Solo Travel Blog

Great New NEWS from Intrepid

2010 brochures are hot off the press and now you can get your copy by either downloading a pdf version online or having a brochure mailed to you.

We are thrilled to launch our fantastic range of trips in 2010, because not only will you see exciting new Urban Adventures, Short Breaks, OUT Adventures and more, but we have now carbon offset 500 trips!

Intrepid has calculated the most significant carbon emission sources from all our trips, including carbon emissions of the ground transport, accommodation and waste. Wherever possible, efforts have been taken to reduce carbon emissions, although Intrepid has always travelled in a carbon-efficient style. Any remaining carbon emissions will be offset with carbon credits from energy efficiency and clean energy projects in Thailand, India and China.

“With the focus shifting away from the credit crunch and back to the green crunch, we hope our actions inspire others in the travel industry to start addressing the critical issue of climate change,” said CEO and Co-founder, Darrell Wade.

Intrepid Travel runs a number of trips to Costa Rica which is selling itself as a top solo travel destination.

A Taste of Costa Rica is a top trip to discover the country’s abundant wildlife, intense volcanic landscapes and superb beaches in a short space of time.

For more details of trips to Costa Rica then check out Intrepid travel today.

Also we would like to introduce City living Guide which aims to provide useful information for solos arriving in new cities.

Recent surveys have shown that the recession is encouraging more women to go travelling solo than ever before.

The travel survey, carried out by HostelBookers.com, revealed that an overwhelming majority of women consider themselves ’solo travellers’ - 74% of participants. 67% of those who responded, said that they regularly (once or twice a year) travel alone.

The budget accommodation specialist also revealed that hostels are the favourite option for accommodation - 76% said they would stay in hostels most or some of the time on their trip, with 60% happy to consider mixed dorms.

During difficult financial times, travel is an increasingly appealing option, especially when budget accomodation allows for travel to far-flung destinations at low cost prices. For more information on accomodation to suit a range of budgets, visit, hostel bookers

If you are a grown up gapper then check out some of the deals from explore…

Central American Explorer (26 days) journeys thought five contrasting countries; Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. Explore vibrant colonial towns, sacred Mayan sites and unwind on Caribbean beaches.

Prices start from £2,315 pp with flights and £1,499 pp without*. Tour code: CAE.

The Santiago to Rio Explorer tour (28 days) will take you to some of the most amazing landscapes of Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Set foot in the world’s driest desert, marvel at the mighty Iguaçu Falls and unwind on the coast at Parati.

Prices start from £2,979 pp with flights and £2,186 pp without*. Tour code: SRE.

The Central Asia Overland tour (28 days) encompasses China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan. Highlights include old Silk Road settlements in north-western China and the fine Islamic architecture of Bokhara & Samarkand.

Prices start from £3,227 pp with flights and £2,459 pp without*. Tour code: CAU.

The Along the Yangtze and Imperial Journey, China tour (30 days) encompasses the five dynastic capitals, cruises through the spectacular ‘Three Gorges’ and takes you cycling amongst the stunning landscapes of rural China.

Prices start from £3,542 pp with flights and £2,908 pp without*. Tour code: YRC.

The Australian Adventure (30 days) explores the beautiful tropical waters of the Barrier Reef, the deserted sandy beaches of Fraser Island and the natural wonders of the Northern Territory.

Prices start from £3,850 pp with flights and £2,700 pp without*. Tour code: EEO.

Explore’s Discover New Zealand tour (29 days) is a spectacular active adventure covering the length and breadth of New Zealand’s natural and cultural wonders. Prices start from £4,550 pp with flights or £3,550 pp without*. Tour code: DNZ.

Caribbean is generally not thought of as a solo traveler destination. So much so that some hotels have been known to charge a ‘single supplement’ for a room that they would prefer to sell as a double. This is not universal, though, and in fact there are now a few hotels that cater specifically for single travellers.

The Caribbean is not generally an uncomfortable place as a single traveller, either as a man or a woman. If your aim is to hide yourself away in a nice setting or to pursue a particular interest, then the Caribbean has always had many small and personable inns with friendly staff that will welcome you and look after you extremely well.

If you are thinking of heading to the caribbean don’t forget to take out travel insurance for seniors otherwise you may end up with a hefty bill.

We all know that Australians may be among the loudest travellers, but overall they are polite, don’t whinge, and are well behaved, a new survey has found, and were among the favoured solo travelers.

The global Best Tourist Survey, Expedia found hoteliers around the world rank British and Japanese as the best tourists to have.

The worst tourists are those from the most popular tourist destination in the World, France. The French have a reputation for being rude, arrogant and impatient.

If you are looking for details of budget travel destinations then the Lonely Planet Books are available and have lots of useful info.

There is to be a new player in the solo travel adventure market.

The Discovery Channel has announced that it is getting into the solo travel industry by launching “Discovery Adventures” later this year, which will be geared to solo travelers . The intent is to offer adventure solo travelers the chance to visit the places that often are depicted on the channel’s many outdoor related television shows.

Discovery has joined forces with established adventure solo travel operator G.A.P. Adventures and will soon be offering 30 trips to destinations around the globe. The website for Discovery Adventures is expected to go online in July, allowing travelers to begin booking trips at that time.

Over the last twenty years Intrepid has tried just about everything. And we’re talking real life experiences you can really sink your teeth into! From cockroaches in Cambodia to Peru’s not-so-cute Cuy and the giant mud crabs of northern Australia. A personal favourite food memory was being offered yak butter tea and momos in a remote Tibetan village - I’ve never acquired a taste for the tea, but steamed momos are the best and I’d go back to Tibet in a heartbeat.

This week Express chows down on some sweet, and some hard to swallow, travel adventures in Italy, China and Mexico. To feast on our 20th anniversary specials before 20 April you will have to act fast, and if you want a tasty adventure that’s spiced with ancient temples and age-old traditions, enter our win-a-trip competition today! See intrepidtravel.com

If you are thinking of going on an adventure holiday then you will need good travel insurance over 75 cover too.

Shoestring travel used to have a feature on their website whereby when you were looking for a holiday online you could see who your fellow travellers were. This is particularly handy if you are travelling alone and you don’t want to end up with loads of couples.

For someone reason they have taken away this feature and now you are left not knowing.

No other operator in the US or UK offer this crucial feature that could mean the difference between a booking or a non sale.

So we at Solo Travel urge operators to think about including this feature, because as solo travelers we want to know who we are sharing our holiday with!

Leading adventure tour operator Explore (www.explore.co.uk) has launched a new range of budget-busting Back to Basics tours, available online, offering great value for money and focusing on seeing destinations through the eyes of a local. Each trip features local transport, gives inside information on where the locals eat, provides flexible itineraries which allow plenty of time for exploration and includes simple hotel and guesthouse accommodation.

A total of 13 tours is available, with the itineraries ranging from 8-22 days in length. Destinations include Cambodia, India, Japan, Jordan, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam and Zambia.

Ashley Toft, Managing Director of Explore, comments: “The new Back to Basics tours provide rich rewards for travellers who are happy to skip the usual creature comforts and who want to really get under the skin of the country they’re visiting, using a highly-flexible itinerary. Whether it’s eating from the best roadside food stall in Cambodia, trekking through Morocco’s High Atlas with Berber villagers or scouring Jaipur’s jewellery and craft markets, this is exploration at its best - the antithesis of mainstream tourism.”

Intrepid regularly offer 20% off the remaining places on a trip when the departure date is coming up soon. If you are ready to travel they have some great deals for you!

Some examples of their deals include…AFRICA

Vic Falls to Jo’burg
7 days Livingstone to Johannesburg 03 Mar 2009
Vic Falls to Cape Town
22 days Livingstone to Cape Town 17 Feb 2009
Road to Zanzibar
14 days Nairobi to Dar es Salaam 22 Feb 2009