Bucket List Destination- Maldives

When I think of Maldives I think expensive. Whenever talk in my circle has turned to Maldives Tourism the conclusion has been expensive. So I have yet to venture that way but it is on my bucket list. But my bucket list is quite stretchable and destinations keep changing.

Once while I was surfing the web (and I was in an expensive mood) I saw a deal which looked reasonable to me. So I called up the call center numbers listed there (this is quite an old incident) and it made for quite an interesting conversation.

The first thing that I learned was that the prices listed on the website were per person per night on a twin sharing basis and not for a solo traveler. Since then I have noticed that this is a common trade practice with the package tour industry. I wonder if they do not like solo travelers or what? When I told them I wanted to travel solo there was a silence at the other end. So I asked, will the price double for me? She said no but it would be higher than the twin sharing basis. Now I was getting somewhere or so I thought.

And then the young girl blurted out, “but what will you do there sir? We mostly get people who look at it as  Maldives honeymoon destination and you would be bored stiff by your own.”  I kid you not, this is an actual conversation I had. I tried for one last time, saying “I can spend time by my own, I can read a book or go for photography so being alone is not a problem.” Then the talk came down to the airfare and that as I was booking quite close to the departure date, I would be getting pretty high airfare. That was the end of the conversation. Why do I get a feeling that she was not interested in selling Maldives to me alone?