Solo Travel: 6 luxury tips you can’t afford to miss

Sarah Lee in Thailand.

More trip planning advice as per the January theme of Solo Traveler. This time the topic is luxury travel and we have luxury travel expert Sarah Lee. Sarah is founder and editor of LiveShareTravel, an online travel and lifestyle magazine with real-time destination features from writers traveling around the globe staying in shared ownership (timeshare and fractional) hotels and properties.

There was a time when traveling in itself was a luxury. When hopping on a four hour flight to enjoy some winter sun or an intercontinental jet to encounter another culture was only for the very wealthy. But as things have become more affordable and our travel horizons have broadened so too has our taste for all things luxurious. So what of the solo traveler? What are the best ways to travel alone in style?

Shop till you drop
I’m a big fan of shopping around for travel deals online and have done so for years. Fact is you can save huge amounts of money while staying in great hotels. For example I once put together a three-week trip to South Africa and Zambia, staying in five star hotels and by shopping around online saved £2,700 off prices quoted through an agent. It does call for tenacity – searching popular sites such as Expedia (sometimes you’ll be surprised at what you can find with the larger online travel agents) but also ‘Googling’ “Paris hotels” for example can help you find lesser-known, more specific sites with cheaper rates. The main thing is shop, shop, shop around – a luxury break is all the sweeter when it comes at a bargain price.

Consider rising stars
So everyone’s heading to well-trodden destinations keeping prices high? Why not go to Zanzibar instead of the Maldives, Vietnam or Cambodia instead of Thailand, or Hvar in Croatia instead of the Greek islands?  Up and coming destinations often have the same big name luxury hotels, but at a fraction of the price of those in popular destinations. Also travelling out of season or in shoulder seasons (in between high and low season), can ensure you your own stretch of beach and a huge savings.

The Epic

Set sail
There was a time when cruising was all but out of the question for solo travelers who had to pay full fees for a twin stateroom, despite their single status. But the launch last summer of Norwegian Cruise Lines’ (NCL) latest ship Epic has opened up cruising for single travelers with a good number of specially created solo staterooms. Not only are they well laid out, making good use of space, they’re priced from just £479 for a seven-night Caribbean cruise and if you want to socialize with fellow solo cruisers, you can meet for coffee in your own Living Room, while enjoying five-star dining, an excellent spa and all the other facilities of this luxurious ship. Given the success of this new class of accommodation it’s very likely other cruise lines will create solo cabins in the future. Read a review here.

Follow your favorite brands
If you’re on Facebook or Twitter (and who isn’t these days!?) you’d do well to follow your favorite luxury brands. Not only do they often release details of reduced rates to their online communities first, but some create rates and offers especially for their loyal band of followers. Among the best are the cool US boutique-brand Provenance Hotels and Small Luxury Hotels of the World on Twitter, Red Carnation’s Red Hot Tweekends and JW Marriott on Facebook. Also sign up to sites like Tablet Hotels which has invitation-only flash sales with discounts of up to 60% on luxury hotel packages.

Get compensated for your loyalty
Like a particular luxury hotel brand? Be sure to collect loyalty points for stays in their hotels. If W Hotels is your style collect those Starwood points on each stay. Also airline points can be exchanged for hotel stays and vice versa. Not only can you get free nights with your points but you receive special offers as loyalty members. Of course some loyalty schemes offer better compensation than others so be choosy about who you give your loyalty to.

Invest in your travels
The concept of timeshare is by no means a new one, but what many people don’t realize is that there are many variations on the theme. Growing in popularity with well-heeled travelers is fractional ownership. Like timeshare you purchase a share of time when you can return to the property each year, but fractional shares are usually much longer than the average timeshare week – generally from a month upwards. Many schemes give you a deeded share of the property and the chance to earn rental income from your investment. What’s more where timeshare has traditionally been focused on holidaying couples, fractional properties are being picked up by everyone from single executives, and business travelers to empty-nesters looking for a solo escape. Fractional properties, some created by luxury brands like Ritz Carlton, Banyan Tree and Yoo, are rarely cheap but with fantastic ‘in-demand’ destinations, designer fixtures and fittings and extras like lifestyle concierges, they represent the ultimate in luxury travel.

Related posts: