I’ve been single and I’ve traveled alone, I’ve got first hand experience on how things feel unfairly more expensive for us. Now that I’m running my own business, I can choose to be fairer.
Why Everything’s so Expensive for Singles or People Traveling Alone?
Some things are priced for one unit, like movie tickets, drinks, meals. Everybody buys one unit and the cost is the same for everybody (without discounts). The cost of preparing, serving, rents and equipment are shared among all the people buying these things, but these things need to be sold in great quantities.
Or you might buy somebody’s time, like doctor’s or attorney’s, which they charge based on hours used. Everybody pays the same hourly rate. Their rates include a share of everything these specialists need in order to offer their service, like rents and equipment.
These are pretty simple: a single person wants or needs a specific thing which is sold for a single person at a time. Need more units for bigger group? Just buy more units.
But it isn’t so simple when there’s a higher base level of cost.
You must’ve seen the price difference of hotel rooms for one person vs. two people? Or how much more expensive a small apartment seems compared to flat big enough for two? Or how much more special services like mine cost for a single compared to a group?
It’s never half the price compared to what it costs for two people.
That’s because some things have a high base level of cost to exist in the first place.
For apartments or hotel rooms an extra bedroom or extra bed costs very little compared to the cost of building a bathroom, a kitchen, the base and the outer walls of the building. When you buy or rent these, a single or solo traveler has to pay for them alone, whereas a couple can split the cost in half, but still get the same bathroom and kitchen.
How it goes in a special service like mine is that there’s always the base cost of the outdoor equipment, minibus, and most importantly, my time. No matter how many people are on my tour, I may need to work in total for 14 hours for every tour. That includes all the preparation, picking you up, the hike itself, taking you back, cleaning everything, washing dishes and clothing you may have borrowed.
If two people come on my tour, they will split the cost of those 14 hours in half, but a solo traveler would need to pay all those 14 hours alone.
Unless I make it a bit fairer by choice.
My Small Contribution in Making the World Nicer
I decided that I don’t want to be part of a group that makes things financially super unfair for singles or people traveling alone, so I dropped my pricing for one person tours by 25 %.
Exact price comparison isn’t straightforward, because nobody else’s service includes the same things as mine does, but, my competitors ask the same full price for private tours, no matter if you come alone or in a group of four, or even seven. They do it because at their base price it doesn’t matter if they take just one person or four. For most it’s not good business to take only one person on a private tour.
I made my decision to be more affordable for singles as a social choice, not one made for the business. In truth, it’s not good business practice, but I don’t take people to experience Finland’s nature only for the business.
I love being out there, with you all. ❤️
See My Tours to the Best Places Around Helsinki
Nuuksio National Park day hike