Holidays alone after divorce: your own room, a host and good company

Holidays alone after divorce are easier than they look from the kitchen table, because you do not have to plan them, or take them, entirely on your own. Spice Escapes runs small hosted group holidays for people travelling on their own: you book for yourself, you have your own room, a host travels with the group, and there is good company at dinner from the first evening.

For years, holidays were a joint decision. Somebody else chose the dates, or the resort, or vetoed the city you always wanted to see. Now the calendar is yours again, and that can feel like freedom one day and like a very quiet house the next. Both are normal, and both are reasons to go.

What the first trip on your own actually feels like

The worries after a separation tend to be the same handful. The biggest is being the odd one out among couples, sitting at a table for two with nobody opposite, or being asked "and where is your other half?" by a stranger at the pool. Then there is the practical stuff your former partner always handled, and the dates on the calendar that suddenly feel empty, the first Christmas or the first summer when the children are with the other parent.

A Spice Escape is built around exactly those gaps. Most people on our holidays book on their own, so you are not the single person in a hotel full of pairs. Arrangements are made for you, and the host is the person who knows where the group is meeting tonight. If it is your first time travelling solo in any form, our page for first-time solo travellers walks through it step by step.

Why a hosted group suits a fresh start

Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. Everyone knows your name by the second day, and nobody is owed your whole story. You choose how much to say about the divorce. Plenty of people say nothing at all, and nobody asks.

The host is a member of the Spice Escapes team who travels with you. They make the introductions on the first evening and notice if someone is sitting a little apart. What people tend to bring home is the friendships: the person you shared a taxi with, the two you still message, the group chat that plans the next trip. Read what makes a Spice Escape different, or see the whole programme on our solo holidays for over 50s page.

The first Christmas with the children elsewhere: Prague

If the children are with their other parent this Christmas, the run-up can be the hardest stretch. Prague Christmas Magic gives you 3 nights in the city before the festivities, so you come home with stories of your own before the family days begin. The group departs on 4 Dec 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 and is hosted by Sally Wiltshire, who is with the group for all three nights.

The hotel is Hotel Rott, a central hotel on the Little Square, steps from the Old Town Square Christmas market. Expect mulled wine by the Týn Church, the Charles Bridge, and Prague Castle and St Vitus one morning with Malá Strana after. Prices from £675, with 7 places left places left. There is more on festive trips in our guide to solo winter holidays, and on Prague itself under the Czech Republic.

Seeing in a new year somewhere new: Puglia

New Year's Eve can be the evening that stings most after a separation, the one built for couples kissing at midnight. New Year in Puglia with WingsItaly turns it into a party where everyone has arrived as part of the same group. It runs for 5 nights from 28 Dec 2026 – 2 Jan 2027, hosted by Claire Dymond, and Claire and Andrea Dal Moro of WingsItaly meet you at the airport and stay with you.

Spice Escapes and WingsItaly have every room at Hotel Tesoretto in Poggiardo. There is a welcome aperitivo on arrival, a day in Lecce, and New Year's Eve is a private five-course gala with a bottle of wine each, music and dancing. A local celebration runs in the room next door, and guests drift between the two. From £1,139, 17 places left places left. More on the region under Italy.

A week that is only about you: Croatia in the spring

After the paperwork and the moving boxes, you may want a week that asks nothing of you. Croatian Chillout is 7 nights on the island of Lošinj, hosted by Jackie Whyte, departing 1 May 2027 – 8 May 2027. You stay at Vitality Hotel Punta beside Veli Lošinj, on half board, so breakfast and dinner are taken care of and you never have to find a table for one.

The hotel has a spa and an infinity seawater pool. There is a boat day round the archipelago with a chance of dolphins. Be ready for the journey: the transfer from Pula takes around three hours, broken by a ferry crossing of about forty minutes. From £869, 15 places left places left. If rest is the main thing you need, our wellness retreats for singles over 50 page covers more of it, and the full range sits under chillout and relaxation holidays.

Three nights to find your feet: Lisbon

If a full week feels like too big a first step, start shorter. A Taste of Lisbon is 3 nights with Pam Harte, from 15 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027. The hotel is My Story Hotel Tejo, with a metro stop close by, and the metro is how you get in from the airport, as transfers are not included.

One day suits Alfama and Tram 28, the next Belém and a pastel de nata. Evenings are yours, and there is always someone to ask along. From £639, 8 places left places left. More short trips are under city breaks and in our guide to city breaks for singles over 50.

Your own room, and what it costs

Money is often tighter after a divorce, so here is the plain version. You have a room to yourself, and every Spice Escapes holiday carries a single supplement or a room-to-yourself cost, shown in the price before you book. Our single supplement page explains how it works.

Questions people ask

Will I be the only one there without a partner?

Most people on Spice Escapes holidays book on their own, so being without a partner is the usual way to travel with us. If you want to know more about a particular departure, ask the team before you book and they will tell you what they can.

Do I have to talk about my divorce?

No, and nobody will press you. Some people mention it on the first evening and some never do. The conversation tends to be about where you are, what you ate and where you want to go next.

I have never booked a holiday myself. Is that a problem?

It is very common after a long marriage, and the team will take you through it on the phone. Once you are booked, joining information arrives before you travel and the host is with the group when you are away.

What if I have a low moment while I am away?

It happens, especially on a first trip, and the host is used to it. You can take an afternoon to yourself, join the group for dinner when you are ready, or have a quiet word with the host at any point.

Can I book a holiday for when the children are with my ex?

Yes, and it is a sensible way to plan. Tell the team which weeks you are free and they will suggest the holidays that fit.

Talk it through before you book

If the first holiday after your divorce is still a maybe, the simplest next step is a conversation. Call or message the team through our contact page and ask for Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts holidays himself. Tell him which weeks are free and he will be honest about which trip fits. Our guide to your first group holiday is a good read while you decide.