Escorted tours worldwide for solo travellers: long haul with a host and a group

If you have been looking at escorted tours worldwide and wondering how you would cope with a long flight, a strange airport and ten days a long way from home on your own, Spice Escapes takes most of that off your hands. We run small hosted group holidays to South Africa, India and the Maldives, with a host who is with the group out there, a group of around fifteen people (some reach twenty) and the planning done before you leave.

Most of the people who come with us book on their own. Below are the three holidays, what the first day looks like on each, and why a group waiting for you changes how far you are willing to go.

Why distance is the real worry

A weekend in Europe on your own is manageable. Long haul alone is different. There is the overnight flight, the arrival when you are tired, the taxi you have to trust, the first dinner in a country where you know nobody, and the nagging thought of what you would do if something went wrong ten hours from home. Most people who tell us they have always wanted to see Cape Town or the Ganges have been held back by exactly that list, not by the place itself.

On our long haul trips somebody is waiting at arrivals, the hotel or the boat is booked, and the group meets on day one. You still have the adventure. You just do not have to do the logistics of it alone. If this would be your first trip of any kind with a group, our guide for first-time solo travellers walks through how it works.

South Africa: met in arrivals, and a host for the whole stay

South Africa Discovery is 10 nights, departing 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027, from £3,499. You fly overnight from the UK and land in Cape Town in the morning, where your host Sue Giddings meets you in arrivals and stays with the group for the rest of the trip. That first day is gentle: an orientation drive round the city, a late lunch together and time to settle into the Vineyard Hotel on the slopes of Table Mountain, with its gardens, pools and spa.

The days that follow cover a lot of ground. There is a full day down the Cape Peninsula along Chapman's Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, then the penguins at Boulders Beach. There is a free day for Table Mountain, Robben Island or the waterfront, a day in the Franschhoek winelands, and an overnight at a private game reserve with a sunrise game drive. Availability: 9 places left. More on the country is on our South Africa page, and the rest of our animal-focused trips are under wildlife and safari holidays.

India: a river cruise where the boat is the hotel

India: Kolkata & The Lower Ganges River Cruise is 10 nights, departing 10 Oct 2026 – 20 Oct 2026, from £3,485, hosted by Claire Dymond. You are met on arrival in Kolkata and transferred privately to the RV Kalaw Pandaw, which Spice Escapes has chartered. It has just 18 staterooms, so by the second day you know everyone on board.

You spend two nights moored in Kolkata, with an early visit to the Mallick Ghat flower market, a private visit to Raj Bhavan arranged for our guests only, and the Victoria Memorial. Then the boat heads up the Hooghly to the old Danish colony at Serampore, a rickshaw ride at Kalna to a Shiva temple ringed by 108 shrines, the brass workers of Matiari and the Mughal gardens at Murshidabad. Meals are on board and a drinks package is included. Availability: 1 place left. See our India page for more.

The Maldives: twelve guests on a wooden boat

Maldives Wildlife Cruise & Beach Chillout is 12 nights, departing 27 Nov 2027 – 9 Dec 2027, from £4,199, with Jonathan Banks hosting. This is the Maldives without the overwater villa. You spend seven nights on MV Felicity, a wooden boat that takes twelve guests at most, snorkelling with a tour leader who briefs you first, helps with the kit and points out what you might have missed.

There is a whole day searching for whale sharks off Dhigurah, a visit to the local island of Dhangethi with traditional evening tea on the beach, talks on the reefs and on the work of the Manta Trust, coral nurseries and an island clean-up. The last three nights are on Fulhadhoo with nothing scheduled at all. If you are not a strong swimmer, tell us, and we will talk honestly about what the snorkelling involves. Availability: 2 places left. Our Maldives page has more, and every far-flung trip we run sits under worldwide adventures.

What the group does for you so far from home

On a long haul trip the group matters more than it does closer to home. You share the jet lag and laugh about it at breakfast. You have someone to sit with on the game drive and someone to compare photos with on the boat deck. If you feel unwell or a flight changes, there is a host who knows the plan and a dozen people who will check you are all right.

It also means you are not the only one at a table set for couples. If you want to know more about how our trips run day to day, read what makes a Spice Escape different, and for ideas further off the usual route, our piece on unusual holidays abroad.

The cost of having a room to yourself

Every one of these holidays carries a cost for having a room or cabin to yourself, and we would rather you knew that up front than found it at the end. On the Maldives boat the cabins are a mix of twins and doubles, so ask us how the sleeping works before you book. Our single supplement page explains how we price it and what you can do about it, and our over-50s solo holidays page covers the wider picture for people travelling on their own.

Questions people ask

Are flights included on your long haul holidays?

Each of these itineraries begins with a flight from the UK, and the holiday page sets out exactly what is included. Where a holiday includes flights, it is protected under our ATOL licence 9046.

Does the host fly out with me?

It depends on the trip. In South Africa the host meets you in arrivals in Cape Town and stays for the whole stay, and in India and the Maldives you are met at the airport and taken to the boat. We confirm who meets you and where before you go.

I have never been further than Europe. Is long haul too much for a first group trip?

Plenty of people make one of these their first trip with us, precisely because going that far alone felt like too much. The arrival is handled, the group meets on day one and there is free time built in to recover from the flight.

Which of the three is the gentlest?

The India river cruise has the least packing and unpacking, because the boat is your hotel for the whole trip. South Africa covers more ground by road and includes a game reserve overnight. The Maldives involves daily snorkelling, so it suits people who are happy in the water.

Do I need vaccinations or a visa?

Requirements differ by country and change over time, so check the official UK travel advice and talk to your GP or a travel clinic well before you go. We are happy to point you in the right direction when you book.

Ask us which long haul dates are coming up

The quickest way to find out whether one of these suits you is a conversation. Tell us which of the three appeals, how you feel about the flight and how much company you would like, and we will tell you what places are left and who is hosting. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts trips himself, and the rest of the team are glad to talk it through by phone or email. Get in touch through our contact page, or read your first group holiday before you call.