G Adventures and Exodus alternatives for people who travel on their own

If you are looking at G Adventures and Exodus alternatives because you want the boots-on, out-of-the-hotel kind of trip but would rather do it alongside people at your own stage of life, Spice Escapes may be the closer fit. We run small hosted group holidays for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, most of whom book on their own, with a host from our side who travels with the group from start to finish.

Below is a fair comparison, using only what each company's own website says, then four Spice holidays for someone who enjoyed that style of travel. Spice Escapes has no connection with either company.

What G Adventures and Exodus say they offer

G Adventures describes its trips as small groups with travellers from all over the world, led by what it calls Chief Experience Officers, who it says have "local smarts, big energy, and serious skills". Its travel styles run from Classic and Active trips to cruising and a style for 18 to 30somethings. For people going alone it runs Solo-ish trips, which its site says are "exclusively for solo travellers, aged 18 and up", with groups of 12 to 16 travellers on average and a My Own Room option if you want a room to yourself.

Exodus Travels says it has run adventure trips since the 1970s, when it took its first group through Afghanistan. You choose your activity style, and its site names hiking, biking, wildlife-watching and culture-seeking. It says its groups normally have 8 to 16 people, each led by an expert tour leader, and that more than a third of its group members join independently. For solo travellers it will pair you with another solo traveller to share a room, so you need not pay a single supplement unless you want your own room.

Both are well established. If you want the widest choice of countries, a local leader in a far-flung place, or the option to share a room with another solo traveller to keep the cost down, they may suit you better than we would, and we would rather you knew that.

Where Spice Escapes is different

• Your host is one of us. On every Spice holiday a named host travels with the group. Their job is the group itself: introductions, someone to sit with at dinner, a word with anyone drifting to the edge.
• The group is made for people your age travelling alone. Our holidays are planned for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and the person next to you is very likely on their own too.
• Active, but at a human pace. Our trips mix walking, boat days and exploring with long dinners and free afternoons. If you loved the hiking days on an Exodus trip but wanted more company in the evenings, that balance is the point.

Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, so a little bigger than the numbers either company gives. Every Spice holiday carries a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself, and our single supplement page explains exactly how it works. If sharing a room with a stranger to avoid that cost appeals to you, Exodus's way of pairing solo travellers is a genuine advantage.

For walkers: Cantabrian Walking Week

If the hiking was the best bit of your last adventure tour, start with Cantabrian Walking Week. It is 7 nights in northern Spain with your hosts Jen & Jim, who have walked the area themselves to choose the routes. Walks run from under three miles to nearly nine, coastal, river and forest, with walking on at least four days of the week. Jen keeps a leisurely pace and Jim is happy to go further or faster.

You stay together at Agara, a large renovated house with twelve bedrooms. Three have their own bathroom, for a supplement, and the rest share. Every meal is included, with local wine and beer to help yourself to at the house. Dates: 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027. From £999. Places: 7 places left. See our walking holidays.

For island hiking and the sea: Croatian Chillout

Croatian Chillout takes you to the island of Lošinj for 7 nights, hosted by Jackie Whyte. The name says chillout, but the days have plenty for active people: a hike through pine forest to Saint Ivan Hill, a walk or cycle of about 3km into Mali Lošinj, and a paddleboard or kayak at Čikat Bay if you want it. A full day on a small boat round the archipelago brings swimming in quiet coves and a chance of bottlenose dolphins.

Hotel Punta is half board, with a spa and an infinity seawater pool. Dates: 1 May 2027 – 8 May 2027. From £869. Places: 13 places left. See more of Croatia.

For the far-away trip: South Africa Discovery

Many people come to G Adventures for a long-haul journey with someone local who knows the ground. South Africa Discovery gives you that with Sue Giddings, our local host, who meets you at arrivals in Cape Town and stays for the whole trip. Over 10 nights you drive Chapman's Peak, stand at Cape Point and see the penguins at Boulders Beach in one long day, then spend a night at a private game reserve with a sunrise game drive.

Home in Cape Town is The Vineyard, on the slopes of Table Mountain. Dates: 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027. From £3,499. Places: 8 places left. Our worldwide adventures page lists the other long-haul trips.

For history with fewer hotel changes: Crete Discovery

One complaint we hear about busy tours is packing a bag every other morning. Crete Discovery is 7 nights with two bases only, three nights in Aghios Nikolaos and four in Rethymno, both hotels with two pools, a spa and half board. Your host is Lauren Fawkes, alongside a local tour manager.

The days include a home-cooked lunch at a family taverna on the Lasithi Plateau, Heraklion with the chance to visit Knossos, and the harbour city of Chania. Dates: 5 Oct 2027 – 12 Oct 2027. From £1,499. Places: 12 places left.

How it feels on the first evening

On a Spice holiday the host knows your name and is looking out for you. Dinner on the first night is together, and by the second day people are saving each other seats. If this would be your first trip alone, our first-time solo travellers page walks you through it, and over 50s solo holidays shows the full range.

Questions people ask

Is Spice Escapes an adventure travel company like Exodus or G Adventures?

We are a UK tour operator running small hosted group holidays, and some of them are active, with walking, hiking and wildlife. We do not offer the range of countries those companies list, but every trip has a host who travels with the group.

Do I have to share a room with a stranger?

No. You have a room to yourself, and every holiday carries a single supplement or a cost for that room. If sharing to save money matters more to you, Exodus says it pairs solo travellers in shared rooms.

How fit do I need to be?

It depends on the holiday, and each holiday page describes the days. The walking week in Cantabria asks for proper walking kit and real miles, while the island and city trips are gentler with optional active extras.

Who is the host, and are they a guide?

The host is a member of the Spice team who travels with the group and looks after it socially. On some holidays a local guide or tour manager leads the sightseeing as well.

Will the others be travelling alone too?

Most people who book with us come on their own. You will not be the only one.

Tell us about your last adventure

The quickest way to find your fit is to tell us what you did with G Adventures or Exodus, what you loved and what you would change. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts trips himself, and the team will suggest the holiday that matches and tell you what places are left. You can also ask Rosie on the site, "Which holidays suit someone who has travelled with G Adventures?" When you are ready, get in touch with the team by phone or email.