Single and Leaving Town

You find yourself upon your vacation week and uninspired by the old hangouts in town. What’s a single guy or gal to do on short notice? These days there are many attractive options for the single traveler. We live in the day and age of online dating and matchmaking and dating adventures such as 8 Minute Dating. So what would make you think you couldn’t plan an exciting time out of town?

You might begin by visiting your local travel agent’s website for a few ideas. Most will post their deals for a variety of getaways. One or two might even be last minute vacations –departures within the week or two. A beach or island club, a casino resort, and cruise vacations are the regulars, but don’t hesitate to call the agent either. Ask the agent questions about the travel location or venue you are interested in, for example, how many singles versus couples or families are typical.

Sign up for email alerts for instant specials in preparation for future trips. Many are all-inclusive, allowing you to book flight and transportation directly through them. If you’re pressed for time or putting in long hours on the job, consider letting your travel agent handle all the plans. In preparation for future trips, sign up to receive email alerts from your agent. They will let you know of any last minute opportunities as soon as they have the information.

Perhaps a long weekend offering a slightly different adventure is more along the lines of your tastes: a coastline painting workshop or a culinary school experience. Options such as these might take more in-depth research, but might be the reward you’re looking for. Though not focused on singles per se, most will certainly offer satisfying intelligent adult interaction. Check with regional arts and crafts guilds. A handy online resource to many of the US cities is Craigslist—an online compendium of classified-type information by location, regularly posted and updated. For something last minute, this resource might be just the ticket for accessing activities in another city or large town.

The adventurous single might be right at home exploring a major city. Especially during the winter months, cities such as New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, even San Francisco are hungry for visitors. Affordable flights, hotel, and rental car deals can be found. Compare prices on the major web travel discount sites, such as Travelocity, Expedia, and HotWire. Priceline will allow you to bid for anything from economy motels to upscale hotels, among other travel necessities.

For older singles, or those divorced, never-married, widow/widower, single parent, or gay—travel options are on the rise. Many larger cities have their own adventure and travel groups geared specifically toward accommodating the tastes and needs of mature singles.