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Do your homework and plan ahead
Book your hotels in safe areas of town
Ask the hotel for their business card in case you get lost
Write your room number down somewhere but not on the hotel’s card
Check that there are restaurants near your hotel
Dress down and don’t wear a lot of jewelry or expensive clothes
Talk to people, especially other solo travelers, you may be able to meet up to eat or do some excursion together
Pay attention to what’s going on around you
Keep your packing light
Try not to walk around at night if possible
Keep a diary so you can remember what you did and how you felt at the time
Carry your passport and other important documents in a concealed neck pouch or put them in the hotel room safe
Participate in activities – this especially applies to singles cruises
If you get lonely, go and do something for yourself, like retail therapy or get your hair and nails done
Book an excursion that includes a meal preferably at night so that is one less meal you have to arrange
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Advantages of Group Travel
You can save money- groups get discounts on airfares, hotels, tours etc.
Someone to eat with and talk to - this applies more so on longer trips
Its safer to travel in a group than being alone
Sharing the decision making - you dont have to make all the decisions
Sharing the experiences - someone to talk to about the days experiences
Less stressful - no driving (unless you want to), others to help if needed
My experience with Trafalgar Tours
I went on a tour of Italy with Trafalgar in 2006. I went alone. I chose the single room supplement. I had included a transfer to the hotel from the airport in Rome and after looking for the representative for about 1/2 hour I found him. After another wait we finally got going to the Mercure Colosseum (see separate reviews for all hotels). The first meeting for the group was on the next day in the evening and you could elect to go out to a restaurant that night for dinner. This was the first of the optionals offered. All the optionals were to be paid for near the end of the tour. I did find that they pushed these a lot but I suppose they make their money that way. My room was extremely small in Rome but the other hotels I stayed in were bigger.
I found that getting in and out of buses a bit tiring by the end of the trip and my legs and feet swelled as well. I didnt have any trouble walking each day and you do a lot of that. I didnt find it lonely as I talked to a lot of the people in the group although I was the ONLY solo traveler. Our guide was excellent, informative and good natured. I saw more of Italy than I would have by myself so this was the best way to go for me in a non English speaking country. On this tour we went to Rome, Florence, Turin, Milan, Venice and Bologna with most of the stops being 2 nights. We also visited Pisa, Pavia, Verona, Assisi and Lake Maggiore. We seemed to be on the go the whole time.
If I ever go on another group tour I will make sure it was a more leisurely one where you stay in one place longer.
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