The Single's Travel Guide Part II: Group Adventures

If you're unattached but nervous about traveling it alone, these packaged trips may be right for you.

Benefits
The cost of traveling with a group is often considerably less expensive than when traveling solo. Plus, your itinerary is already planned so you just sit back, relax and put on your walking shoes.

Gayla Pius of Capitola, Calif., says, "Travel with a tour group for safety, comfort and lots of fun. Pick a tour that interests you and you'll meet people with similar interests."

"Being open to a roommate can bring a new special friend," says Marge Ball, who runs small, intimate tours out of Orange County, Calif. (e-mail margestours@cox.net). "Be sure to ask the company if they allow advanced communication with roommates. It's nice to know the person before starting the trip."

Negatives
Janet Riordan reveals, "Some tours are too scheduled for me, [and allow] very little time to get a feel for a place."

And, while roommates can be good, they can also be bad. Joanne Sterling of Los Angeles says, "The person I was teamed with to share a room turned out to be a 'nut' who wanted to borrow money. After a few days, I paid the upgrade and had my own space -- much better, albeit lonely."

Another time, Joanne traveled with a church group to Greece. "Again, my roommate borrowed money I never got back. I'm older, wiser and more careful now."

And speaking of roommates, what if they snore? Or you snore?

Will You Meet Your Soul Mate?
Chances are you won't. In researching this article, not one of the 100-plus respondents said a permanent relationship had evolved from traveling. Jean Stone of Egg Harbor, N.J., mentioned that on a couple of trips she met men and felt chemistry, but, it fizzled quickly.

And if you did meet someone, one of the resulting issues would likely be a long-distance relationship, which can generate problems. For example, after only one trip, who disrupts their life and moves to a new city or state?

Sally Montgomery of Irvine, Calif., says, "I met a nice man on a trip who was an excellent dancer and we danced the whole cruise away. I saw him a couple of months after we got back, but it faded away."

"Don't plan your travel around meeting singles," says Deb from Miami.

Lillian Hammer of Plano, Texas, agrees: "Travel is not a way to meet other singles but is a way to enrich your life."

Susan Hillman of Placentia, Calif., says, "I went by myself on a 21-day Grand Circle Travel river cruise through Germany and established a friendship with a widower from Oregon. However, a romantic relationship has not blossomed yet. I plan to visit him this fall in Florida."

One less optimistic response: "Shipboard romances don't last. Don't have high hopes after docking."

Singles Weigh In: Favorite Trips
Kate Price of New York City says, "La Antigua, Guatemala. Beautiful, scenic, a hip international crowd and lots of nearby day excursions, or wonderful outdoor cafes. Inexpensive."

Marge Ball suggests volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in another part of the U.S. to build a house. Or clean a trail in the Smoky Mountains.

"Staying with host families in Central America and going to language schools assured me of plenty social events," says Linda Pulliam of Eureka, Calif.

Sandy Lee of Orange County studied Italian and stayed with an Italian family in Florence.

Lynda Thompson, a U.S. citizen, lives in Heidelberg, Germany. To meet people, she joined a ski club, although she doesn't ski much anymore. She takes trips with the club, which includes an upcoming Heidelberg Castle boat tour and long weekends in Prague and Amsterdam.

Contact your local community college or city community education programs to teach a special program at a distant location. Also look at Elderhostel programs that you can join. Lois Bender of Laguna Woods, Calif., says, "Elderhostels are so organized with classes that it takes the being alone out of being alone."

John Stratton of Niles, Mich., says, "The best opportunities for singles were the Barefoot Sailing cruises out of Tortolla, British Virgin Islands. Singles still go back to Tortolla, rather than on the boat.

(For information on cruises for singles, visit www.cruisingforlove.com.)

Finally, Barbara Barnes of Newport Beach, Calif., loved her Sierra Club getaway: "Traveling on a Sierra Club bus trip is like going to camp as a 50-year-old. You're assigned a seat mate who will probably be your roommate. You eat meals as a group, have happy hour together and the leaders make an effort to get everyone involved. (Visit www.sierraclub.org.)

Tom Blake is a syndicated newspaper columnist in California and the author of three books ondating and relationships for the ThirdAge generation.