[Idyllchat] Back to the Topic of Single Travel

[Brenda Fair]

It does cost more for a single traveler to stay in an Untours apartment than the per person price for two or more in the same apartment, even for Studio Albert.  
   
  In general, traveling alone is expensive!  I've seen a few group tour agencies that waive the single supplement on some dates of their tours.  Also, I imagine that single travelers who are more resourceful, flexible, and adventurous than I am find ways to reduce the price of their trips.  I do think, though, that the single price for an Untour is a good deal compared to the single price for other organizations or even putting the same thing together on your own.  I know that's the true of the Untour I took to Paris.
   
  I have taken Untours alone and with others, and I expect to take more of them in the future.  As a single traveler it gave me another degree of comfort to have onsite support if I needed it (which I didn't, as it turns out).  I also enjoyed meeting other Untourists, running into them at the same sites, comparing notes, and even planning to meet up for an event or excursion.  I hadn't planned on that, but I certainly enjoyed it when it happened.
   
  I read with interest the responses you got to your initial email.  I thought the folks who mentioned the potential difficulty of driving alone in Southern Tuscany made a good point.  I traveled in Northern Tuscany with 5 other competent, independent Untourists, and we had a surprising amount of trouble finding our way around.  We had a GREAT time nonetheless, but I'd think twice before striking out on my own in a car to visit Italian hill towns.  I'm not saying it shouldn't be done -- I might even decide to do it myself sometime! -- but it is an important thing to consider.  I suggest that you assess your own skills with the Italian language (all signs are potential road signs when you don't know the language!), navigation, willingness to ask for help, and so on before deciding to take one of the Tuscany Untours alone.  Now that I think of it, a single Untourist driving in Italian hill towns would probably be better off than a single non-Untourist doing the same thing,
 because in case of trouble the Untourist would still have someone in the general area to call and ask for support.  So Untours wins again!
   
  Good luck with your decision, and do let us know what it is.  As others have said here before, if the choices are go alone or stay home, I vote to go alone!
   
  
 
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