How to go on holiday on your own: a six-step guide, with a host and a group

The easiest way to go on holiday on your own is to book a trip where the company is already arranged, so you choose the place and somebody else takes care of who you eat with. That is what Spice Escapes does: small hosted group holidays for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who travel on their own, with a host who travels with the group, a room of your own and a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty.

This is the practical guide. It is for the person who has already decided they want to go, has perhaps typed "is it ok to go on holiday alone" into a search box late one evening, and now wants to know how to actually do it. There are six steps, and they come in this order for a reason. Each one removes a reason to put it off for another year.

Step one: decide what you want from the time, before you decide where

Most people start with a destination and then worry about being alone in it. Try it the other way round. Ask yourself three plain questions and write the answers down.

• How long can you comfortably be away? A first trip of three or four nights is a sensible test. You learn what you like without committing a fortnight to finding out.
• Do you want your days planned or free? Some people relax when every morning has a plan. Others want a fixed point or two and the rest of the day to wander.
• What do you want to come home having done? Seen a famous city, learned to paint, walked a coastline, or simply eaten well with good company for a few days.

Your answers point to a kind of holiday far more reliably than a map does. Somebody who wants a short trip with everything arranged needs a different first holiday from somebody who wants a week with a job to do. The holidays further down this page are grouped by exactly those answers.

Step two: choose a holiday where the company is built in

Going on holiday by yourself does not have to mean being by yourself all day. The question that decides whether a solo trip is a pleasure or a slog is simple: who will you talk to at dinner? On a hosted group holiday the answer is settled before you pack.

Here is what that means on a Spice Escapes trip. Your host travels with the group, knows everyone's name by the first evening and makes the introductions so you do not have to. Most people book on their own, so arriving alone is the normal way to arrive, and nobody is the odd one out at a table of couples. Meals that are included are eaten together, and the host makes sure the conversation moves around the table. If you want an afternoon to yourself, you take it, and the group is there again at dinner.

Our page on solo holidays for over 50s explains how the whole programme works, and group holidays for people travelling on their own goes into how a group gels. If this is genuinely your first time, start with our page for first-time solo travellers.

Step three: sort out the room, the money and the paperwork

This is the dull step, and it is the one that stops most people. Get it done early and the rest feels easy.

The room. You have a room to yourself, and on every holiday that carries a single supplement or a cost for having the room to yourself. Our single supplement page sets out how it works, so the price you see is the price you understand. Be wary of anyone who tells you there is no cost for a room of your own.

Protection. Spice Escapes holds ATOL licence 9046, which protects holidays that include flights. Ask us which arrangement applies to the trip you are looking at.

Insurance. You need travel insurance to travel with us, and we do not sell it, so buy it yourself when you book. Look for cover that starts on the day you book, includes cancellation, and lists any medical conditions you have. Read the excess and the limits rather than the headline.

Packing. Travelling alone means carrying your own bag, so pack lighter than you think. Our guide to packing light has the detail.

Step four: make your first trip short and fully arranged

If you have never done this before, the kindest thing you can do for yourself is to remove decisions. A short break where meals, tours and the evenings are already planned lets you find out how you feel about travelling solo without any of the admin.

Paris, where the boat is your hotel and dinner is sorted

All Inclusive Perfect Paris is about as gentle an introduction as there is. You spend 3 nights on a river boat on the Seine, moored a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, and it is full board with drinks on board, so there is no splitting a bill with people whose names you learned an hour ago. Whether you arrive by plane or by Eurostar, people link up for the transfer on the first day, so you are not left finding your own way across the city.

The first evening is a themed welcome on board. There are two guided tours included, the city by coach and Montmartre on foot, with free afternoons in between, and a gala dinner and a night cruise along the river (subject to river conditions). Your host is Samantha Pike. Dates are 3 Feb 2027 – 6 Feb 2027, prices start from £679, and availability is 13 places left. If you want to know more about the river itself, read seeing Paris from the Seine.

Step five: practise having free time on your own terms

The thing people dread about holidays alone is the empty afternoon. The thing they often love most, once they have done it, is the same empty afternoon. The trick is having a group to go back to.

Berlin, with one day led and the rest your own

Berlin Bound is built for exactly this. Your coordinator leads one day round the city on the hop-on hop-off bus, and you can stay with them or peel off and make your own way. On a Saturday afternoon the group may stop at Monbijoupark, where Berliners dance tango in the open air, and you can join in or sit and watch with a drink. The other days are yours, from a hotel by Alexanderplatz that is a short walk from Museum Island.

It is 3 nights, with dates 4 Jun 2027 – 7 Jun 2027, from £549, and 22 places left. It suits the person who wants to test their own company in daylight and still have somebody to compare notes with over breakfast. Browse more trips of this length among our short breaks.

Step six: give the week a job to do

Here is something people who travel alone a lot will tell you. The easiest groups to join are the ones doing something together. When everyone is looking at the same view, the same sketch or the same muddy path, the conversation starts itself, and you never have to think of an opening line.

Painting in northern Spain, at any level

On the Spanish Drawing and Painting Break with Tuition you stay at Agara, a twelve-bedroom house rather than a hotel, with a very friendly resident dog. Tuition is with Dale Scott, who teaches all levels, with sketch pads and a canvas provided. Lessons move around the area, from the coast to a village church to a bridge at Barcena Mayor, and there is local wine, beer and spirits in the house to help yourself to.

Three of the rooms have their own bathroom and carry a supplement, and the rest share bathrooms, so ask us about rooms when you enquire. The break runs for 7 nights, dates are 25 Apr 2027 – 2 May 2027, prices start from £929, and availability is 9 places left.

Walking in Cantabria with two people who know every route

The Cantabrian Walking Week uses the same house, with walks chosen by Jen & Jim, who walked the area themselves to pick the routes. They are volunteer hosts, so you are joining them for a walk rather than being led on a march. The pace is social, and if you want to go a little quicker, Jim is happy to push on. Routes run along the coast, beside rivers and through forest, and every meal is included.

You will need full walking kit, because miles do get done. It is 7 nights, with dates 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027, from £999, and 7 places left. Both of these weeks are in Spain, and you can see more like the second among our walking holidays, or read walking holidays for solo travellers over 50.

If the hardest time to be alone is Christmas

For a lot of people the question is less "how do I go on holiday alone" and more "how do I get through the festive weeks alone". A short trip into the run-up to Christmas can change how the whole season feels.

Prague Christmas Magic puts you in a central hotel minutes from the Old Town Square market, with mulled wine, the Charles Bridge and a morning at Prague Castle and St Vitus before an afternoon in Malá Strana. A host, Sally Wiltshire, is with the group throughout. It is 3 nights, with dates 4 Dec 2026 – 7 Dec 2026, from £675, and 5 places left. For the full festive programme, read Christmas and New Year breaks for solo travellers.

A few habits that make travelling alone easier

• Say yes to the first evening. Even if you are tired, go to the welcome drink or dinner. Faces become names that night, and the rest of the trip is easier for it.
• Sit somewhere different at each meal. The host will help, but moving around means you get to know the whole group rather than one corner of it.
• Take the afternoon off when you want it. Nobody minds, and you will have a story to bring back to the table.
• Tell the host what you are nervous about. That is what they are there for, and a quiet word on day one saves a lot of worry.
• Swap numbers before you leave. Plenty of people book their next trip with someone they met on this one.

If you want to read about the decision itself, why a solo holiday could be your best decision this year covers it, and the beginner's guide to a first group holiday fills in the rest.

Questions people ask

Is it ok to go on holiday alone?

Yes, and far more people do it than you might think. On our holidays most people book on their own, so travelling alone is the usual arrangement rather than the exception.

What does solo travel actually mean?

Solo travel simply means booking and travelling without a partner or friend. It can mean going entirely independently, or it can mean joining a hosted group where you arrive on your own and spend as much time with the others as you choose.

Are solo holidays any good if you are not naturally outgoing?

Often they suit quieter people best, because the host does the introductions and the group gives you company without you having to create it. You also have a room of your own to retreat to whenever you need a break.

What do people mean by a holiday for singles?

Usually they mean a holiday designed for people travelling without a partner. Ours are mixed hosted groups of people travelling on their own, and the point is friendship and good company.

What do you do in the evenings on holiday alone?

On a hosted trip you usually eat with the group, and the host often suggests a bar or a walk afterwards. You can always slip off early, and nobody will think twice about it.

Your next step: one conversation

You have done the hard part by reading this far. The next step is a short conversation, not a booking. Tell us how long you can get away, whether you want your days planned or free, and what you would like to come home having done, and we will suggest the holiday that fits and tell you who your host will be.

Get in touch through our contact page and ask for Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts holidays himself, or anyone on the team. Ask "which holiday would you suggest for me?" and you will get a straight answer.