The dynamics of every group is different - so who knows what your experience will be. But LOTS of singles take organized tours and live to tell the tale

There are singles on most tours, either paying a single supplement, or being matched up w/ another single by the tour operator.

I haven't gone on a whole group tour, but I've taken day tours a number of times, and I always seem to hook up with a couple or a family and feel quite comfortable being with them. I am fairly outgoing, though. Perhaps that makes a difference.

I wouldn't hesitate to take a tour as a single person.

Is the tour matching you with a roommate?

Be brave. You are guaranteed to meet more people and much more likely to make new friends if you travel alone.

I took a couple tours as a single person when I was younger as I had never traveled abroad before, nor had my family, so I just wasn't familiar with everything and that seemed safer and more comfortable. That was pre-internet when it wasn't that easy to find out about and plan things, either. Anyway, I had a great time and got my feet wet that way so I could travel more independently later. However, some people like it as it is built-in company (I would think there are always at least a few people you click with), and it does save time and trouble, that's for sure.

I deliberately chose a budget tour as I didn't have a lot of money, but I think you get a wider range of persons on budget tours, also. I also wanted a smaller group and free time, so I deliberately chose a tour that did not have most meals included and had optional activities. So the tour provided transportation, accommodation, a few tours I liked that were overviews, etc., but only a few meals in places that were kind of isolated, anyway, so it wouldn't have been easy to get places on my own.

The tours I took had a mix of couples (married, some just boyfriend/girlfriend or gay couples) and a few people traveling together for other reasons (a couple of sisters, some were friends, a couple times there was a single parent with a teen child). I think there were a couple other singles other than me, but I don't really remember, to be honest. Because it didn't matter. I had plenty of pleasant conversations and meals with these folks, whether they were couples or one of the other situations. And a couple times one of the women that was with someone else then made plans with me (a theater outing, horseback ridimg, etc) as the person they came with didn't want to do it. And for the single parents, it was nice in one case that they had someone to go off and do something with their daughter so they had some free time (I was in my early 30s at the time, so was closer in age to the teenager) but didn't have to worry.

In any case, I had a great time, even the people on these tours that were couples didn't have any issues about that, why would they. They were on a tour, also, some of them asked me to join them for dinner or breakfast, and some were fascinating people, actually (one was a couple on their honeymoon who had done charity work in Haiti and they it was second marriages for both). I do remember one single older woman on one of the tours who had had polio so some trouble getting around, but we all took turns helping her and making sure she had things to do and wasn't left alone, although she was very independent, of course, and that's why she was on the tour.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it at all, just choose a tour wisely that has things you really want to do and try to get a feel for the demographics, you can usually do that.

oh, I always paid the single supplement, that's what I wanted. I had no interest in a roommate, I like my privacy. The tours I was on didn't have those arrangements, anyway (no matching up of people), although I know some do and some are mandatory (Rick Steves won't even allow you to have a single room, I think, even if you want one). I pay for single rooms when I travel on my own, anyway. The cost wasn't really that much more on the tours I took, just what you would expect to pay for the fact that you have your own room), but I was on budget tours. In fact, I think it might have been cheaper than if I had actually traveled on my own and had to book single rooms everywhere.

Wow! Thanks everybody for the info. I have a tendency to over-think and over-research things, thereby creating issues where none exist! I'm a very outgoing person who always talks to people in line at the grocery store or anywhere else I happen to be. I've just never traveled alone before.

To Kybourbon: I haven't decided about the roommate thing. Like Christina, I like my privacy but it will depend a little bit on cost. And what happens if she snores?!

" And what happens if she snores?!"

There are these amazing things -- called ear plugs

Me personally, I'd opt for the single supplement, but on some tours they are VERY high (another reason I almost always travel independently)

I just don't think I could sleep in a room with a stranger. That may sound odd to people, but I just don't think I could relax that much when someone was only a few feet away whom I didn't know. Anyway, I like to do what I want, when I want (re reading in bed, TV, whatever). I can see if the cost is really different, it may be a consideration if you don't want to pay the difference or don't care about rooming with others as much as I do. It depends on the level of tour, but in a budget tour, I wouldn't expect it to be more than around $25-50 a day. That's assuming a hotel double room cost would be around $150 (or $75 per person) and a single around $100-125. On a deluxe tour, I could see it being more like $100 a day in room cost difference, maybe. Nothing else is affected by being single except the room cost, generally (some independent tours might have costs for private airport transfers would would be affected).

For example, I just checked one of the tours on gate1travel.com (a good budget tour company), and their 8 day Sicily tour in Spring costs $127 more in total for single accommodation, this tour has 6 nights in a hotel (all 4*, actually) so that is only about $20 a night. Worth it to me.

I have gone on 5 or 6 tours as a single. I always pay the single supplement. What if your roommate wants to talk constantly, smoke or has different sleeping habits. It is important to me to have some time alone. I have found the others to be very inclusive and have never felt lonely. I'm sure you will have a great time.

Gate1 has its business model - But most tours charge from about 35% to nearly 100% more for a single.

I did do one tour as a single - to Russia when that was the only way to go.

'First, I would never share with a stranger - seeing the same people all day for days at a time is bad enough without also seeing them at night. And a stranger can do much worse than snore.

Second, do you KNOW you are the only single - or are just afraid of it? If you don;t know call and ask the company.

My tour had 6 singles - both men and women. Unfortunately I ended up with a couple of them attaching themselves to me - since they were timid and I had traveled a lot. I eventually figured out how to get rid of several of them - except for one of the guys who was decent company. (The others kept complaining that 1) things were different than at home, 2) things were more expensive than at home, and 3) no one told them what to do on their "free" time.

Actually the guide gave several options and offered to arrange them - for a fee. The hangers on only wanted what was free, nearby and had signs only in English. (Some people should not travel.)

I would just get your own room, do the necesary research to figure out what you want to se and be normally friendly. I'm sure there will be lots of invitations for free time activities and meals.

I have only done two tours , when I was very young, last time about 25 yrs ago. This was before the internet made it so easy to plan trips. Although I had a good time, there's no way that now I would consider going in one. You never know what kind of group you're going to have and the dynamics of the group. It could be good, it could be bad. Also typically you do most things in group, including meals, very programmed. As I ahve gotten older I value more my independence and would feel trapped having to go everywhere with a group.

I have done several tours solo. I have been on tours where roomies who were paired up had a great time together, others where they were respectful but interacted very little, and still others where they couldn't stand each other and complained the whole time. I always paid the single supplement, so never had roommate issues.

I am the most private person I know, and not particularly outgoing. However, I once did a two-week stint with Habitat for Humanity, sharing a house with 14 other people, all strangers. There were 10 women in one bedroom. I dreaded the thought of sharing such close quarters, but it turned out to be one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. So if there is a great disparity in cost, and you can't afford to go otherwise, then I would go ahead and take my chances with a roomie.

There were always at least a few other singles on every tour I took, and I never felt out of place, even when I was the youngest person in the group. Sometimes I did things with the group, and sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I paired up with another single or did things with one of the other couples. A lot of people disparage tours, but I always had a good time. I say go for it. Chances are, you will have a good time , too.

journeywoman.com good tips I go solo a fair amount find it quite enjoyable.Last fall did a Galapagos Ecuador Colombia
Peru tour and had a blast.generally on tours folks pair up
on interests likes and dislikes sort of seems to happen
naturally over time. Not a fan of bedding down with strangers
with all sorts of unusual smells and habits.Odds are you will
be fine but not worth the risk as long as you are not forced to by budget.Did this once in the past got a big fella with sleep apmea who snored like Old Griz operating a chain saw
blew away my ear plugs.So not worth it for me.

Factors that lowered Gate One Travel's rating include: Failure to respond to one complaint filed against business. ... please contact info@chicago.bbb.org ...
www.bbb.org/.../gate-one-travel-in-arlington-heights-il-47000363 You can do LOTS better than Gate 1
Globus good personal experience smartours.com bbb.org A rated good prices

MarthaTX, I have taken many tours in Europe solo in the past ten years. Really enjoy it. I would NOT, however, share a room with a stranger. Love my privacy, especially after being with the group all day.

My best experiences have been on INSIGHT TOURS, along with TRAFALGAR and GLOBUS. Would love to do TAUCK or SMITHSONIAN, but they are outside my budget. I have not used Gate 1. In looking over their offerings, some things did not sound right to me. From my observation, the single supplement is less in Europe than in the States. I would avoid “economy” or “cost saver” tours if possible. Their hotels are not centrally located and the amenities are inferior.

Regarding the group – I have never felt socially uneasy on these junkets. Although I had a situation in Spain similar to that of NYTRAVELER above when one single gal became somewhat possessive of my time. That had to be resolved. Most folks are friendly and open when travelling. Although I may not recall their names, I often think back fondly to conversations I had with these fellow-travelers from all over the world.

On the tour I took last summer to Cornwall and Devon, there were four single males and six single women. If you click on my name you will find my TR to London which includes a sketch of that tour at the end.

Italy? Delicious – by all means GO! And please let us know how you make out…

I haven't been checking too many tours in the last few years, but I have never seen one that charged twice as much for a single as one person in a pair, or even close to it. That wouldn't even make sense as all costs could not double. I didn't take gate1travel, either, I took a pretty mainstream tour company, that was just an example which would pretty low of a difference.

I just checked Tauck which is a very high end company and they do charge about $100 extra a day for a single supplement, which is about what I'd expect for a deluxe company. But it isn't double the cost by any means, more like raises it 25 pct. I can't imagine how any company could stay in business charging double to a single person or who would book such a thing, I think they'd be out of business pretty quick (or just no singles would take it, but that kind of pricing doesn't make sense as costs cannot double).

I would worry more about the type of tour and the age and activity level of the other travelers.

I just shared a small tent with a stranger. It really added to the trip. Take a chance.

We organized a tour a few years ago that was based on food and wine and there was a large mix of couples, single, boyfriend etc. We laughted until we cried and even though I worried non stop before everyone got there.....what a great time.

The tours I'm looking at are from Globus and Brendan. I'm planning to concentrate on Rome, Florence, and Venice. Most of the tours go from city to city via motorcoach but some go by train. I was thinking the train might get me to the next city faster but the motorcoach trips stop somewhere along the way which is also appealing. Also, each trip gives me 3 nights in each city and one full day left to my own devices.

I have been traveling abroad as a single for years - both independently and with groups. I always get my own room and I always have a wonderful time.
I have traveled with Tauck, Uniworld, Road Scholar, often taking advantage of the late fall "no single supplement" fares. The groups are all different but I always find fun, interesting, well-traveled people to be with when I want company. I like being on my own too. So, MarthaTX, go and have a wonderful time.

>>>" And what happens if she snores?!"

There are these amazing things -- called ear plugs<<<

I traveled with a friend this past fall (not on a tour) and discovered she snored. I had ear plugs, but they were no help. She also wanted to be in bed at 8 pm. Spring for the single supplement.

I think OAT is supposed to have some free singles, but not sure they do your itinerary.
http://www.oattravel.com/Ways-to-Save/Solo-Traveler.aspx

@kybourbon - Thanks for the idea. They don't have my Italy itinerary but I'm going to keep the link for future reference.

I've toured Italy twice as a single (or as I prefer independant) traveller. First time was a classical tour from Naples through Rome to Florence and the second was a tour of the Lakes. I opted to pay the single supplement as I didn't want to share with someone I don't know. I'm from the UK and it is very unusual to be offered the opportunity to share and only seems to come with tour operators who also offer tours from outside Europe.
I'm quite happy travelling alone and I didn't want to be paired up with someone else. On one tour I was given a double coach seat to myself but on the second with Globus, they asked all of the singles to pair up.
I did find that the single bedrooms varied considerably - from a 4 bedded apartment in Guarda to a tiny childs room in Stresa, Maggiore, where the bed was so small I ended up sleeping on the floor. Overall the single rooms were very small and nearly always didn't have a view. A bit annoying that you pay extra for a room that will only sleep one person anyway.
I found that the evening meals were usually around group tables - it did mean that you met and got to know your fellow travellers. The meals were often a set menu so do list any dislikes on your form at the start of the holiday and not just allergies. I also found it interesting to mix with people from different countries - my tour of the Lakes with Archers (Globus) was in a group of Americans, Australians and British travellers. We all appeared to have very different approaches to touring and this was reflected in the itinerary set by the tour operators.
There are nearly always optional excursions on the day you're not touring - some of these were the best of the entire holiday, but it can be exhausting to go on all of them.
If you want to go off on your own during your free time you need to just go - you will bump into familiar faces as you walk around the different cities, but you see so much more if you head out on your own. At the end of the day you are paying for your holiday and you need to do what you want to do and not compromise to accomodate someone else.
Most of the non-European travellers were combining several tours into their holidays (several had been to Sicily and were following up with Venice) whilst the Brits tended to spend a second week in one place - in my case Lake Como where I spent the week visiting all of the little villages around the lake using the local ferries.
I certainly enjoyed touring Italy and I never felt uncomfortable being on my own. I did do a lot of research before I went but I would recommend it to any single traveller.

I usually travel independently but have taken 2 tours so far.
One was a Women's group tour & other a reg tour w/a mix of singles, married & mother/daughter combos.

Be outgoing, spring for the single supplement & you will enjoy yoru trip so much more. The one main advantage of a group tour is having folks to dine with in the evening.
Howwever, that can backfire if you have timid folks who really don't want to explore the local cuisine.

Most of all, do not depend on the tour for all your info. Do some R&D before you go which will make the trip more satisfying.

>>>They don't have my Italy itinerary but I'm going to keep the link for future reference.<<<

Sorry, I didn't look first to see if they did. One of our longtime poster's took an Oat tour a year or so ago and did a trip report. He is an independent traveler (often traveling for months at a time) so this was a first tour experience I think. Here's his review.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/neopatricks-oat-inside-vietnam-adventure.cfm

If you haven't traveled to Europe before, a tour may be a good idea for a first time. It's also very easy to visit Italy on your own.

I took a tour with Tauck last fall that included several nights in Venice and a 7 night cruise of Croatia and Montenegro on a small ship (approx. 200 passengers). While my boyfriend was able to be with me in Venice, he couldn't be away longer so I paid the single supplement and had a cabin to myself on the cruise.

I didn't feel odd or lonely at all. I would usually stick with the group when touring for a while then go out on my own and explore what I wanted. Each day there was afternoon tea, cocktail hour before dinner and dinner aboard ship. I never had to eat/drink/dine alone. Everyone was very friendly, and on some nights I would have to decline an invitation because I had already accepted a previous one. I am a friendly,outgoing person and I had a great time.

I too would advise paying the single supplement. You might want to check Tauck, www.Tauck.com. I know that they have 2 tours to Italy which visit Venice, Florence and Rome. One is slightly longer and goes to additional areas. I have done both of them and recommend them both.

Just a slight correction to Christina's comment above...Rick Steves' tours DO offer the option to pay for a single supplement. If you opt not to pay it, and there are no other singles on the tour, you get a single room anyway.

From the reviews of several of my friends there are always singles on tours. I went on one this year and there were almost half singles - and some shared rooms, and some paid the single supplement. One tip: one woman told me that she never pays for the single supplement, but because she is often the odd person she will end up with a single room more fairly often - at no additional cost. The thing about travelers is that they are usually so open and friendly if they are in a group. I mean, what's the point otherwise? It will be fine!

I too want to go to Italy in May. I would love to know how to get in touch with you.

With who?