Holidays for newly single people: your choice of trip, with a host and a group

The best holidays for newly single people are the ones you choose entirely for yourself, with company already waiting when you land. Spice Escapes runs small hosted group holidays for people travelling on their own, so you pick the place you always wanted to see, book a room of your own, and travel with a host and a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, who are mostly on their own too.

A break-up rearranges more than the house. It takes away the person you planned with, the default answer to "where shall we go this year", and often a whole circle of couple friends at once. So the holiday you need sits there unbooked, partly because you do not want to go alone and partly because there is nobody obvious to ask. That is the gap a hosted group fills.

The first holiday that is only your choice

For years your holidays were a compromise. One of you wanted beaches and the other wanted galleries, or one of you would never fly more than three hours. Being newly single means the shortlist is yours again, and that is worth enjoying rather than rushing past. List the places that kept getting vetoed, then pick the one you would rather not do entirely solo.

What you get on a Spice Escape is company without commitment. The host sorts out where the group meets and when, suggests plans for the day, and makes sure nobody is left wondering where dinner is. You can join in all day or peel off with a book and catch up with everyone in the bar later. Nobody asks where your other half is, because most people came on their own. If this is your first time going away without a partner, our guide for first-time solo travellers and your first group holiday, the complete beginner's guide walk through how the first evening works.

Testing the water with a few days in Seville

If you are not sure you are ready for a full week, a short city break is a gentle start. Surprising Seville is 4 nights with Jackie Whyte, from £549. The hotel is minutes from the cathedral and the Barrio de Santa Cruz, and a 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket is included, so you can pace yourself on the days when you feel sociable and the days when you do not. The Alcázar and a flamenco show at El Arenal are optional extras, there only if you want them. Departures: 4 Mar 2027 – 8 Mar 2027. Places: 23 places left. More short breaks and holidays in Spain sit alongside it, and our city breaks for singles over 50 page compares the cities.

The lake you kept saying you would see one day: Como

Plenty of people carry one place around for years as "one day, when we get round to it". For many it is an Italian lake. Lake Como Discovery is several nights with one of our hosts, from price on request. You stay in Como itself, ten minutes' walk from the historic centre, at a hotel with a rooftop pool terrace. Ferries run to Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio whenever you fancy a day on the water. The host gathers everyone over breakfast to plan, and again in the bar before dinner. Dates: dates to be confirmed. Places: ask us. See more holidays in Italy.

A week to rest, with most evenings already sorted: Malta

Sometimes the honest answer after a break-up is that you are tired. Maltese Chillout is several nights in St Julian's with one of our hosts, from price on request. Four evening meals are included, so most nights you do not have to decide anything, and the hotel is adults-only with a rooftop pool terrace. There is a ferry day over to Gozo, a day in Valletta, and one day set aside to do nothing at all, which can be the most useful day of the week. Dates: dates to be confirmed. Places: ask us. Other chillout holidays follow the same easy pace.

Two bases, half board and a full week of company: Crete

If the evenings are the part you dread most, a week where dinner is part of the plan takes the pressure off. Crete Discovery is 7 nights with Lauren Fawkes, from £1,499. There are two bases only, three nights in Aghios Nikolaos and four in Rethymno, and both hotels have two pools and a spa, with half board throughout. One of the days includes a home-cooked lunch at a family taverna up on the Lasithi Plateau. This holiday is run by Living Crete, with Spice Escapes acting as agent. Dates: 5 Oct 2027 – 12 Oct 2027. Places: 12 places left. Browse more holidays in Greece.

Something new that is entirely yours: the eclipse week in Andalucía

A fresh start can deserve something you would never have booked as a couple. Chasing the Eclipse is 7 nights in the whitewashed hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera with Rob Thompson, from £2,899. The week is built around a total solar eclipse, in the company of Dr Matthew Bothwell, the University of Cambridge Public Astronomer, with days in Jerez for sherry and flamenco and in Cádiz on the Atlantic. You stay in a restored former Franciscan monastery. Dates: 31 Jul 2027 – 7 Aug 2027. Places: 18 places left.

Paying for one, and having a room of your own

When a relationship ends, the money often has to be worked out again too. Every Spice Escapes holiday carries a single supplement or a cost for having a room to yourself, and we show it clearly before you book rather than letting it surprise you at the end. Our single supplement page explains how it works and why it exists. What you get for it is your own space to close the door on at night.

For a wider look at how our trips work for people on their own, see over 50s solo holidays and why a solo holiday could be your best decision this year.

Questions people ask

Is it too soon to go on holiday after a break-up?

There is no right waiting time, and plenty of people find that booking something gives them a fixed point to look forward to. A hosted group means you have company if you want it and space if you need it. If you are unsure, start with a short city break rather than a long week.

Will I be the only person there who has just come out of a relationship?

Most people on our holidays book on their own, for all sorts of reasons, and nobody is asked to explain theirs. You can share as much or as little as you like. Conversation tends to be about the day, the food and where to go tomorrow.

Is this a dating holiday?

No. Our holidays are mixed hosted groups of people travelling on their own, built around the place and the company, and friendships are what people tend to bring home.

What if I want time on my own during the trip?

That is completely fine and very common. The host suggests plans and meeting points, but joining in is always your choice. You can spend a morning alone and still have someone to sit with at dinner.

Can I go away over a difficult date, such as an old anniversary?

Yes, and many people choose a trip for exactly that reason. Tell us which dates you would rather be somewhere else and we will suggest holidays that fall across them.

Talk to us before you decide

You do not have to have it all worked out to get in touch. Tell us what you have always wanted to do and how long you can get away, and we will suggest the holidays that fit. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts holidays himself, and the rest of the team are happy to answer the questions you might feel awkward asking, including what the first evening involves. Send us a message through our contact page and we will come back to you personally.