Lone rangers: Travelers who go solo

In the 20 years since she became single, Louise Cazazian has taken advantage of her status, exploring the world as a solo traveler. By airplane, boat or auto, she's touched down on every continent except Antarctica, and toured countless cities and sites around the globe, always on a quest for new adventures.

Whether traveling as an independent single or as part of an organized tour, what Cazazian cherishes most are the adventures she discovers on her own. Once she motored around Germany and France, spending 31/2 weeks in each country. When she signs onto a group tour, her independent streak means Cazazian, 66, of Manhasset, will often skip the planned agenda to scout out areas less traveled by groups whose movements are orchestrated by timetables.

Whenever she's seeking an off-the-beaten path destination, she picks the tour guide's brain for directions and other details of places she wants to visit. "I just tell the tour guide I want to break away," she explains.

There are many with a similar mindset. Solo travel among older people has been on the rise, according to several national tour companies that specialize in the over-50 crowd. "The solo [travel] market is really growing quickly," says Priscilla O'Reilly, spokeswoman for Grand Circle Cruise Line and Overseas Adventures Travel (gct.com), a Boston-based tour business that caters to people 50 and older. Of the 110,000 or so travelers who booked with them last year, about 34,000 were singles. About 70 percent of those solo travelers were women.

Travel by singles has been on the upswing recently because tour companies have been eliminating a surcharge known as a "single supplement," national tour operators say. "The single supplement is traditionally a charge that hotels and cruise lines put on solo travelers for having a cabin or room on their own," O'Reilly says. Typically, the supplement can add $500 to $5,000 to the cost of a trip. "It's the reason why many solo travelers choose not to travel," she adds. Now, some have been waiving that fee for singles on river cruises and other popular vacation packages.

"We always try to negotiate with any of our programs the ability to have a number of rooms for singles, without a supplement," says JoAnn Bell, a spokeswoman for Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), the educational travel operator once known as Elderhostel. The agency works with a cruise line that allots a quarter of its staterooms to single travelers without the extra charge.

Travel can be a mind-broadening experience, but going it alone can add another dimension to the pleasures of exploring new places. Untethered to a close friend, spouse or tour group, you're free to scope out an ancient ruin that others may lack the energy or interest to see; dance all night at a trendy club that's bypassed by fellow travelers who'd rather sleep; or plan a long-anticipated adventure that's on your bucket list.

Cazazian's travel experience as a single has taught her to create her own paths, no matter where she's vacationing. In Bogota, Colombia, for instance, after her tour group breezed through a gold museum, she returned alone for closer inspection of the artifacts. She also found a restaurant patronized by locals and was rewarded with soul-satisfying food. "The soup was amazing," she recalls.

Traveling alone, says Cazazian, a retired music teacher who formerly worked in city public schools, encourages an independent spirit. "You can do the things you want to do," she says, simply.

Of course, a single's surcharge won't stop anyone who is determined to see the world, especially if finances are no obstacle. "If I make up my mind to go someplace . . . I'm not necessarily going to dicker about what the cost of it is," says Miriam Remz, a retired school business administrator, who lives in Suffolk County and prefers to give her age as "over 65."

Remz, who is a widow and travels solo several times a year, enjoyed a visit to Paris by herself 18 months ago. When traveling with friends, she says, she often feels pressured to show them the sights she has seen on previous trips. However, "when you travel alone, you can do exactly what you want," she says. "It's nice to be able to go to bed when you want to, and get up when you want to."

Traveling by yourself can also make you more social. "One of the nice things about traveling as a single is that it forces you to make more friends than if you were traveling with a friend," Bell, the Road Scholar spokeswoman, says.

Single travel is more enjoyable when you are open to meeting new people, says Harriet Martin, 76, of Port Jefferson, a retired senior librarian for Brookhaven National Laboratory, where her specialty was physics. "You have to have a certain amount of gregariousness."

Veteran solo travelers also know the do's and don'ts of going it alone. Martin, who has been to China, the Netherlands and Belgium, recommends packing as few clothing items as possible to avoid heavy luggage. She chooses pants and knit shirts that easily fit in the suitcases, and can be mixed and matched.

When booking a group tour, she says, "You don't have to do every single thing" on the itinerary. On river cruises, for instance, she brings a book so, if she decides to stay behind when others leave the boat, she can read a few chapters while lounging on deck. "You can even fall asleep in the quiet; that is nice, too," says Martin, whose next destination is Russia.

However, unlike Cazazian, who is comfortable venturing out alone when she goes exploring, Martin likes to join other single travelers. "I use the buddy system," she explains. "It's not a good idea to walk around by yourself in any foreign country or the U.S."

For added safety, Bell suggests leaving valuables at home when traveling alone. "Leave the jewels at home," she advises. "Don't take your most expensive cashmere sweater."

Occasionally, when she feels less secure in an unfamiliar land, Cazazian carries an umbrella or a walking stick, which can be used for self-defense. But that's just a minor consideration for Cazazian, who counts on regular travel as a way to "energize her life."

"Every place I go is so amazing," she says. And, she adds, she'll continue globe-trotting until she can't anymore. "The memories you have of places you've been to -- nobody can take that away."

Tips for the solo traveler

Grand Circle Cruise Line and Overseas Adventures Travel is offering a free booklet, "101 Tips for Women Travelers." Many of the tips have been written by women based on their travel experiences. For a copy, call 800-248-3737.

Here are some tips from the booklet, good for either gender.

--About a week before you leave, get a small amount of cash, in small bills, in the local currency.

--Carry a list of all medications, including strengths and dosages, and of any allergies.

--Take a digital photo of important documents such as your passport and driver's license, load the photos onto your computer and email them to yourself. If you lose a document, you can access a copy at an Internet cafe or hotel.

--Women should wear a wedding ring whether they are married or not. A cheap gold wedding ring will generally ward off unwanted romantic attention.

--On a group tour, tell your trip leaders that you are a solo traveler. They can help you find others in the group who share your interests, or direct you to local attractions if you want to get away on your own.

--In restaurants, take a seat at the bar, where you will be less conspicuous dining alone and have the bartender for company.

--Avoid losing your way back to the hotel when you're in a new city -- especially one with an unfamiliar alphabet -- by taking a matchbook with you. Simply show it to a taxi driver for safe delivery back to your door.