Planning a solo vacation and I would love help!

[IRLdisneyprincess]

Hey all! I have an upcoming cruise in September for a Disney cruise on the Wonder Ever since planning that vacation (my first major one) I realized that I have caught "the bug". I've had so much fun planning, looking for deals, and budgeting. It's my first vacation that I have ever planned and paid for as an adult, so it's been super rewarding and exciting! So much so, that I want to start the planning process for my vacation next year.

Now this is going to be a huge leap from cruise planning. If I am able, I want to travel to Greece next year and I'd like to visit Athens, Mykonos, and and Santorini. Ideally, it would be an eight day vacation and it would take place between the months of September-Oct. Getting the vacation time wouldn't really be an issue during any month (except the week of Christmas) but I was trying to make it further in the year because I would like to avoid summer prices and I would also like more time to budget and save.

Right now I am purely researching. I'm certain this is where I want to go, but not completely married to it if it proves to be not affordable for my budget. Hopefully it does! But seeing as how this will be my first stab at planning a solo vacation, internationally, I'm trying to do my research so that I can have a great time.

Speaking of solo, I will be travelling alone. Since I am looking at Living Social and Groupon vacation packages, a lot of times in the fine print I keep seeing it mentioned that if you do buy the package then the fees for travelling solo are normally around $350. Is there a reason for this? You would think travelling solo would keep things cheap.

Is my best bet to book an all inclusive vacation package? Or should I book things individually (flight, hotels, etc). Also, I'm not interested in tours or guides or anything like that, as I would like to go out exploring myself without that rigid of a schedule, I would overall just prefer to plan my own activities and itinerary. I see that guided groups seem to be included in a lot of vacation packages, but are they mandatory?

I currently use Hopper for flights. Is there another app/website I should be using to find discounted airfare? I should mention that I will be flying out of Houston.

My apologies if this post was kind of... everywhere, lol. But like I said, I'm just in the planning stages and any tips, tricks, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[IRLdisneyprincess]

Also, I'm not against a vacation payment plan, though I don't know what travel companies offer them. However, I don't wish to use a credit card to do this. I would just want to pay the balance off monthly.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Speaking of solo, I will be travelling alone. Since I am looking at Living Social and Groupon vacation packages, a lot of times in the fine print I keep seeing it mentioned that if you do buy the package then the fees for travelling solo are normally around $350. Is there a reason for this? You would think travelling solo would keep things cheap.

Almost all vacation packages are based on double occupancy. When someone travels solo, they are filling up accommodations, but the vacation company is only actually making money on a single package instead of two. There is an opportunity cost to the company and instead of bearing that out, the company passes the cost on to the solo traveller instead.

ETA: And if you aren't looking for a structured vacation with tour guides, etc. then I would not book a vacation package. These are almost always structured. You would do better to book everything separate in that case.

 

[IRLdisneyprincess]

Almost all vacation packages are based on double occupancy. When someone travels solo, they are filling up accommodations, but the vacation company is only actually making money on a single package instead of two. There is an opportunity cost to the company and instead of bearing that out, the company passes the cost on to the solo traveller instead.

Thanks for the info! That really does suck. I wish I could find someone to go with me, but it would be a huge financial commitment for my friends (the ones who even have the vacation time to spare) so that's why I'm planning a solo trip.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

I do a lot of travel with group tours lately - Adventures by Disney, G Adventure, Rick Steves, etc. When I know that I am going somewhere without a group, I will STILL go visit some of the travel companies who visit the same country/area. It gives me a feel for what they do and what they see, and often gives me ideas I might not have come up with originally on my own.

 

[smokeyblue]

Have you considered a cruise? There are lots of cruises around Greece. Norwegian has studio cabins within a private suite for solo travelers. You can get in on an 8 day cruise for $1,200.00. That is nice because it will include most of your meals. I'm considering doing this next year or going on a Viking cruise.

 

[BLAZEY]

Speaking of solo, I will be travelling alone. Since I am looking at Living Social and Groupon vacation packages, a lot of times in the fine print I keep seeing it mentioned that if you do buy the package then the fees for travelling solo are normally around $350. Is there a reason for this? You would think travelling solo would keep things cheap.

It's call a single supplement and most rooms are based on double occupancy. Some package will pair you up with other singles of your gender and share a room to save the fee, others just charge the fee and give you your own room.

 

[LovesTimone]

I personally would do a cruise, and some excursions that would fit into your budget. If it your 1st time traveling international and you are going alone... safety would be my top priority. This way your only unpacking once, and most of your meals are include and at dinner you will be seated with other travelers, and have someone else to dine with and possible make some friends. Which might work out for you to have someone else to hang out with on excursions, maybe even sharing the day with someone just out and about there is safety in numbers.