How to skip the single supplements?

her with a ‘‘roommate who snores and ruins the holiday’’. Fair call. Who wants that?

Slowly but surely travel companies in New Zealand are following the lead of United States and European equivalents and competing on the single supplement charge – or in the case of at least one boutique travel agent, flagging it altogether.

Waikato-based agency, Travel for Solos, has tours and holidays for singles, widows or those who just can’t convince their mate to join them overseas, many without this extra charge.

Another option, if looking to join a European tour or trans-Atlantic cruise, may be to book through the growing number of United Kingdom-based solo traveller-centric operators and agencies.

Cruise companies like Cunard are aware of the growing numbers of (mainly older) solo travellers who don’t want to bunk up with a stranger or pay a single supplement and have geared fresh renovations toward more single cabins.

European river cruise company Uniworld has also come to the party in 2017 and is currently offering more than 200 cruises without this dreaded fee for solo travellers. If you feel like getting intrepid, tour companies which use hostel, camping or non-traditional hotel accommodation are more likely to ditch the single supplements as the fee is passed on by the cruise and hotel companies. Email if you have a travel issue you’d like Josh Martin, a London-based travel journalist, to write about.

Haggle:

The fee is never nonnegotiable unless you fail to negotiate.

Shoulder season is ripe with discounts to fill tours and cruise liners. For Northern Hemisphere travel, opt for dates in April, May, late September or October when operators have more rooms to fill.

Go off peak: Cut out the middle man:

Forget booking.com’s one-person occupancy rates, call the hotel or cruise company direct and use their advertised rates as a negotiation starting point. The costs they pass on to tour companies and travel agents could be reduced if you engage one-on-one.

Rope in a friend or relative to join you on tour. Failing that, agencies like Travel for Solos can offer a travel buddy match-making service to pair you with a roomy. Just be specific on your preferences (nonsnorer, photography skills…)

Some upmarket cruises this year are scrapping the single supplement. However, compare these options to standard tour prices that charge an extra 25-30 per cent for single supplement as you may find the posh cruise and tour options hide the fees among their standard costs.

Buddy up: Go posh: