Penalized for being single!
I was doing some trip planning yesterday and discovered that even if I want to pay big bucks for a long train trip, I have to settle for "sub-standard" sleeping quarters.
The sleeping quarters are probably quite nice, but as a single traveler I can only book the single sleeper which does not have its own toilet or shower facilities. The Twin sleeper does have its own shower and toilet facilities, but I'd have to pay for two people in order to book a Twin sleeper. I understand the management wants to get as much money as possible, but why can't they provide the amenities for single sleeper cabins as well? It's just very annoying.
And if I choose to go with the next level down in service/price, and get a less-expensive sleeper cabin, I still may be forced to share a cabin with some other single person. There are two reasons why I would want a PRIVATE cabin to myself: a bed to sleep on and a "secure", private place to put my belongings. If I'm sharing with a stranger, I still have the bed, but I no longer have the guarantee of security because who knows what the other person is going to be like?
It's the same thing with cruise ships as I discovered when I was looking for information one time. I was thinking it would be fun to take a cruise and spend my days working on a novel when I wasn't sightseeing or shmoozing. But no, you can't have single people on cruises! You have to have two people to a room! Either that or pay twice the price for the cruise.
I also read some information about booking a "mini-stay" vacation and the prices were "based on double occupancy". I first read that as discriminating against single people, but it's possible that it doesn't mean that. If I recall correctly, hotels charge one price for one or two people in a room, and increase the price for a third and subsequent people, so that is probably what that is referring to. But I could be wrong.
Oh well, I'll figure out something for my traveling. I may have to cut out the train trip anyway if the dates don't line up.
The sleeping quarters are probably quite nice, but as a single traveler I can only book the single sleeper which does not have its own toilet or shower facilities. The Twin sleeper does have its own shower and toilet facilities, but I'd have to pay for two people in order to book a Twin sleeper. I understand the management wants to get as much money as possible, but why can't they provide the amenities for single sleeper cabins as well? It's just very annoying.
And if I choose to go with the next level down in service/price, and get a less-expensive sleeper cabin, I still may be forced to share a cabin with some other single person. There are two reasons why I would want a PRIVATE cabin to myself: a bed to sleep on and a "secure", private place to put my belongings. If I'm sharing with a stranger, I still have the bed, but I no longer have the guarantee of security because who knows what the other person is going to be like?
It's the same thing with cruise ships as I discovered when I was looking for information one time. I was thinking it would be fun to take a cruise and spend my days working on a novel when I wasn't sightseeing or shmoozing. But no, you can't have single people on cruises! You have to have two people to a room! Either that or pay twice the price for the cruise.
I also read some information about booking a "mini-stay" vacation and the prices were "based on double occupancy". I first read that as discriminating against single people, but it's possible that it doesn't mean that. If I recall correctly, hotels charge one price for one or two people in a room, and increase the price for a third and subsequent people, so that is probably what that is referring to. But I could be wrong.
Oh well, I'll figure out something for my traveling. I may have to cut out the train trip anyway if the dates don't line up.