Hosted by: Hilary Bradt, Bradt Travel Guides

Guest Panellists:

Matthew Teller, Rough Guides

Suzy Cooper, Singular Travel

Michael Sinclair, ChinaONECall

Date: Thursday

Time: 2.00pm

Location: Theatre 2

About the Session:

Planning on travelling alone? The make sure you meet the experts who will give you the low-down on making it on your own…hot travel tips, advice on travelling safely…and advice on the best places to see and things to entertain you.

About The Speakers:

Hilary Bradt's first solo trip was at the age of three when she wandered off on Bournemouth beach and was lost for three hours. Over two decades later she travelled alone from San Francisco to Lima, and has continued to travel solo from time to time up to the present day. She is founder and chairman of Bradt Travel Guides.

Matthew Teller is a freelance travel journalist, specializing in independent travel. He has been a Rough Guide author for more than ten years and writes regularly for the national newspapers as well as magazines in the UK and worldwide.

Suzy Cooper is 53. She lives in Surrey and regularly travels on her own. A former British Airways cabin crew member, she was so unhappy at the way in which lone travellers are treated by holiday companies and hotels that she founded singulartravel.co.uk to lobby for a better deal for people who travel on their own.

SingularTravel, is a website that offers Solo Travellers a better deal. The site aims to achieve a better, fairer deal for people travelling on their own. Currently 48% of adults in the UK are single, and approximately 20% of those in partnerships have separate holidays. It’s well-known that people travelling alone are often penalised through single supplements or through more covert ways such as being allocated inferior rooms.

SingularTravel offers the freedom to discover a tailor-made break, whether it’s to travel independently or as part of an escorted package. The holidays enable people to enjoy their own company or participate in as much group activity as they wish. SingularTravel’s mission is to give solo travellers the confidence, plus every good reason, to travel alone from now on.

Michael Sinclair, Managing Director of chinaONEcall says “China is the new "must go" destination. Whether to see the thousands of Terracotta Warriors in China itself (instead of just a dozen in the British Museum), or to get up close to see panda, climb the Great Wall, see the ancient pagodas and temples, or to view not only the bright lights and amazing new architecture of Shanghai, but also the unique old-world charm of a Chinese village in the middle of nowhere - our team at chinaONEcall can give you freedom and confidence to add new dimensions to your trip”.

ChinaONEcall – the interpreter in your pocket, an innovative service aimed at the growing number of independent and business travellers to China, who speak little or no Mandarin is here to assist anyone planning a trip to China. chinaONEcall provides a 24/7 telephone link to trained English- and Mandarin-speaking staff, who communicate direct to taxi drivers or shop assistants, for example, interpreting instantaneously. All that’s required is a mobile phone! Michael looks forward to sharing his experiences of ‘Going Solo’ in China with Destinations Show visitors.