Singles Vacations for People Over 30

Going on a singles vacation can save a lot of wasted time in the dating game. (Photo: Dynamic Graphics Group/Dynamic Graphics Group/Getty Images )

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The "singles" market concentrates not on single people per se, but on single people who wish they weren't. Singles nightclubs are where single people go to meet other single people who also wish they weren't, as are singles parties -- arranged and advertized by professional organizers -- and singles websites. Singles vacations are no exception; they are arranged for and taken by single people looking for partners.

Reasons for Considering a Singles Vacation

According to Best Single Travel (bestsingletravel.com), almost one in three adults in the U.S. are single, and the typical American spends more years alone than in a partnership between the ages of 15 and 85. Traveling alone is something many people dread, but a financial incentive exists also: Hotels and cruise lines almost invariably impose a "single surcharge" on a traveler who reserves a room solo. The surcharge can as much as double the cost so that the operator doesn't realize less than his accommodation is worth when fully occupied. Booking through a singles-specific vacation organizer can pair like-minded and compatible people who enjoy the company and save each other a considerable amount of money.

Groups of Singles

Groups of singles are seldom arranged on a random basis. Organizers advertize their products based on age ranges -- 18 to 35 is common, then 36 to 50, then 50 and above -- and on interests, occupations and destinations. Singles vacations for people over 30 are designed to weed out disruptively immature people, those without a steady income and those whose interest, clothes and style clash with others. Singles clubs often make their own mass-reservations at resorts, which helps keep down costs. Athletic interests, car shows, balloon rides and gourmet food events all draw well-matched people into environments where everyone else is relaxed, single and open to being approached. Companies such as Best Single Travel (bestsingletravel.com), Singles in Paradise (singlesinparadise.com) and Singles Travel Company (singlestravelcompany.com) are representative of these organizations.

Special Interests and Tours

A number of companies operate singles vacations based on special interests and destination-specific tours. These itineraries can involve anything from a bus filled with older Angelino women looking for younger men descending on a nightclub in Las Vegas -- the infamous "cougar cruises" -- to fishing, skiing or scuba diving trips for retirees, and world travel for those who can afford it. For example, single people fascinated by the ancient Egyptian pyramids typically enjoy finding themselves on a plane filled with other singles with identical interests.

Singles Cruises

Singles cruises set sail with a boat packed with single people all looking to find a partner for a night, the length of the vacation or a lifetime. The only certainty is that you know that when you approach a new face they are in the "market" for the same result from their investment as you: someone to be with for a while. This radically reduces the chances of embarrassing refusals and increases the chance that -- even if two people aren't right for each other -- they will have sufficient common ground and experience to become friends or drinking buddies, at the very least. This chance is increased further when ages are compatible. Singles cruises typically take place as charters on smaller vessels, but all the facilities of the liners are afforded: restaurants, bars and nightclubs, swimming pools and sports facilities.

All-Inclusive Singles Resorts