There was a time – not that long ago really – when booking a trip as a solo traveller felt like signing up for a penalty. You’d find an ideal cruise or guided tour, only to flinch when that extra line item appeared: “Single Supplement: $XXX.”
That surcharge, originally just a pricing mechanism, felt like a tax on independence – especially when you’ve paid the same for flights, meals, and excursions as others on the tour, all of which are charged as ‘per person’.
From my personal travel experience, plenty of which has been done solo, and many years closely linked to the travel industry, my view on single supplements is pragmatic but evolving. Yes, they can be frustrating, and I’m sure especially for those on fixed incomes or retirement budgets. But I can also see the market is finally shifting in ways that older and solo travellers should know about and take advantage of.
Single supplements exist because most travel products, from hotel rooms to cruise cabins to tour packages, are priced for double occupancy. In simple terms, operators expect two paying travellers to share the fixed cost of a room, as most rooms are typically set up and intended for two to share. When one person wants that same space on their own, the operator doesn’t magically reduce the cost of staff, housekeeping, utilities and marketing – so the traveller is asked to cover what would otherwise be split.
That explains why the supplement can feel punitive, or at least disproportionately high. The base pricing model clearly wasn’t built with solo travellers in mind. In many cases it ranges from a modest percentage to nearly doubling the cost of your room – certainly a real barrier if you’re budgeting for a trip on a retirement income.
The rise of solo travel
The sheer growth in solo travel is undeniable, and much of it is driven by older adults – especially women over 50 who are taking life’s next chapter into their own hands. Recent industry surveys show that a huge number of solo travellers today are not young backpackers, but experienced, affluent “empty nest” explorers.
Over 80% of respondents in a major survey conducted by Solo Traveller World were women over age 55, many of whom take multiple trips each year, favour guided tours, and are comfortable letting operators handle all the logistics. A key finding from that survey, which admittedly was US-centric but can certainly be applied as a snapshot of other major markets such as Australia, was that nine out of every 10 solo travellers prefer to take tours or cruises either for their entire holiday, or for most of it.
Other studies, such as one from Rezgo, indicate that the propensity to travel independently increases with age, with roughly 38% of people over 55 preferring to travel alone compared with younger groups, underscoring that this isn’t a niche trend but a preference among seasoned travellers who have both the time and the means to explore.
This surge isn’t limited to older travellers, of course. There’s plenty of podcasts and mainstream travel reporting highlighting how solo trips, especially among women, have gone from niche to normalised in the last decade.
Seeking out experiences where the single supplement is waived – or where rooms and cabins are priced per person rather than per room – can make a material difference to your travel budget.
“No Single Supplement” simply means the operator has absorbed the cost themselves rather than passing it on to you – which often signals that they value solo travellers as a distinct market and are willing to compete for your business. There are curated lists of tours and cruises that specifically offer no or low single supplements, and these are worth following if you want comfort and fairness without surprises.
Many of these tours and cruises are operated by the world’s best, largest and most reputable and respected operators. These aren’t tiny niche cruises or tours operated by a part-time outfit. Solo travellers now have much wider access to the world’s best locations and experiences from the world’s best cruise lines and guided holiday experts. Think Scenic or Ponant cruises in highly desired locations, from Australia’s Kimberley region to Alaska, Northern Europe and even Antarctica.
Other expedition cruise companies such as HX offer options for solo travellers to explore Antarctica – usually a very expensive destination on a twin-share basis, let alone solo, however more brands are seeing value in promoting solo-share packages which offer great value.
In other parts of the world, major cruise operators such as Norwegian Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages even offer dedicated staterooms designed for solo travellers which are priced accordingly. And trust me when I say, having seen these cabins, there’s no way two people could fit into them comfortably, which is why they are designated solo cabins. In some cases, they only have one single bed and are, shall we say, cozy in size.
For land tours, brands such as Inspiring Journeys, Bill Peach Journeys and G Adventures are operators who promote tours and packages with no single supplement.
Bear in mind though, a word of caution. “No single supplement” doesn’t always mean that the total cost is lower. Sometimes base prices are higher, or there are compulsory excursions that raise the overall cost. Part of becoming a savvy solo traveller is knowing how to read beyond the headline price.
In short, not yet. But there are more than ever before. Just a decade ago, solo travellers often had to accept room-sharing or pay steep surcharges. Now:
But choice is still growing. There are more deals than before, but the market isn’t saturated. That means older travellers who travel often can make smart strategic choices: book early, look for off-season departures, and favour operators who explicitly acknowledge solo needs.
Single supplements started as a pricing oddity of an industry built for couples. For the older solo traveller, they’ve sometimes felt a reminder that travel infrastructure was not built for one.
But that’s changing. The rise in solo travel isn’t a fad; it’s a substantial shift in how people want to experience the world – liberating, intentional, and independent. As the industry catches up, you’ll see more no single supplement offers, more solo-only accommodations, and more social travel products built specifically with solo travellers in mind.
So yes – chase the deals that remove the penalty. But also recognise that your travel style today is no longer fringe. It’s a powerful, growing force in tourism – and the more solo travellers vote with their wallets, the faster the industry will adapt.
Traveling alone should feel like a choice, not a surcharge – and it’s finally starting to feel that way.
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