THE ART OF SOLO TRAVEL

Answer this: Would you take the trip of your dreams if you had to go alone? Many travelers have qualms about venturing out without a partner, fearful of loneliness, personal safety and costs. Yet traveling solo can have distinct advantages in addition to having the opportunity to do only what you want to do.

One trick is to take conscious pleasure in your solitude. Use the time to get reacquainted with yourself. To solve your own problems. To forget your problems.  There is an art to solo travel. Don't fret about being alone. It doesn't mean you're odd or unloved, only that you had the urge and opportunity to take a trip that friends or relatives couldn't.  Take personal responsibility for having a good time. Fill your days and nights with activity. Sample the local color, visit museums, or catch a play, concert, or sporting event.  Open yourself to chance encounters and meeting new people. Use public transit instead of renting a car. Stay in B&Bs instead of hotels or motels. Dine in restaurants instead of using room service. Bring along good books to read, and keep a journal. Join a city tour, or book a learning trip. And remember, a long walk is often good tonic for a restless, lonely traveler.  Finally to avoid loneliness, keep in touch. Call, send e-mail, faxes or postcards. Shop for gifts for those at home. There are many ways to keep loved ones in your thoughts even though they may be an ocean away.  The other big drawback to solo travel is that it can cost more - sometimes, a lot more. "Price based on double occupancy" is a phrase that is painfully familiar to anyone who travels alone.  A quarter of all hotel rooms, cruises and escorted tours are booked by people who are traveling alone. Many hotels, cruise lines and tour operators charge singles a supplement to cover the revenue they say they lose when one person stays in a room meant for two. Single supplements generally start at about 15 percent of the per-person price for a double. On cruises, one person staying in a double cabin may pay almost as much as two people traveling together. Getting around single supplements on tours and cruises isn't easy, but it can be done. Here are a few hints.  The easiest way to cut your costs is to change your single status. Find a friend to share your trip. If you can't or don't want to, the cruise line or tour operator may be able to help. Some companies often pair willing single travelers of the same sex, giving each the savings of double occupancy. A few even guarantee to match travelers or provide a single at the same per-person rate as a double. Ask when you make your reservation.  If you're choosier about your traveling companion than this blind date approach, you might want to use a traveler matching service, which for an annual fee will provide a list of possible traveling partners. With more than 15 years of experience, Travel Companion Exchange (800-392-1256) is one of the leading organizations in the field. Its 2,000 members also receive a regular newsletter with lots of advice on traveling alone and loving it.  If, however, you really do prefer your privacy, don't forget to ask about single rooms, both when you make reservations and when you check in. It's possible to find specifically single cabins and rooms, especially in older ships and hotels, and they generally cost a lot less than one person staying in a room meant for two.  Other resources on solo travel:  * "Travel Alone & Love It: A Flight Attendant's Guide to Solo Travel" (a 160-page book by Sharon Wingler and published by Chicago Spectrum Press).  * "Traveling Solo" (by Eleanor Berman published by Globe Peacock Press).  * "A Journey of One's Own" (Thalia Zepatos published by 8th Mountain Press).