Single person bookings and the barefaced cheek of the operators!

joho

Just a rant and a moan really, but if anyone knows an answer it would be appreciated!!

Am trying to find a 1 week, self-catering holiday for 1 person, or for this 1 person travelling with a couple. So 1 or 3 people in 1 or 2 rooms (ETA: that was obviously not clear enough - I want 1 room for 1 person on her own, or I want 2 rooms - 1 for the person on their own, and 1 for the other couple. Either way the party is an ODD number).

When I put this into the search engines for the operators like Directline, Thomson, Thomas Cook etc, the only holidays they have available for 1 or 3 people are the more expensive half-boards and all inclusives.

When I change the search to 2 or 4 people, they miraculously manage to find cheaper, self-catering holidays! Why is that? I understand and accept (well I don't accept it, but what choice is there!) we will have to pay the single person supplement for the 1 person - but why won't they even offer these holidays?

Am really fed-up of it.

And breathe.

leo2moss

joho wrote: »

Just a rant and a moan really, but if anyone knows an answer it would be appreciated!!

Am trying to find a 1 week, self-catering holiday for 1 person, or for this 1 person travelling with a couple. So 1 or 3 people in 1 or 2 rooms. When I put this into the search engines for the operators like Directline, Thomson, Thomas Cook etc, the only holidays they have available for 1 or 3 people are the more expensive, half-board and all inclusives.

When I change the search to 2 or 4 people, they miraculously manage to find cheaper, self-catering holidays! Why is that? I understand and accept (well I don't accept it, but what choice is there!) we will have to pay the single person supplement for the 1 person - but why won't they even offer these holidays?

Am really fed-up of it.

And breathe.

I often have this problem on websites and end up having to phone my local travel agent - and that's when I'm actually looking for HB or AI
It's the curse of the single traveller

evie-mays-mum

have you looked at booking the flights,hotel and transfers seperatly

Oldernotwiser

When you say self catering, do you mean in an apartment or studio? If you do, then obviously it's going to be more expensive for 1 person as s/he will be paying the rental element on his/her own rather than having it shared by others.

LeeSouthEast

Looked into http://www.solitairhols.co.uk/ ?

joho

evie-mays-mum wrote: »

have you looked at booking the flights,hotel and transfers seperatly

I looked at Expedia but they are not up to September 2011 yet! So will keep looking, but I very much doubt that will come in any cheaper.:(

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

When you say self catering, do you mean in an apartment or studio? If you do, then obviously it's going to be more expensive for 1 person as s/he will be paying the rental element on his/her own rather than having it shared by others.

Yes, I understood that. I know it will be more expensive for a single person - but what I said was that I didn't even get offered the self catering in apartment holidays when I was searching for a single person - only half-board or all-inclusive, in a hotel, at twice the price. As soon as I changed my search terms to 2 people (or any EVEN number!) up come the cheap self-catering studios. Surely if a studio is available on the date I want then it should be available whether there are 1 or 2 people in my search terms?:(

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Looked into http://www.solitairhols.co.uk/ ?

No, I haven't; never heard of them to be honest. I will have a look. Thanks. The problem is the holiday is for my mum to attend my wedding; so it's quite specific.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

joho wrote: »

Yes, I understood that. I know it will be more expensive for a single person - but what I said was that I didn't even get offered the self catering in apartment holidays when I was searching for a single person - only half-board or all-inclusive, in a hotel, at twice the price. As soon as I changed my search terms to 2 people (or any EVEN number!) up come the cheap self-catering studios. Surely if a studio is available on the date I want then it should be available whether there are 1 or 2 people in my search terms?:(

.

This is to cut down on fraudulent use of the studio. If you got the studio for 1 person what is stopping you letting someone else in who has got a dirt cheap flight and then covering half the cost of what you paid thus making it even cheaper then if you had travelled and booked for 2 people.

joho

Don't understand?!? Whats to stop someone booking the other more expensive hols and sneaking someone into the room? Hotels would be even less observant than a little studio with the owner living on site, surely.

I managed to book a studio for one person for September just gone with no problems.

evie-mays-mum

most flights are released 11 months in advance to try checking direct with the airline for the flights rather than expedia...who are the flights with

joho

Nothing booked yet at all evie-mays-mum. Probably be a package with someone like Olympic as they have the sort of studio that we want in the resort - Lindos, Rhodes not that it matters. The big operators, Thomson etc, don't do many of the studios in the town anymore. Something will come up - I'm not overly concerned at the moment!!

Doshwaster

The simple fact is that tour operators' business models are designed around couples and families.

I travel a lot on my own and always book independently. I've never had a problem with single person supplements.