Hi as promised here is a summary of my experiences of this wonderful holiday with Travelsphere as a single traveller. Why did I choose this holiday when I could have gone with JY to Argentina and Brazil? Well I really wanted to see something of Chile, drive over the Andes and visit the vineyards of Mendoza. So I took the plunge and booked with Travelsphere as a single traveller. Some months later I mentioned to a friend whom I had met on a JY hol to South Africa last year that I had booked this hol and she decided to come too, also as a single traveller! So strictly speaking I wasn't on my own, but still I hope my experiences will help others to consider going with Travelsphere by themselves.
First of all the holiday was fantastic and I am very glad I did the Travelsphere version. The scenery in Chile was beautiful and although the cities we visited were not very exciting, it was good to see a little of the country. The drive over the Andes was stunning (despite a delay at the beginning of the pass due to ice) and Mendoza in Argentina is beautiful. The wine tastings there were great fun! Buenos Aires is a grand city; it was wonderful to see La Boca, the brightly coloured area where the tango originated and we went to the city's top tango show which was great entertainment. We visited the Tigre delta by boat (nice scenery and very relaxing) and had a great day at the Santa Susana ranch, with a bbq lunch, complementary wine and empanadas. We were treated to a short tango show and the gauchos showed off their horsemanship skills. Onto the Iguazu Falls, which exceeded all expectations! They are truly stunning, dwarfing both Victoria and Niagara. We had a full day on the Argentinian side, before heading to the Brazilian side the next morning. We finished up with two days in Rio, an iconic city in a stunning location, surrounded by lush green mountains, sandy beaches and pretty islands. We saw all the sights - Corcovado (the statue of Christ), Sugar Loaf mountain and Copacabana beach, as well as an extra tour of some favelas (shantytowns) - all well worth it, with stunning views everywhere. All in all, a wonderful holiday seeing so many world famous sights, it was fantastic.
So from a single traveller perspective, what did I think of it? As I said earlier, I did travel with another friend but I did try to imagine throughout what it would have been like to go by myself. The group was small, only 14 and the tour manager (Julia) said this was unusual as the groups generally are up to 40. The group consisted of four couples ranging in age from 30-late 60s, two male friends and two female friends as well as myself and my friend. So not many cosy couples! In fact the couples were very friendly and we ate with two of them on numerous occasions throughout the holiday. I asked them to be honest, if I was by myself would they be as happy to eat with me and they reassured me that they would (and I do think they were being honest!). Myself and my friend exchanged email details with the two couples at the end of the tour and I think we will be keeping in contact.
I asked Julia (who has been with Travelsphere for nearly 20 years and rarely does JY) what the score was with single travellers and she said that occasionally there are none, sometimes just the one and regularly there are a few. However, she said that this is really not a problem, even if there is only one as they do get integrated into the group - people will often ask anyone on their own to join them for dinner etc and she said don't be afraid to ask either! The couples we spent most time with said they enjoyed meeting new people on holiday and certainly didn't want to spend every mealtime just by themselves! Breakfasts were shared together, as were included lunches and dinners naturally enough. On those occasions where we were free to find our own place to eat, I'd say on more than half the occasions myself and my travelling companion made arrangements with another couple to go off somewhere together. If it had just been me, I would have had no reservations about asking either couple to join them for a meal as they were so welcoming and friendly.
So in conclusion, I'd be happy to go on a Travelsphere holiday by myself if it were to a location not offered by JY and it was somewhere I'd really like to visit. It would be easier to mix on a holiday where at least some of the meals were included. For example, the one Travelsphere hol I have my eye on to do in a couple of years is Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It sounds a spectacular holiday and it would be easier to integrate as all breakfasts are included, and four lunches and two dinners. This doesn't include any optional excursions which would also include some meals. It might be more difficult on a holiday where no meals are included, but once again if it were a holiday I really wanted to do, I wouldn't let this stop me. All you have to do is ask a couple or other single travellers/groups of friends to join them and given the friendly nature of the people I met on this holiday, I am positive that this wouldn't be a problem! I do hope that this testamonial is helpful.
Best wishes,
Bob
