Go it alone: a guide to solo travel for introverts

I've been to Las Vegas many times in the past 15 years with friends and family but most of the time I've gone by myself. As an avid global solo traveler, it's become one of my favorite places to visit.

Living the RV life seems so adventurous, carefree, and all-American.

As I bowled along the roads linking Herefordshire’s ‘Black and White Villages’ (named in honour of their two-tone buildings), I believed, for a second, in time travel. Here, in one of England’s least populated counties, little appeared to have changed for decades, centuries even.

The hospitality industry usually looks at travel the same way that Noah looked at his ark: two-by-two. Cruises, hotels, tours, and many other activities are geared—and priced—to favor couples, with the familiar “per-person, double-occupancy” (PPDO) pricing as the norm. But that’s no longer a realistic reflection of today’s travel market.

Following recent announcements from Delta and United that they would cut back on flights between the U.S. and U.K., American has hinted that it, too, is expecting diminished demand to Europe over the coming months.

Airlines for America, the trade group representing the interests of U.S. airlines, is predicting that 15.6 million travelers will fly during the Labor Day weekend (Wednesday, August 31 – Tuesday, September 6). That’s a 4 percent increase over last year’s 15 million Labor Day flyers.

Long lines, full flights, niggling fees for everything: Welcome to the new normal when it comes to air travel. While the flights can’t get much fuller, and there are few new opportunities to charge extra for non-basic services, those long lines are going to get longer before they get shorter.

This is shaping up to be a record year, and the travel forecast for Thanksgiving 2016 is showing higher numbers than in the past nine years. AAA forecasts that there will be 48.7 million people in transit this year, an increase of one million compared to last year.

Turn your travel flexibility into cash. Well, not cash actually. Gift cards. But still, a reward with some monetary value.

Airlines for America is the organization that is paid to represent the interests of U.S. airlines. So when it forecasts record numbers of passengers traveling this spring, it’s meant to be taken as a compliment to the industry, a positive reflection on the airlines’ ability to deliver air travel at an attractive price. In A4A’s view, “The continued growth in passenger volumes can be attributed to the accessibility and affordability of air travel today. To meet the extra demand, airlines are deploying new and larger aircraft on many routes.”

The travel industry obviously doesn’t like true solo travelers much: Almost all tours and cruises are priced on a “per person, double occupancy” basis, and most hotels charge the same rate for either one or two people. If, as a singles traveler, you just want to avoid a stiff single supplement, the industry often promises to find someone to share with you so you can, in effect, travel at the couples price. But if you really want to travel solo, your options are limited.

Looking to avoid the holiday crowds? Then plan on staying close to home this Independence Day weekend, because record numbers of Americans will be clogging the nation’s highways and airport security checkpoints.