The Solo Travel Awards are presented to companies that excel at serving solo travelers by offering tours, cruises, and/or vacation packages with no or very low single supplements as well as other services appreciated by solo travelers. To gather accurate information for the judging process, travel companies nominate themselves for an award and answer 7 questions about their commitment to the solo travel market.
2019 was an exciting year for the Solo Travel Awards. Many new companies entered the Awards showing the growing interest from tour and cruise companies in the solo travel market.
We consider the Solo Travel Awards as part of our responsibility to advocate for solo travelers. We're pleased that doing so not only showcases companies that we already know serve solo travelers but has revealed more companies targeting the solo travel market that we had not previously known about. Finally, we hope that it will encourage many other companies to see and understand the needs of solo travelers and decide to address them.
Thank You to Our Judges
This year, we turned to real solo travelers, those who struggle to find, evaluate and decide on which tours and cruises to take, to help judge the Solo Travel Awards. Our sincere thanks goes to:
- Delores – solo traveler with experience booking tours and cruises as a solo traveler
- Emily – solo traveler with experience booking tours as a solo traveler
- Keith Jenkins – solo traveler, publisher of Velvet Escape and CEO of iambassador.
- Tracey Nesbitt – solo traveler and editor of Solo Traveler
Here is the primary criteria on which the companies were judged.
- How well they cater to solo travelers in terms of whether they apply a single supplement and how much is charged.
- How easy it is for a solo traveler to find, determine the cost and book a trip that is suitable for them.
- Whether there are special services for solo travelers before or during trips.
The Winners of the 2019 Solo Travel Awards
The Solo Travelers Choice Award
Vantage Deluxe World Travel
Ocean Cruises
Celestyal Cruises
River Cruises (two winners)
Riviera River Cruises and Vantage Deluxe World Travel
Vacation Packages
The judges did not award a winner.
Our Thanks to All Who Participated
The Solo Travel Awards is an exciting but also challenging endeavor for our small team here at Solo Traveler. We're absolutely thrilled with the results, and grateful to World Nomads, Clothing Arts and St. Giles Hotels for supporting us, to the judges for lending their knowledge, expertise and time to determine the winners and to all who entered the awards. We already have plans to refine the Awards for 2019. It is our hope that this healthy competition will result in more and better options for solo travelers.
50 Degrees North 50 Degrees North specialises in innovative and authentic travel experiences in the Nordic region, offering tailor-made and small group tours for solo travellers.
Adventure Canada Adventure Canada is the world’s leading marine expedition specialist, educating and connecting people to nature — and each other — through the spirit of adventure.
Adventurous Women Adventurous Women is an Australian owned and operated company providing escorted tours worldwide exclusively for women.
ATJ Traveling to Asia and the Pacific is not an easy task and can be intimidating. It's great to have a travel partner but it’s also such an enriching experience to travel solo, Our solo travelers get the best of both worlds: companionship throughout and time to explore, journal, rest, and reflect.
Celestyal Cruises Celestyal Cruises serves the Greek Islands and Mediterranean with an industry leading single supplement policy and an intimate, attentive experience - perfect for solo travelers.
Eldertreks ElderTreks offers small group, exotic adventure travel for the 50+ market with all-inclusive pricing, optional single supplements, and itineraries designed with YOU in mind.
Encounter Travel Encounter Travel is 100% committed to solo travel. With 6 travel styles and destinations across the world, join our age-matched groups for solo travellers.
Experience My France You stay in Véronique's mansion while she provides you with a fully guided and hosted French experience, 100% with locals over 10 days. Your all-inclusive tour is fully customized around your personal choices, desires, wants, as well as personal restrictions
Explore Explore small group adventures create stories and friends to remember for a lifetime. Choose from over 500 active trips in more than 100 countries.
Friendly Planet Over 38 years, we’ve perfected the formula of amazing hotels, airfare, included tours, must-see sights, and hands-on experiences that turn a “vacation” into a “bucket-list trip.”
Grapehops GrapeHops Tours offers small group tours to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Croatia, mixing cultural and sightseeing visits with unique wine and food experiences.
Grand Circle 800,000+ travelers have sailed with Grand Circle Cruise Line since 1998, including more than 225,000 solo travelers. Today, more than 30% of our travelers are solo—attracted by our comprehensive program and low-cost Single Supplements and more.
Gutsy Women Travel Gutsy Women Travel has been the leading provider of travel experiences designed exclusively for women since 2001. Small groups of 10-16 are led by an experienced Travel Director from the destination. Inclusions that matter deepen one's cultural experience.
Just You Just You provides the opportunity to embark on a solo adventure together with other like-minded travelers! Everyone is guaranteed a private room and is never charged a single supplement.
MT Sobek Celebrating 50 years of adventure, MT Sobek specializes in handcrafted, small group, and custom adventures, offering insider access and award-winning trips in the world’s most incredible places.
On the Go Tours We’re an award-winning provider of unforgettable travel tours and tailor-made holidays. From Myanmar to Madagascar, we love bringing you the best the world has to offer.
Other Way Round Other Way Round offers Colombia tours where adventure travel, cultural immersion, and social impact collide. We connect travellers aged 25-45 and share with them the real Colombia!
Overseas Adventure Travel Overseas Adventure Travel offers small group, immersive adventures for travelers aged 50 and older. With its small-scale travel philosophy, OAT limits groups to 8-16 travelers on land and 20-25 by ship.
Paris Personally Paris Personally is a woman-owned, Paris-based business providing exceptional small group trip experiences to travelers who want to experience Paris in an authentic way with a local guide.
Pravassa As the pioneer in wellness travel, Pravassa’s programs are vetted, curated wellness travel experiences crafted to address the self-care needs and time constraints of today's explorer.
Riviera River Cruises Riviera is at the top of the premium market yet competitively priced, offering true value for money. Shore excursions in every port are included yet we allow our guests time to explore on their own. Riviera River Cruises is the only company to dedicate entire departures to solo travelers.
Solo Travellers Group Tours At Solo Travellers Group Holidays we pride ourselves in using our travel expertise and passion for all things travel to create amazing small group holidays.
Surf Expedition Inc. We are passionate travelers in search of the best waves and places to discover. We believe that happiness resides in creating memorable experiences by meeting new and interesting people in places that we would’ve never thought to see in our lifetime.
The Blue Walk A woman-owned and operated company offering leisurely, relaxing, small-group walking tours in Europe, The Blue Walk specializes in art workshop vacations.
Tauck Founded in 1925, Tauck is a leader in authentic, enriching, guided travel, with more than 150 itineraries to 70+ countries and all seven continents.
Two's a Crowd Two's a Crowd is an Australian owned and operated travel company helping solos everywhere to confidently see the world.
Tucan Travel Tucan Travel has 32 years of success providing intimate small group adventures to more than 70 countries abroad. Come discover award-winning travel on one of our 200 different tours.
Vantage Deluxe World Travel Vantage applauds the spirit of independent discovery by placing equal importance on providing an unparalleled value and travel experience—the customer always comes first
Wild Frontiers Wild Frontiers is a boutique adventure travel company that specializes in stylish and original small-group tours and tailor-made trips to off-the-beaten-path destinations worldwide.
Women of the World Travel Our goal is to empower women through travel. We create hand-crafted tours to some of the world's most beautiful destinations for solo female travelers.
Women's Travel Group Phyllis Stoller started The Women's Travel Club in 1992 and has consistently worked to make travel accessible to women of all ages. Affordable yet luxurious group trips are formatted to make women comfortable immediately.
The Winners of the 2018 Solo Travel Awards
With thanks to our judges, here are the winners of the 2018 Solo Travel Awards.
World Nomads Solo Travelers Choice Award
Adventure Canada
Tours
Overseas Adventure Travel
Specialty Tours (2 Winners)
Pravassa and Experience My France
Solo Only Tours
Encounter Travel
Ocean Cruises
Celestyal Cruises
River Cruises
Vantage Deluxe World Travel
Vacation Packages
Transat Solo Collection
The Winners of the 2017 Solo Travel Awards
In two categories there was a tie so we declared both companies as winners. This is consistent with our goal of recognizing companies that treat solo travelers well.
Tours – Intrepid Travel and Overseas Adventure Travel
Specialty Tours – Encounter Travel
Packaged Trips – Mistral Singles and Transat
The Solo Travel Awards are run by Solo Traveler, the number one resource and community for men and women who travel solo. Click here for information on the Terms and Conditions of the Awards.