Solo trips for men: battlefields, walking, safari and skiing with a hosted group

The best solo trips for men give you something to do all day and someone to have a pint with at night, and that is what Spice Escapes sets up. You book on your own, join a small mixed group with a host from our team, and spend the week on the battlefields of Flanders, on walking paths in northern Spain, on the pistes in the Dolomites or on safari outside Cape Town.

Most men who look at a trip like this have been thinking about it for a while. Perhaps the mates you used to go away with have settled down, or a marriage has ended, or your partner simply has no interest in the places you want to see. Going completely alone sounds fine until you picture the second evening, sat at the hotel bar scrolling your phone. A hosted group removes that evening. There is always a table to join.

The worry nobody likes to say out loud

The question we hear most from men is a simple one: will I be the only bloke? Spice Escapes is not a women's travel club and never has been. Every holiday is open to men and women alike, booked by people travelling on their own, and planned around things to do rather than a theme. Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, which is enough for a few different conversations at dinner and small enough that you know everyone by the second day.

The host is the other half of it. They make the introductions on the first evening, sort the table for dinner and know what is happening each day, so you are not left organising strangers. If you would like to know more about how a group works before you commit, our page for first-time solo travellers walks through it step by step, and our beginner's guide to a first group holiday covers the practical side.

A long weekend on the Western Front

World War I - A Journey of Memory & Meaning with Wings is a short break in Ypres, 3 nights from £1,019, with Claire Dymond hosting. You travel by Eurostar from St Pancras, so there is no airport and no flight. A local guide takes the group to Tyne Cot and the trenches at Sanctuary Wood, and the Last Post sounds at the Menin Gate each evening, minutes from the family-run Albion Hotel.

This is the trip for the man who has read the books and wants to stand in the places. Days at the cemeteries are heavy, and the optional group dinner in the evening, with people who have just seen the same things, is where most of the talking happens. Dates: 8 Apr 2027 – 11 Apr 2027. Places: 14 places left. See more in Belgium.

Boots on in Cantabria, with Jen and Jim

The Cantabrian Walking Week runs 7 nights in northern Spain from £999, hosted by Jen & Jim. Jen and Jim have walked the area themselves to choose the routes, which run from under three miles to nearly nine, along the coast, by rivers and through forest. Jen sets a leisurely pace, and if you want something faster, Jim is happy to push on.

The base is Agara, a big renovated house rather than a hotel, with every meal included and local wine and beer to help yourself to. There are no bars on the doorstep, so the evenings happen around the table and in the house, which is exactly why groups get to know each other so quickly. Most rooms share bathrooms, and an ensuite costs extra, so ask us early if that matters to you. Dates: 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027. Places: 7 places left. Before you pack, the secret to the ideal walk is worth a read, and the rest of our walking holidays are listed together.

Cape Town, the Winelands and a game drive

South Africa Discovery is the big one: 10 nights from £3,499, with Sue Giddings as your local host. Sue meets you at arrivals and stays for the whole trip. The days take in Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders Beach, a day in the Winelands at Franschhoek, and an overnight at a private game reserve with a sunrise game drive.

Having a host who knows the city, and a group to share the drives and the dinners with, takes the planning off your hands. Dates: 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027. Places: 8 places left. More trips like it sit under adventure holidays.

A ski week in the Dolomites, for the winter

If skiing is your thing, Ski Madonna - The Dolomites is 7 nights from £1,339, hosted by Jamie Morris. The pistes above Pinzolo and Madonna di Campiglio are mostly tree-lined, with plenty for intermediates and steeper terrain if you want it. Breakfast and dinner are included at the family-run Hotel Pinzolo Dolomiti, and a shuttle runs to the lifts each morning.

Skiing on your own can be a lonely business, queuing for lifts with nobody to compare notes with. In a group you find people at your level by the first lunchtime, and dinner is a table of people swapping stories about the same runs. Dates: 23 Jan 2027 – 30 Jan 2027. Places: Waitlist only. Our article on how a hosted ski week works when you travel on your own explains the rest.

Three nights in Berlin, at your own pace

Berlin Bound is a short break of 3 nights from £549, staying by Alexanderplatz, a short walk from Museum Island. A coordinator leads one day round the city on the hop on, hop off tour, and the rest is yours.

This one suits the man who likes his independence but would rather not eat alone every night. Spend the day at the museums on your own, then meet the others for a beer in the evening. Dates: 4 Jun 2027 – 7 Jun 2027. Places: 22 places left.

What it costs to go on your own

Every holiday has a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself, and we will tell you what it is for your trip before you book. Our single supplement page explains how it works. If you are in your fifties or sixties and want to see the whole programme, start with our over 50s solo holidays, and if you want to know why people come back, read what makes a Spice Escape different.

Questions people ask

Do men come on these holidays?

Men are as welcome as anyone, because every Spice Escapes holiday is a mixed group open to men and women travelling on their own. The trips are built around things to do, from battlefields to walking and skiing, rather than around a theme.

I am not much of a talker. Will I fit in?

Most people are not, at first, and the host is there to make the introductions so you do not have to. Having something to do together, a walk or a guided day, makes the conversation easy.

Can I go off and do my own thing?

Of course. Most holidays have free time built in, and nobody minds if you skip an outing or head out on your own for an afternoon.

Will I pay more for travelling alone?

Yes, every holiday carries a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself. We will tell you exactly what it is for your trip before you book.

Which trip is best for a first go?

A short break such as the Ypres weekend or Berlin is an easy way to try a group without committing a whole week. Once you have done one, a longer trip feels like the natural next step.

Talk it over with Jamie

If one of these has caught your eye, the next step is a conversation. Ask for Jamie Morris, who hosts the Dolomites ski week, or anyone on the team, and tell us which trip you are looking at and what you are unsure about. We will tell you who is hosting, how the days run and what places are left. Get in touch here and we will come back to you.