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Booking a singles ski holiday – part 2

Continuing our article on snowboard and skiing trips for single people.
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Simply book up on your own
Booking independently as a solo traveller is another option, but as with all singles trips, this is made difficult by the dreaded single supplement, under-occupancy charges or just a lack of single accommodation – but there are still options:

Try a hostel; Hostel Bookers, for example, have lots of hostel accommodation available in ski areas throughout Europe and in North America. While we’re at it let’s shatter a few misconceptions about this sort of accommodation – hostels are not all dormitories and communal washing. Dorms do feature of course and are by far the cheapest option, but private rooms are also frequently available, occasionally even singles, but even a double hostel room (used as a single) can be affordable when compared with many hotel room rates. Another misconception is that hostels will inevitably be located miles from the action. While this can sometimes be the case there are just as many within reasonable reach of the lifts and slopes: Snowbunny's Backpackers in Kitzbuhel, for example, is just five minutes walk to the nearest ski lift; the Fireside Inn is a ten minute walk to the Breckenridge Ski Area and the Matterhorn Hostel in Zermatt is only a few hundred metres from the ski runs.

As for hotels, a few package holiday companies do offer single hotel rooms, Neilson have a reasonable selection for example, but it pays to book early as these get snapped up very quickly. A few individual or independent hotels offer single rooms too, but they are not that easy to find! Take a look at our singles ski pages for our current list and remember we’re adding to these whenever new ones get discovered, so bookmark it if you're a keen skier!

You could also try a shared catered chalet; single rooms are even scarcer here so you may have to fork out a single supplement. Apart from that the chalet approach can be a good one for the solo traveller. A chalet party tends to eat together as group making it easy to socialise and once you get chatting you may find you can ski or take lessons with others from the chalet if your skill levels are similar. The tricks here are to opt for a larger chalet or chalet-hotel to give you maximum opportunities to mix. Also to try and get a feel for the other occupants before you book, if you discover they're all families or couples you might want to think again.

If you’re flexible about resort and are willing to risk it, a last minute booking in a shared chalet might mean you can negotiate a standard room without a supplement – be cheeky, or brave, and just ask! Many chalet owners will prefer to make something from the room to leaving it empty.

Unfortunately single travellers seeking single rooms will often get the short straw from hotel and chalet accommodation. Dedicated single rooms are not only hard to come but, even when you’ve found them, will tend to be smaller and probably less well positioned than standard accommodation. Look for double/twin rooms advertised without a single supplement (or ‘under occupancy’ rate) as your first choice.

Worried about skiing on your own? Follow the suggestions on the previous page and join a ski school class or more advanced training course in the resort. Ski with the hotel or chalet 'Ski Host', a great way of getting to know the other people staying there as well as getting to know the resort. Alternatively join the Ski Club of GB and ski with one of their ski reps in a wide selection of resorts. Ski Club of GB members can ski with a rep who’s job it is to run guided ski tours around the resort, each day geared to a different skiing (or boarding) level. For the single skier the social side of the Ski Club of GB, with their daily ‘social hour’, usually in a local bar, can provide evening entertainment too.

Article continues – Joining a ski course >>

Text and photos © Travel-quest 2008