Flavours of Italy: Single Supplements

Isn’t it disappointing when you get excited about a holiday, read all the details and then find the single supplement slapped on is almost prohibitive? Singles holidays, has anyone really tapped into this market? I was beginning to wonder. It seems so unfair to penalise single travellers but that still seems to be the dominant pricing structure amongst some tourist holiday companies.

This is odd really because it’s obvious the way people choose to live their lives is so different from when tourists first made the trip, en masse to the Costa del Sol in Spain during the 1960s. I was one of the originals, how old does that make me? We all posed at the back of the aircraft and had our photos taken dressed in our finery, then picked up the souvenir photos on our way home; how quaint is that?

How things have changed; no longer do we pack a suitcase full of brand new clothes, we go away because we need a break, to re-charge the batteries to learn a new skill and we want to travel alone if that’s our choice. Singles holidays are definitely the way forward.

What could be better than to leave the family behind and treat yourself to a week’s Pilates, or an Italian Cooking Course or even Painting in Tuscany. People’s understanding about what a holiday should be is completely different. If you want a singles holiday, for whatever the reason, why aren’t more companies catering for this demand?

It’s lucky therefore that I can let you into a secret, not so secret I suppose as these holidays were featured on the BBC Holiday programme, but for the sake of drama, let me whisper in your ear: Flavours Holidays. I have discovered this is a switched on company who positively promotes singles holidays! You no longer feel like the fairy that wasn’t invited to the christening, there are opportunities to pursue a passion, be alone if necessary but join in the fun with like-minded souls if that’s what you need.

Imagine the joy of waking up and throwing back the shutters, breathing in the warm air knowing today is all about you and you alone. So much for singles holidays I guess anyone who has heard one too many, ‘No, I don’t really fancy doing that.’ kind of comment will relish the opportunity to do their own thing, mooch around eateries in Florence, hike in the hills in Tuscany or pursue a Pilates course just to name three possible options.

I love the concept of travelling alone but having a group of people around should you want to share ideas, enthusiasms, expertise and conversation. I know life-long friends can be formed this way and the idea of sitting around a long table on a balmy Italian evening talking late into the night is certainly so attractive; I can hear the cicadas now as I write.

So don’t let single status be a barrier to enjoying a well-earned break. Let your spirit of adventure flourish on a singles holiday in Italy. Whatever your choice, whether that’s a cooking, pilates or painting retreat, the single holiday market has never looked quite so enticing.