• Connecting Solo Travel Network, 604/886-9099, cstn.org.

• Going Solo Travel Club, 800/475-3755, goingsolotravel.com.

SOLO TRAVEL EXPERT ADVICE • Solo Travel: One for the Road

• The Single Gourmet Club, 416/593-8787, singlegourmet.ca.

• Travelin' Singles, 800/748-6662, travelinsingles.com.

SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES

• Gusto.com Members create profiles with photos, recommendations, and even blog postings from their trips. The site also lists travel discounts, mostly supplied by Expedia.

• Mango-Tree.com Launched in April 2007, this London-based newcomer allows members to create profiles with details of a trip they hope to take and photos. Participants can search the site by the age and gender of their ideal partner. Note that it's free for the first three months, but afterwards members pay $8 to $20 per month depending on their length of membership.

• TripConnect.com Search members' profiles for recommendations, create your own profile with a wish list of destinations and hope that another member responds with advice, post questions to special-interest groups, and send messages directly to members.

• TripUp.com Operates like Facebook or MySpace for travelers, with detailed profiles and networks of friends around the world who exchange info. The site can hook you up with a "Trip Guru" who supposedly will share insider tips--and sometimes even guide visitors in person--and it offers a travel compatibility test and a locate-a-mate search.

• VirtualTourist.com Members can build a travel map to track places they've visited and can do many of the other things you'd expect, from contacting other members for advice to posting photos.

• Wayn.com The Wayn (Where Are You Now?) worldwide community counts more than 8 million members, who can reach out to each other for travel advice, write and read user-generated reviews, and more.