Sep 5, 2007
Four more suggested answers to the most frequently asked travel questions
Ten questions account for the overwhelming percentage of all travel questions put to me in various forums and on my weekly radio program. I discussed three of them on Friday, and am turning to four more today, along with the responses I usually make to each.
4) Can I, a single person without a companion, travel pleasurably on group tours? If the tours you're considering are the standard if-it's-Tuesday-it-must-be-Belgium sort, then the chances are overwhelming that you'll be among couples, families, and other conventional types, and that you might feel alone. The answer is to book a specialty tour that focuses on a cause or special interest outside of yourself. In that intensely-focused activity, people mix and mingle without references to whether they are couples or singles -- and a great many other single persons are usually found. Go to www.specialtytravel.com, where you'll find hundreds of special interest tours departing each month.
5) Should an unaccompanied woman travel alone? This is a variant to question #4. The answer is flatly yes. The world has grown far more sophisticated and no longer looks askance at the unaccompanied woman or subjects them to discrimination. Indeed, a great many feminists will argue that it is preferable to travel alone, becoming more sensitive in that fashion to the local culture, having a greater chance to meet local residents.
6) Is it safe to visit (here, they name a destination)? No one other than yourself is able to answer that question. Terrorism and/or crime is now a statistically possible risk (though a small one) almost everywhere (like in Egypt, Morocco, Bali), and in the last analysis, only you can decide whether you're determined to live your life free from fear or whether you'll avoid every place where an incident might conceivably occur.
7) For a cruise I am about to take, should I buy shore excursions in advance? Absolutely not. Wait until the cruise is underway to determine whether or not you feel on a particular day like joining a busload of your fellow passengers, or whether you've met other people with whom to share a taxi, or whether you'd prefer to simply wander the port city free of charge.
Write and read comments about this post.
4) Can I, a single person without a companion, travel pleasurably on group tours? If the tours you're considering are the standard if-it's-Tuesday-it-must-be-Belgium sort, then the chances are overwhelming that you'll be among couples, families, and other conventional types, and that you might feel alone. The answer is to book a specialty tour that focuses on a cause or special interest outside of yourself. In that intensely-focused activity, people mix and mingle without references to whether they are couples or singles -- and a great many other single persons are usually found. Go to www.specialtytravel.com, where you'll find hundreds of special interest tours departing each month.
5) Should an unaccompanied woman travel alone? This is a variant to question #4. The answer is flatly yes. The world has grown far more sophisticated and no longer looks askance at the unaccompanied woman or subjects them to discrimination. Indeed, a great many feminists will argue that it is preferable to travel alone, becoming more sensitive in that fashion to the local culture, having a greater chance to meet local residents.
6) Is it safe to visit (here, they name a destination)? No one other than yourself is able to answer that question. Terrorism and/or crime is now a statistically possible risk (though a small one) almost everywhere (like in Egypt, Morocco, Bali), and in the last analysis, only you can decide whether you're determined to live your life free from fear or whether you'll avoid every place where an incident might conceivably occur.
7) For a cruise I am about to take, should I buy shore excursions in advance? Absolutely not. Wait until the cruise is underway to determine whether or not you feel on a particular day like joining a busload of your fellow passengers, or whether you've met other people with whom to share a taxi, or whether you'd prefer to simply wander the port city free of charge.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: tips
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
