Page 47 - Globale Traveler

market. Norwegian Cruise Line, for instance, launched
a Solo Initiative in 2010 with 128 studio rooms designed
especially for passengers traveling alone. Priced a bit
higher than the per-person price of a typical interior
stateroom but less than a single supplement, the studios
are grouped together in a key-controlled area with
access to a private lounge where singles can gather. “The
studio rooms [have] been in extremely high demand
from the beginning,” says Vanessa Picariello, Norwe-
gian’s senior public relations manager. “We’ve included
them on every ship we’ve launched since 2010.” Holland
America Line also has a stash of solo cabins, both on
existing ships and on the ms Nieuw Statendam, launching
in December 2018. “Since they’re priced at less than the
single supplement, these single cabins give solo travel-
ers the opportunity to sail for less,” says Erik Elvejord,
public relations director, Holland America Line.
The trend has also reached river cruise lines. In 2018
Uniworld, noting a 25 percent increase in solo travelers,
will reduce or waive the dreaded single supplement on
select cruises. “Uniworld wants travelers to see the world
their way, and we’re hoping these great prices will allow
solo travelers to do so,” says Ellen Bettridge, president
and CEO, Uniworld.
Explorers who really want to see the world on
their own terms often turn to professionals like Susan
Farewell, owner of Farewell Travels, a travel design firm
based in Westport, Conn. In the past few years Farewell
has planned an increasing number of solo excursions
throughout the world. And while the demographics of
her singles vary widely — they’re married and un-
coupled and span a wide range of ages — she finds one
thing they share is a sense of independence. “One of my
solo clients is a 70-year-old woman with the adventure
spirit of an 18-year-old,” says Farewell. “She went to
Oman last year and just recently spent two weeks in
Iran.”
Farewell credits social media with giving the solo
trend an assist. “All those Instagram posts of exotic vaca-
tions that come across your feed increase your awareness
of what’s out there,” she says. “People think, ‘I’ve gotta
get out there!’ And they do.”
Beyond creating bespoke itineraries filled with diver-
sions — after-hours museum tours, private horseback
excursions, one-on-one mountain treks — Farewell
provides clients with an on-the-ground contact who
can provide services ranging from tracking down a
late-arriving guide to helping ship home oversized
purchases. Depending on the traveler or the destina-
tion, she’ll schedule private guides or even add a small
group component. “Activities that involve complicated
logistics such as luggage transport and bush planes, like
a multiday bike trip or a safari, work more smoothly in

SOLO SOJOURN:
Boat trip in Phang Nga, Phuket
PHOTO: © JESSAMINE | DREAMSTIME

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