Few things are more frustrating for single women travelers than having to deal with the single supplement. It just feels so unfair to have to pay more for a hotel room or cruise, simply because you are traveling solo.

As a single traveler, I have experienced this frustration first-hand. It’s not just the financial aspect of the single supplement that I find annoying. It’s the fact that I am being penalized for being single. Maybe there are good financial reasons that cruise companies need this tool, but, at times, it feels like discrimination than anything else. Do you feel the same way?

Is the Single Supplement Really Necessary?

Let’s give cruise companies the benefit of the doubt for a second and assume that the single supplement really is justified. Surely, there are ways to make this work for everyone.

For example, could cruise ships be designed with smaller rooms or “pods” for single travelers who don’t need a regular room? It might take some planning and effort, but, yes, they could.

Could cruise-liners match solo travelers of the same gender and give them the option of sharing a room? Absolutely! Solo travelers are already doing this themselves. Why not give them a helping hand?

Could companies offer to waive single-supplement fees for customers who travel with them multiple times? Definitely! In fact, I would argue that this would help them to stand out from their competitors.

All of these options are completely possible and the companies that make the first move will be in a great position.

How Are You Fighting the Single Supplement?

All of the ideas that I mentioned in the previous section are legitimate options. Unfortunately, most of them are still unrealized. So, the question remains. What can we do in the short-term to avoid, or at least weaken, the dreaded single supplement?

In a previous article, senior travel expert, Nancy Parode gave some suggestions to help single travelers to avoid the single supplement. Her recommendations included joining a solo travel network, looking for solo friendly tours and cruises and finding a friend to travel with.

According to my other guest, Jane Archer, the cruise industry may finally be realizing that they are missing a huge opportunity by pushing the single supplement.

I’d like to add that we can help each other to find solo friendly travel opportunities. We have more than 150,000 women over 60 in our community. We can keep our eyes open for great solo-friendly travel opportunities and share them here.

Let’s fight the single supplement together. Hopefully, if cruise companies and tour operators see us proactively looking for single-friendly options, they will be forced to change their policies.

Have you found any cruise companies that are friendly to solo travelers? Which ones? What else do you do to avoid the single supplement when you travel? Please join the conversation.