Solo adventure holidays over 60: the big trips of retirement, hosted

If you are in your sixties and want solo adventure holidays over 60 that you do not have to plan, research and book piece by piece yourself, Spice Escapes runs small hosted group holidays where a host travels with you and the group is ready-made. You choose the adventure, from a sunrise game drive in South Africa to snorkelling beside whale sharks in the Maldives, and we arrange the rest, so the first big trips of retirement, or of life on your own, start the moment you leave home rather than months earlier at the kitchen table.

Plenty of people tell us the same story. The diary is finally clear, there is money put aside for the trips that were always going to happen "one day", and then the planning stalls. Booking a safari lodge, a liveaboard boat or a week of mountain walking on your own means a lot of decisions and nobody to share them with. A hosted group takes that weight off you. The routes, the hotels, the transfers and the evening table are sorted, and you arrive to a host who knows your name and a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, most of whom have booked on their own too.

Retirement is when the long-haul trip finally fits

Now the question is not whether you can get the time off, but who you will go with. A partner who does not travel, friends who prefer a sun lounger, or a recent loss can all leave you with the will to go and nobody to go with. That is the gap a Spice Escapes holiday fills. You are part of a group from the first evening, the host is there for questions and introductions, and you can join in all day or take an afternoon to yourself without anyone minding.

South Africa: Cape Point, penguins and a night at a game reserve

South Africa Discovery is the trip many people have had in mind for years. It runs for 10 nights, with Sue Giddings meeting you in arrivals at Cape Town and staying with the group for the whole holiday. That alone removes the hardest part of a long-haul trip on your own: stepping off an overnight flight in a new country and working out what happens next.

You stay at The Vineyard, set in gardens on the slopes of Table Mountain. One full day follows the Atlantic coast along Chapman's Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, then on to the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. Another heads into the winelands at Franschhoek, and there is an overnight at a private game reserve with a sunrise game drive. Dates are 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027, prices start £3,499, and places left: 8 places left.

The Maldives from a small wooden boat

For an adventure in the water, Maldives Wildlife Cruise & Beach Chillout spends seven nights on MV Felicity, a wooden boat that takes twelve guests at most, followed by three quiet nights on Fulhadhoo with nothing scheduled. If your snorkelling is rusty, that is fine. On the first day the tour leader gives a safety briefing, helps with equipment, points out marine life you might have missed and gets a sense of how confident everyone is in the water.

One whole day is given over to searching for whale sharks off Dhigurah, the old-fashioned way, by watching from the boat. The holiday is 12 nights in all, hosted by Jonathan Banks, on 27 Nov 2027 – 9 Dec 2027, from £4,199. Places: 2 places left.

Walking the green north of Spain, with every meal sorted

Retirement is a good time to find out how far your legs will take you. The Cantabrian Walking Week is hosted by Jen & Jim, who walked the area themselves to choose the routes. Walks run from under three miles to nearly nine, along the coast, beside rivers and through forest.

Home for the week is Agara, a large renovated house with twelve bedrooms and a very friendly resident dog. Every meal is included, with local wine and beer to help yourself to, so there is never a question of where to eat or who to eat with. A few rooms have their own bathroom and carry a supplement, so ask early if that matters to you. It runs for 7 nights on 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027, from £999, with places: 7 places left. For more on the region, read Discovering the Charms of Green Spain and Cantabria.

A total solar eclipse from a hilltop town in Andalucía

Some adventures come round once. Chasing the Eclipse is based in Vejer de la Frontera, at a hotel in a restored seventeenth-century Franciscan monastery, and the week is built around watching a total solar eclipse together. Around it there is a day in Jerez for sherry bodegas and flamenco and a visit to the old town of Cádiz on the Atlantic.

It is hosted by Rob Thompson, runs for 7 nights on 31 Jul 2027 – 7 Aug 2027, and starts from £2,899. Places: 18 places left.

A short trial run before the big one

If you have not travelled with a group before, a short break is a gentle way to find out how it feels. All Inclusive Treasures of Venice lasts 4 nights, and the ship is your hotel, moored close to St Mark's Square. All meals, drinks at the bar and a gala dinner are included on board, and there is an afternoon across the lagoon to Burano. Hosted by Samantha Pike, on 19 Nov 2026 – 23 Nov 2026, from £929. Our guide for first-time solo travellers covers the rest.

Learning to ski, or coming back to it

For a winter adventure, Ski Madonna, The Dolomites suits a returning skier well, with tree-lined pistes and plenty for intermediates, and complete beginners can book lessons with the local ski school in Pinzolo. Breakfast and dinner are at the family-run Hotel Pinzolo Dolomiti, with a shuttle to the lifts each morning. It is 7 nights with Jamie Morris, on 23 Jan 2027 – 30 Jan 2027, from £1,339.

Paying for your own room

Every Spice Escapes holiday has a single supplement or a cost for having a room to yourself, and we would rather say so plainly than have it come as a surprise. Our single supplement page explains how it works and what it costs on each trip. You can see more of the range on our adventure holidays page, browse South Africa or Spain, or read about solo holidays for the over 50s more widely.

Questions people ask

Will I be fit enough for an adventure holiday?

Each holiday is different, so tell us what you do now and we will tell you honestly how a trip will feel. The host will know the plan for each day before you set off.

What if I am the only one who has never done this before?

You will not be the only one. Most people book on their own, and plenty are trying something new, whether that is snorkelling, a long-haul flight or a week of walking. The host is there to help and to make the introductions.

I have recently lost my partner. Is a group trip a good idea?

Many people tell us a hosted group was the right first step, because company is there when you want it and quiet is there when you need it. Call us first and we will talk through which holiday might suit you best.

Who handles the bookings and transfers?

We do. The host, the hotels and the transfers on the holiday are arranged for you, and the holiday page sets out what is included. Our flight-inclusive holidays are protected under ATOL licence 9046.

Start with a conversation, not a spreadsheet

You do not need a plan to get in touch, only an idea of the adventure you want. Tell us whether it is wildlife, walking, the sea or the snow, how active you like to be and when you could go, and ask what a typical day looks like and who is hosting. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts the eclipse week himself, will give you a straight answer. Send us an enquiry and we will come back to you with dates, places and prices.