Solo travel advice & recommendations

[altgirl]

Looking at booking my first solo holiday later this year.

Depending how long it takes for my passport to come back (renewing it this week) I’m looking at a long weekend fri- mon and can do any month. Or a week in October but ideally id like sun so I know this would mean going further. Can anyone recommend anywhere? (Edit- I was looking at Greece/ canaries for a long weekend or Florida for October)

I’ve enjoyed reading this thread so far and I’m excited to do this for myself!

 

[Notworthy]

Looking at booking my first solo holiday later this year.

Depending how long it takes for my passport to come back (renewing it this week) I’m looking at a long weekend fri- mon and can do any month. Or a week in October but ideally id like sun so I know this would mean going further. Can anyone recommend anywhere? (Edit- I was looking at Greece/ canaries for a long weekend or Florida for October)

I’ve enjoyed reading this thread so far and I’m excited to do this for myself!

Florida in October is incredible and definitely doable for a long weekend. Most flights land very early in the morning on the return trip so you can go into work the day you get back (tough but best way to combat the jetlag)

 

[futbolista]

Hoping someone on here is / has been brave enough to go on holiday alone and can give me some tips!

I haven't been on holiday at all for about 5 years for various reasons plus of course the pandemic. My husband doesn't like going abroad (won't fly, everything else is too much hassle for him & he's not really interested enough to go anywhere to make the effort) and all my friends now have babies so I've got nobody to go with but I really want a holiday!

Have any of you (mainly girls) been anywhere abroad by yourselves? I'm thinking Europe, mainly. Where's safe? Where's interesting? Where's easy to go and eat alone? I feel like I'd be OK during the daytime in a city or a resort but not sure what I'd do by myself in the evenings...

Or have any of you been on those guided solo traveller trips? I usually arrange all my own travel as it's cheaper, but maybe I should go for something that's a guided thing?

Any ideas welcome!

i did a solo round the world trip through 19 countries. New Zealand, Oz, europe and asia. Also have done solo road trips around America and Canada.

spain is really easy. Madrid, Barcelona or even San Sebastián. I stayed in some hostels and with friends at the time but could do air bnb with a local host with good reviews. Do some organized day trips and then explore alone. Can join some Facebook groups to find female locals or get tips.

just saw this and am on phone but can answer more questions if you like.

 

[GirlLondon]

I once travelled to New Orleans with an ex and we had a fight and he left for Washington. I was on my own in New Orleans. I did my own bar crawl and watched the street parades, spoke to so many people, lots of live music etc. I ended up in a gay bar (if I was going to be safe anywhere, it would be in a bar where the men have absolutely no interest in me), watching a drag queen show and stayed out until 4am drinking with the regulars and the acts themselves. I had such a great time there but you need to be alert wherever you go! Especially where alcohol is involved too.

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

I once travelled to New Orleans with an ex and we had a fight and he left for Washington. I was on my own in New Orleans. I did my own bar crawl and watched the street parades, spoke to so many people, lots of live music etc. I ended up in a gay bar (if I was going to be safe anywhere, it would be in a bar where the men have absolutely no interest in me), watching a drag queen show and stayed out until 4am drinking with the regulars and the acts themselves. I had such a great time there but you need to be alert wherever you go! Especially where alcohol is involved too.

I love this! It's the kind of thing I'd have done in my 20s but I'm 40 now (don't know how that happened... I don't feel 40!) & I can't drink much without wanting to go to sleep

i did a solo round the world trip through 19 countries. New Zealand, Oz, europe and asia. Also have done solo road trips around America and Canada.

spain is really easy. Madrid, Barcelona or even San Sebastián. I stayed in some hostels and with friends at the time but could do air bnb with a local host with good reviews. Do some organized day trips and then explore alone. Can join some Facebook groups to find female locals or get tips.

just saw this and am on phone but can answer more questions if you like.

Barcelona is great isn't it - I went there during La Merce one year, it was fabulously mental.

I'm currently thinking I will go somewhere in Italy. Outside of this chat some work people have suggested various options that sound a)safe b)beautiful and c)full of food, and as I'm not ready to go outside of Europe yet, I think that's what I'll do. Obvs now we have all the airport nightmares here in the UK so I'm not going to book anything until that mess looks like it's over...

 

[GirlLondon]

I love this! It's the kind of thing I'd have done in my 20s but I'm 40 now (don't know how that happened... I don't feel 40!) & I can't drink much without wanting to go to sleep

I was 35 at the time. I'm 39 now and I will be doing my first Solo group travel although it is for New Year's Eve. I'm sick of friends letting me down. All my friends have boufriends, husbands, children, pets or parents to look after. I want to dress like like Princess at a ball and so I go with strangers to celebrate this year. I may even be the youngest but I don't care! I will not have a life of regrets. Good luck to you.
PS- Nap during the day and don't drink until a bit later. Stay away from wine as it's a sedative (makes you sleepy)!

 

[BettyCrockerr]

Florida in October is incredible and definitely doable for a long weekend. Most flights land very early in the morning on the return trip so you can go into work the day you get back (tough but best way to combat the jetlag)

Florida, for a long weekend? From the UK?!

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

I was 35 at the time. I'm 39 now and I will be doing my first Solo group travel although it is for New Year's Eve. I'm sick of friends letting me down. All my friends have boufriends, husbands, children, pets or parents to look after. I want to dress like like Princess at a ball and so I go with strangers to celebrate this year. I may even be the youngest but I don't care! I will not have a life of regrets. Good luck to you.
PS- Nap during the day and don't drink until a bit later. Stay away from wine as it's a sedative (makes you sleepy)!

Yesssss I hear ya, I've got that exact problem with my friends I used to go on holidays with. And my work colleague who would be a perfect holiday buddy isn't allowed to be on annual leave at the same time as me as we do the same role in the same team, so I can't go with her either. It's so crap!

 

[misunderstood]

First solo trip was to Berlin , I really enjoyed my time there , joined the free walking tours and made a Facebook friend

 

[emm]

i did a solo round the world trip through 19 countries. New Zealand, Oz, europe and asia. Also have done solo road trips around America and Canada.

spain is really easy. Madrid, Barcelona or even San Sebastián. I stayed in some hostels and with friends at the time but could do air bnb with a local host with good reviews. Do some organized day trips and then explore alone. Can join some Facebook groups to find female locals or get tips.

just saw this and am on phone but can answer more questions if you like.

Second those Spanish cities, I would also add valencia which is just amazing.
What I have done on occasion is do a language course in the place that I am staying in, only a few hours a day and it is a good way to meet people and also get to know more about the place you are staying

First solo trip was to Berlin , I really enjoyed my time there , joined the free walking tours and made a Facebook friend

Totally agree about the free walking tours, they seem to exist everywhere in Europe now, thinking about it I have also joined groups on Meetup and gone for drinks/walks with people (or tinder if you are single!)

 

[tinkertailorsoldierspy]

What a lovely thread! So nice to head lots of positive experiences of loan travelling - will definitely be following this thread.

 

[Roobarb]

In respect of alcohol, if I am on my own I will only ever have 1 or 2 drinks. I only get 'merry' around people I know and trust. You have to be responsible.

 

[Fizzwhizz2020]

I’ve been to so many places on my own. I spent time in Thailand and Cambodia as well as Vietnam and spain. It depends what you want from a holiday. I did one day by the pool and the next doing activities. I absolutely loved it and those were the best holidays I have ever had as you have no one to please but yourself and you can be on your own timeline. No one bats an eyelid when you go out to eat by yourself either. I just booked myself into nice hotels and didn’t do it as part of a tour, it was a bit of an eat, prey, love affair with myself but there’s so much to see and do in terms of culture. You can even get internal flights to different places. Have a week on a beach with beautiful scenery and then fly for an hour and be in a lovely city. Even Google is your friend! I’ve also done Italy and can recommend Florence if you’re on your own. So much to see. Good luck x

 

[Apple In My Pie]

I would LOVE to solo travel, it is my dream.

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

So many lovely and useful tips so far! THANK YOU everyone! I've pretty much decided on Italy. Now have to choose when and where...

 

[emm]

So many lovely and useful tips so far! THANK YOU everyone! I've pretty much decided on Italy. Now have to choose when and where...

Depends what kind of holiday you want, but I went to Puglia one September which was just stunning, great weather and the food was AMAZING

 

[Notworthy]

So many lovely and useful tips so far! THANK YOU everyone! I've pretty much decided on Italy. Now have to choose when and where...

How about the lakes.

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

Depends what kind of holiday you want, but I went to Puglia one September which was just stunning, great weather and the food was AMAZING

Yesssss I LOVE the look of Puglia. I really want to go to Matera.

How about the lakes.

And yes to this too, and the Dolomites, I do like a mountain!

 

[lurkingaround123]

So many lovely and useful tips so far! THANK YOU everyone! I've pretty much decided on Italy. Now have to choose when and where...

I once did a bit of a combo trip in Italy which I would recommend! I flew in to Milan and did a couple of nights city break, then got the train down to the coast and had a little beach break too, worked out really cheap staying in lovely airbnb's

 

[Hereiam44]

I would definitely recommend travelling about by train. A few years ago I flew out to Geneva, stayed a couple nights in and around Montreux and got a train to Milan directly from there. So easy and *so* cheap. Kind of blew my mind how cheap it was. What I loved about it is that the weather in one place wasn’t great so I flipped my plans and followed the sun because I was just pleasing myself! Was nervous before I went but genuinely loved every minute of it and some of my favourite times were sitting in a rooftop bar in the evening reading my book