Holidays to meet other singles: hosted small groups where friendships start

If you are looking for holidays to meet other singles, the simplest answer is a hosted group trip where nearly everyone has come on their own, and that is what Spice Escapes runs. We put together small groups of people travelling alone, send a host with them, and build the days so that meeting each other happens over dinner, on a boat or at an easel, without anyone having to try too hard.

Perhaps your social life has shrunk. Friends have paired off, moved away or become grandparents. You would like new faces, proper conversations and somebody to laugh with over a late drink, and you suspect a holiday is a good place to find them. You are right, as long as the holiday is set up for it.

Our groups are mixed, men and women, and nearly everyone has come on their own. What usually comes out of a week together is friendship: numbers swapped on the last night, and often a travelling companion for the next trip.

Why meeting people abroad is easier than meeting people at home

At home you join a club, sit at the edge, and the regulars already know each other. On a hosted holiday everyone arrives on the same footing. Nobody has an old friend to hide behind, and there is something to talk about from the first hour.

Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. That is big enough that you will find a few people you click with and small enough that, by the second evening, you know who takes sugar and who wants the window seat. Most people book on their own, so you are not walking into a room of couples.

The host matters more than anything else. Their job is to bring a group of strangers together without making it feel like a team-building day. They make the first introductions, gather people for dinner and notice if someone is hanging back. If you have never done this before, our page for first-time solo travellers walks through how a first trip runs, and our beginner's guide to a first group holiday covers packing, arriving and the first night.

Paris, where you meet the group before you even board

All Inclusive Perfect Paris is 3 nights, departing 3 Feb 2027 – 6 Feb 2027, from £679, hosted by Samantha Pike.

This is the one we would suggest if arriving on your own is the part that worries you. People come in on flights into Charles de Gaulle and on the Eurostar, and you link up for the transfer and the first day, so you spend your first afternoon in Paris with the group rather than looking for them. Your hotel is a river boat moored a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, with full board and drinks on board, so nobody is splitting bills or wondering where to eat. The first night is a themed Parisian evening, the second brings a gala dinner, and the third a night cruise. A coach tour of the city and a guided walk round Montmartre are included. Availability: 13 places left. If you want more of the city first, read seeing Paris from the Seine.

Northern Spain, where a shared easel does the introducing

Spanish Drawing and Painting Break with Tuition is 7 nights, departing 25 Apr 2027 – 2 May 2027, from £929.

Some people find small talk hard and conversation easy once their hands are busy. This break is built for them. You stay in Agara, a twelve-bedroom house rather than a hotel, with a very friendly resident dog, and you spend the days painting with Dale Scott, who teaches every level. Sketch pads and a canvas are provided. Lessons move from the coast at Comillas to a picnic on the mountain pass to Carmona. Back at the house, local wine, beer and spirits are there and you help yourself. There are no bars on the doorstep, so the evening happens round the kitchen table, which is exactly where friendships start. Some bedrooms share bathrooms and an ensuite costs extra, so ask us about rooms. Availability: 9 places left. More on the area in our piece on Green Spain and Cantabria, and other trips there on our Spain holidays page.

Crete, a week of shared tables

Crete Discovery is 7 nights, departing 5 Oct 2027 – 12 Oct 2027, from £1,499, hosted by Lauren Fawkes.

A week is long enough for acquaintances to turn into friends, and this trip gives you plenty of meals together to get there. It is half board throughout, with three nights in Aghios Nikolaos and four in Rethymno, and both hotels have two pools and a spa. A tour manager meets you after the direct flight from the UK. Along the way there is a home-cooked lunch at a family taverna up on the Lasithi Plateau, the kind of long table where the group settles in. Spice Escapes acts as agent for this holiday and the tour operator is Living Crete. Availability: 12 places left. Other trips are on our Greece holidays page.

Croatia, for people who like to meet slowly

Croatian Chillout is 7 nights, departing 1 May 2027 – 8 May 2027, from £869, hosted by Jackie Whyte.

Not everyone wants a busy programme. On the island of Lošinj you stay half board at Hotel Punta, so breakfast and dinner are taken care of and you see the same faces each evening. There is a boat day round the archipelago with a chance of dolphins, and Mali Lošinj is a three-kilometre walk or cycle away, which is just far enough to find a companion for it. The transfer from Pula is about three hours, broken by a ferry crossing, and it is a good chance to learn names. Availability: 13 places left. More quieter weeks are under chillout and relaxation holidays.

What it costs to go on your own

Every Spice Escapes holiday has a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself, and we show it rather than hide it. Our single supplement page explains how it works and why it exists. If you are over fifty and want to see the wider programme, start with our over 50s solo holidays, and what makes a Spice Escape different explains how the hosting works.

Questions people ask

Is it a dating holiday?

No. People come for the holiday and the company, and most go home with new friends and someone to travel with next time.

How does the host bring the group together on the first evening?

The host meets everyone, makes introductions and usually gathers the group for the first meal or a drink. After that the group tends to form its own habits. You can join in as much or as little as you like.

Will I be the only person on my own?

That is very unlikely. Most people book on their own, which is the whole point of how we run our holidays.

What if I do not get on with anyone?

In a group of around fifteen there are usually a few people you will warm to, and the host keeps an eye on anyone who seems left out. You also have plenty of free time, so you are never stuck in one conversation.

Do people stay in touch afterwards?

Very often they do. Groups tend to swap numbers, keep a chat going and meet up again, and plenty of people book their next trip with friends they made on the last one.

Talk to us before you book

If you are not sure which trip suits you, tell us what you enjoy and what worries you, and we will be straight with you. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts trips himself, can tell you how the first evening runs and how many places are left. Get in touch through our contact page and we will help you choose the holiday where you are most likely to meet your people.