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Two words solo travelers hate to hear. Okay, four words.

Departures
Besides "single supplement" the two most irritating words for solo travelers are: "companion fare." Translated: solo travelers, no deal for you.

I got an email this morning from Amtrak offering "one free companion rail fare ticket with the purchase of one regular (full) adult rail fare ticket."

(Somewhat amusing was the line, "the free companion and the paid adult must travel together at all times." Does that mean to the bathroom, to the dining car and everything?)

Instead of ignoring it, as I usually do, I called Amtrak. For kicks. Tracy answered. I told her about the email I’d received and asked if there was anything for travelers who didn’t have a companion.

This took her aback for a moment. Amtrak often runs specials, she said. And it always offers discounts for seniors, AAA members, veterans, students, the military, children and members of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

But she didn’t know of anything for solo travelers. She said she’d check and get back to me. I’m still waiting.

Photo: Ellen Perlman.  Logan Airport. Okay, you got me. I haven’t been on Amtrak lately…

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2 responses to “Two words solo travelers hate to hear. Okay, four words.”

  1. Ted Avatar
    Ted

    Yes, if you’re a solo traveler the most common “special” is “Get One for the Price of Two!”
    But in fairness, I have seen Amtrak “companion fare” offers that state (in very tiny print at the bottom, of course) that solo travelers can get 25% off. Since I live in Los Angeles, Amtrak isn’t a convenient practical option; so I neither ride trains nor often look at their advertising. But I do remember seeing that at least once.

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  2. boldlygosolo Avatar
    boldlygosolo

    Really? 25% off for solo travelers on Amtrak? I didn’t want to pick on Amtrak in particular – it was just one example of the companion fares we see all the time. But if they offer that discount for solo travelers, they deserve praise. I wish Tracy at Amtrak would call me back! I’ll have to put in another call today. Thanks for pointing that out, Ted, and let’s see if I can verify that that happens sometimes, or all the time, when companion fares are offered.

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