Page 48 - Globale Traveler

a group setting,” she explains. “The key is to make sure the group has
similar goals and skills.”
Leah Smith, president, Trafari Travel, a Denver-based Virtuoso
travel agency, says many clients use solo travel as a way
to restart a passion from their past they put on hold for
family or career. “But they don’t know how to get started,
which is where we come in,” she explains. “By cutting
down on that barrier of fear, we’re allowing them to take
that step. But once they do it, they do it again.”
Over the years, Smith found many of her first-time
solo travelers gravitate toward cruises or group tours.
“They get the confidence that comes with a group but
don’t have to compromise on activities,” she explains.
Melissa da Silva, president, Trafalgar Tours, has seen that
in real time, noting 15 percent of the company’s guests
opt to travel solo; adventure tour company Butterfield &
Robinson has seen a 50 percent increase in solo female
travelers. Contiki Travel is going after the solo market
with its recently launched Independent Insider program
that meets the needs of individualists with adaptable
itineraries, allowing them to choose the length of the trip
and cherry-pick activities. “Today’s solo travelers demand
flexibility within a social setting,” says Adam Cooper,
president, Contiki USA. “As travelers become more confi-
dent on their own, we need to continue to seek out ways
for them to see the world on their terms.”
A number of hotels and resorts also launched packages aimed at
guests flying solo. One is The Chanler at Cliff Walk, a boutique hotel in
Newport, R.I. Cherie’lin Toporowski, director of sales and marketing,
developed the package to help single guests enjoy both the city and the
hotel. “We felt that many solo travelers were missing out on activities
because they were only bundled into packages for two,” she explains.
To make the package even more appealing, it includes flexible options
like a food and beverage credit instead of dinner. “Not everyone wants
to dine alone in the restaurant, but they might want to have a couple of
glasses of wine and an appetizer,” she says.
Wellness resorts, once the bastion of girlfriend getaways, are also
making changes to attract more singles. Judith Burdick, a regular solo
guest at Red Mountain Resort in St. George, Utah, appreciates the
welcoming gestures made by the resort to help keep independent guests
from feeling isolated. “There couldn’t be a more perfect place for solo
travelers,” she says. “Beyond the structure of the schedule for outdoor
activities and the option of a communal table to sit at for all meals,
there is a real sensitivity to the needs of such travelers which makes it
easy to come alone.”
Tracey Welsh, general manager, Red Mountain Resort, says 35
percent of the resort’s guests travel alone. “Even on vacation, the
woman tends to be the caregiver,” she says. “Time to truly relax has
become the biggest luxury, and sometimes the only way to get it is to
take a trip alone. When our solo guests leave, they feel empowered and
ready to go back to their lives.”

PURSUING A PASSION:
A traveler with a barongsai performer at a Chinese Lunar New Year event
in Central Java, Indonesia (top); and yoga at Red Mountain Resort
PHOTOS: © AKBAR SOLO | DREAMSTIME, © RED MOUNTAIN RESORT

48 globaltravelerusa.com FEBRUARY 2018