Just You alternatives: how a hosted Spice Escapes group compares

If you are looking at Just You alternatives, you probably already know you like travelling with a group of people who are all on their own. Spice Escapes runs that kind of holiday too, in a different shape: hosted groups of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, with a Spice host who travels with you, eats with you and knows everyone by name before the first dinner is over.

We have no connection with Just You. What we say about them comes from their own website, and we have tried to be fair, because the right holiday for you matters more than which company sells it.

What Just You does well

Just You describes itself as a pioneer of solo travel, and its website says its holidays are "designed to unite solo travellers". Everyone in a Just You group is travelling by themselves, which is the thing most people want to hear first. Their tours include return flights, hotels they describe as "hand-picked hotels in great locations", and breakfast together every day, and the homepage promises a "room of your own guaranteed".

Each tour has what Just You calls a Holiday Director, presented as one of the "experts in bringing people together". Their range is wide, with holidays across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania, river cruises among them. Their frequently asked questions say group sizes vary from tour to tour, with an average of 27. Their holidays are ATOL protected.

If you want a big choice of far-flung itineraries, a full touring programme with most days planned, and a company that does nothing else but solo travel, Just You may well suit you, and we would rather you knew that.

What a Spice Escapes group feels like instead

The difference people notice first is size. Our groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. That is small enough for everyone to have spoken to everyone by the second evening.

The second difference is the host. A Spice host is part of the group rather than someone leading it from the front of a coach. They make the introductions, sort the table at dinner so the person who arrived nervous is sat next to someone chatty, and gather everyone over breakfast to plan the day. On many holidays the days are left open, so you can go off with new friends or have a quiet morning.

The third is honesty about the room. Every Spice holiday carries a single supplement or room-to-yourself cost, and we tell you what it is before you book. Our single supplement page explains how it works and how to keep it down.

If you are new to this kind of travel, our guides for first-time solo travellers and over 50s solo holidays explain the rest, and what makes a Spice Escape different goes into the host role in more detail.

If you liked a touring itinerary: Crete Discovery

People who enjoy a Just You tour usually like seeing a lot without organising any of it. Crete Discovery is the closest Spice holiday to that feel, over 7 nights with two bases only, three nights in Aghios Nikolaos and four in Rethymno, so you unpack twice rather than every day. A tour manager meets you on arrival, and your Spice host Lauren Fawkes travels with the group. The days take in Plaka and Elounda, a home-cooked lunch at a family taverna on the Lasithi Plateau, Heraklion and Knossos on the way west, then Chania. Both hotels have two pools and a spa, with half board throughout. Dates are 5 Oct 2027 – 12 Oct 2027, from £1,499, and places: 13 places left. See more of our holidays in Greece and our culture and discovery holidays.

If you liked going long haul with a group: South Africa Discovery

On South Africa Discovery, our local host Sue Giddings meets you in arrivals in Cape Town after the overnight flight and stays with the group for the whole trip. Over 10 nights there is Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders Beach in one day, the winelands, and an overnight at a private game reserve with a sunrise game drive. Dates are 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027, from £3,499, and places: 9 places left. Our other worldwide adventures are worth a look as well.

If you liked a river cruise: India and the Lower Ganges

India: Kolkata and the Lower Ganges River Cruise is a Spice Escapes charter aboard the RV Kalaw Pandaw, a boutique river ship with just 18 staterooms. That means the whole ship is your group rather than a share of a larger one. The trip begins moored in Kolkata, then cruises the Hooghly into the Lower Ganges, with a rickshaw ride at Kalna to a Shiva temple ringed by 108 shrines and a private visit to Raj Bhavan arranged for Spice guests only. It runs for 10 nights with Claire Dymond hosting, 10 Oct 2026 – 20 Oct 2026, from £3,485. Places: Waitlist only. More river and sea trips are in our cruises.

If you want a slower week than a tour: Croatian Chillout

Some people come to us after a busy tour wanting the company without the early starts. Croatian Chillout is a week on the island of Lošinj, half board at Hotel Punta so breakfast and dinner are taken care of, with a boat day round the archipelago and a chance of dolphins. It is 7 nights with Jackie Whyte, 1 May 2027 – 8 May 2027, from £869, and places: 16 places left. See Croatia for more.

If you want to try us first: Kraków Discovery

A short break is a sensible way to see whether a Spice group suits you before committing to a long trip. Kraków Discovery leaves the days open for Main Market Square and Wawel Castle at your own pace, with optional trips to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz-Birkenau, and a host for all four nights so there is company at dinner. It is 4 nights with Jackie Whyte, 26 May 2027 – 30 May 2027, from £589. Places: 9 places left.

Questions people ask

Is Spice Escapes part of Just You?

No, we are a separate UK tour operator with no connection to Just You. We run our own hosted group holidays for people travelling on their own. Anything we say about Just You on this page comes from their own website.

Will I have a room to myself on a Spice holiday?

Yes, you can have a room of your own, and there is a single supplement or room-to-yourself cost for it on every holiday. We show that cost clearly before you book. Our single supplement page explains how it works.

How big are the groups compared with Just You?

Our groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. Just You's own website gives an average group size of 27, varying from tour to tour. Which suits you is a matter of taste.

Is a Spice host the same as a Just You Holiday Director?

Both are there to bring the group together, but the emphasis differs. A Spice host travels as part of the group, makes the introductions, gathers everyone for breakfast and dinner and leaves you free in between. On some holidays, such as Crete, a local tour manager runs the touring and the Spice host looks after the group.

What if I have only ever travelled with Just You?

That is a good starting point, because you already know you enjoy travelling with people who are on their own too. Tell us which tours you liked and why, and we will suggest the Spice holiday closest to it. Many people start with a short break to try us out.

Tell us what you loved about your last trip

The quickest way to find your first Spice holiday is to tell us what you enjoyed on your last group trip, and what you would change. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts trips himself, and the rest of the team will match you to a departure and tell you who is hosting. Read your first group holiday if you would like the detail first, then get in touch with us by phone or email and ask anything.