particular tour. I know one solo traveler who chooses her tours this way. Just a thought…
Many trips have "solo savings" dates where solos get a few hundred bucks off the listed price (excat amount vaires by trip). Those dates tend to attract more solo travelers. I've had varied experiences doing solo from a min of 2 to a max of 6.
Mimi I'm a solo traveler, you'll find that most people traveling with you that are couples, are very inclusive and if you're lucky to find another solo traveler it's a bonus.
I have taken 4 solo Tauck tours and a total of 16 solo tours in the last 8 years. In all the tours, I have felt welcomed and included. So many times those of the tours will extend an invitation to join them for meals and activities. I would chose your tour based on what you want to see and do. My solo trips with Tauck have been to China, India, and two to Africa. All incredibly wonderful tours. If you have any questions, you can certainly PM me. Just look at your bucket list and start traveling!
Keep in mind that on most tours the bulk of the group are couples or solos that don't know anyone else so they are happy to meet new friends.
I am taking my first solo tour in a few weeks. I am hoping some of the couples “adopt” me. To add to my worry about my first solo tour, I chose Canada’s Capital Cities and am now worried about the fires. I live in NYC and our air quality is currently dangerous from the wildfires in my travel destination. Hoping for the best on both counts.
I am sure Tauck is monitoring the Canadian fires closely. Rest assured they will not place you in harms way. Please don't be concerned about traveling alone. You will meet friends, both other singles and couples. You will only be alone unless you choose to.
I have a relative from Brooklyn arriving here (CA) shortly. He mentioned the smoke was quite oppressive and dangerous for those with respiratory ailments. So sad.
Anyway, I hope your tour is not canceled and that you enjoy it. It was one of our favorites.
I heard on the news that the worst of smoke will be gone by the weekend although I know there are still many active fires. Trust Tauck, they won’t put anyone one in harms way. I travel solo all the time and always have others do to things with. Sometimes I ask to join someone else for lunch or whatever, and it’s fun! My only advice is to have an idea what you want to do with your free time. In the evenings ask if you can join someone for dinner.
One of the great things the TD did on my last trip was to create table seatings for everyone on evenings we all had dinner together. No clicks were formed and we all loved it! Enjoy your trip.☺️🤞🏻
As someone who lives out west where we face smokey skies for a period almost every summer, the air quality can change quickly if you get a little rain or the winds shift. I feel for you guys.
I also live in the Wild West and experienced the fires from South Lake Tahoe and when the town of Paradise burned. Mother Nature gets very upset.
Thanks for your suggestions, everyone!
Mimi, just wanted to add my comment. I've taken 14 tours with Tauck and prefer to travel solo. Initially, I use to be concerned about the "free time". Concerned I might get lost or just not know what to do with my time. But now, I truly welcome the opportunity to visit attractions of importance to me and don't have to compromise on what I want to do. When I was on the tour "Warsaw, Budapest, Vienna & Prague" tour (my favorite; I've taken it twice), I visited the villa at the Warsaw Zoo that was featured in the movie "The Zookeeper's Wife". The experience was incredible and so memorable. So go for it alone and enjoy!
I purchased several N95 masks with exhalation valves from Amazon, (so as to not fog up sunglasses too much and no they are not approved for Covid but that is not my intent here). They will filter particulate matter from the fires better than other types. We are excited that the air is getting better in Toronto and is quite acceptable now in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City!
If there are solo's on our trip, we ask them to join us for a meal. We meet interesting people that way, and they appreciate it
I liked what GM said above. Sometimes my husband and I go on separate excursions on the same tour of course. When I’m by myself on an excursion, I was delightfully surprised how many other people on the same excursion approached me. Truth be told, I’m a reserved personality. Not shy, but reserved. I concluded that, at times, not all excursions that my husband would like would interest me in the slightest. For example, I’m not interested in a car museum and my husband of 32 years would not be interested how pearls are made but I certainly am. Then we come back at the end of the excursion, and share the day. When we travel with my daughter and her husband the same applies. Just becsuse we travel with them or with our friends, we’re not glued at the hip all the time everyday.
Mimi, This is not specifically on point with you question, but … I recently returned from my first Tauck tour, and I was solo. It would take a long time to list all the questions and concerns I had prior to my tour. However, I was very well mentored by the Forum members. So a lot of my questions were quickly addressed. On the tour, from the minute I landed (Zurich!), I encounter the most friendly, well traveled like-minded group you would ever want to meet.
Most couples were Tauck veterans, and they knew the system. Because of that, everything ran so smoothly. Everyone was always friendly. If you wanted to be part of a group-no problem, I was always asked to join in. You want alone time, always someplace for down-time by yourself.
I was so impressed by Tauck, and it’s community, I booked a second solo trip before the first ended. Looking forward to Savoring France next April.
Irdvo116: I am so happy you had such a wonderful experience.
Thanks to all for welcoming me to the forum and your guidance!
I always go solo!! Made some great connections. People like to hear your stories because, as you may imagine they have heard each other's many times!
We enjoy traveling with singles, they are often the most traveled and are indeed very interesting to talk to. We find they often travel with carry on and are really organized. It gives me hope that if ever I find myself single, that I will still be able to travel.
There are certainly more downsides to finding groups of people traveling together. I think it makes it harder for the tour directors to organize seating etc And those people seem more reluctant to mix with others. And a group of women traveling together, well you know what we women are like when we get together, we are very noisy!
Hello everyone.
Happy Friday!
Well, I love traveling solo, I have my space and I have the ability to move on and do other activities outside the tour and @ my pace...
Sometimes it's nice to mix in with the group, but it can also become a double edge sword... sometime, especially couples like (with their best intention) to adopt the solo traveler and it's like the min. you walk into the breakfast room, you "most" sit with them...
I had one couple (Vietnam), that the lady felt so familiar with me, that decided to criticize my breakfast choices and gave me a lecture on how unhealthy my breakfast was. Next step I got up and moved to a opposite table. So, Yes! I know why some solos are reluctant to mix. with others... For me, my vac. is my joy, me time and my therapy, So I do protect and defend my time and space.
I'm social, but as I work in a medical off. and all I hear throughout the year its people wining and problems (drama) all day long. So, I do need my own time with no responsibilities other than to be on time (if in a group)
Now, to travel solo it's amazing! you get to know great people (99 % of the time) you get to see places you like and can go at any time, no need to wait for others (friends /family etc..) to have the time, $$ or same interests.
Actually, solo travelers' market has increased by 87% in the last 6 years and back @ same % after Pandemic.
Tauck it's great for solo lady travelers, it is safe, and they will make the traveler feel included as part of the group.
Also, the single supplement it's one of the less expensive out there.
Not being gregarious individuals, we prefer to spend time by ourselves when traveling. We are not antisocial, just reserved. We frequently find other like-minded individuals, whether couples or singles, and will occasionally eat with them. We always do our own exploring during free time because we enjoy strolling and stumbling upon hidden treasures, as opposed to rushing from point A to point B without seeing or experiencing anything in between.
There will probably come a time in which I will be traveling alone and I am not the least bit concerned or fearful of doing so.
Well said, mil. Now about that bacon...
BKMD,
!
the new Veggie. But truly, traveling on my own has make me stronger and has taught me how independent and capable am I. Plus, I can do as many Spa treatments as I want.
it's all about the BACON!
Happy travels!
I'm with you Mil, I also travel solo most of time, sometimes with another lady that I met on a Tauck tour, however we both love our space and do different things at times. Like you she's all about spa treatments, me not so much
Thank goodness I've never felt obligated to sit with anyone unless I wanted to.
I only travel solo and love it, I have never had a bad experience being able to join others. Wish it was not as expensive to travel solo, I love river cruises but they are rather pricey.
CATSOOS…FYI~I travel solo and Amawaterways river cruises have solo (usually 150% but they have had less) incentives which helps. They also have a loyalty program with some benefits.
River cruises are actually one of the best options for solo travelers because there is no single supplement if you select a Category 1 cabin.
catsoos - Tauck doesn't charge a single supplement for RiverCruises - if you book a CAT 1 room, you pay the same as everyone else. It's the best deal we've found on all RiverCruise lines. We have a single friend who has traveled with us and we researched around - no one beat Tauck's single price.