The Single Life.

I met Maureen on a recent trip back from Bangkok, as we did the whole "what do you do" scenario of small talk aimed at passing some time before the next meal broke out. I vacillated between brain surgeon or search and rescue specialist but the conversation stayed on her as she was travelling by herself half way round the world to join a Pacific cruise in Sydney. She was very excited and anxious all at the same time. As a single traveller, having lost her husband 11 years prior, I guess it was more than small talk, there were concerns at being a single traveller.

As I look round the cabin at the mostly business type passengers who wrap themselves in the cocoon of Bose noise cancelling speakers and iPad DVDs I feel for Maureen as a first time single traveller on a major journey. The flight crew, under time constraints to perform all their required duties in the allocated timeframe, are not inclined to interact with the passengers any more than they need to. So it can end up a process of getting from A to B on an 9 hour bus ride with no one to talk to and nothing to see out of the windows.

Many sections of the travel industry like airlines, still don't know what to do with single travellers, unless they are the "road warriors" looking to get through the process with a minimum of fuss and contact. In fact aside from discussing the finer points of whatever will make them sleep better at the drinks cart, "road warriors" would be happiest if they could self serve themselves meals and had the crew replaced with PAs.

So Maureen reads her magazines and watches the movies onboard as the time flies by, literally, waiting to board her luxury cruise liner, because it will be onboard that she will be treated differently. If any part of the travel industry gets "singles", then it's the cruise industry. With many years catering for the older clientele, many like Maureen travelling out of single necessity, the cruise industry has figured out how to treat everyone with the respect a paying passenger should get.

Maureen will spend barely a day in Sydney, a city you would agree with considerable charm and tourism highlights, because it holds no attraction for her for as an older single traveller. Everyone under 25 is excluded from that remark as the blossoming and lively backpacker trade can attest to.

Once on board and with a choice of what size table to join for dinner, community activities aimed at involving all the passengers and a wide range of entertainment, cruising has become the easy escape for those not wanting to sit poolside at a resort with a single drink, a single chair and a single lunch plate saying, you guessed it, single. The necessity for cruise lines to treat everyone with equal respect, gives Maureen a comfort level she does not experience in the air or in the cities.

As we land at Mascot, Maureen readies her documentation, the "road warriors" unplug their technology and we head to customs. Once through, Maureen is greeted by the cruise transfer company and I can see her shoulders relaxing and her smile getting bigger as she slides into the limo heading for her first umbrella drink.

Bon Voyage Maureen.