Holidaying alone 20 June 2022 at 8:36AM in Overseas holidays & travel planning 30 replies 3.3K views

madlyn

Looking into going on holiday on my own next year, either somewhere I am familiar with Spain or Portugal or somewhere completely different.
Are the usual package holiday companies the ones to use or a company that specialises in solo traveller holidays?
 

comeandgo

Why go package holidays?  I just look at hotels on booking.com and then get flights.  Make sure you have decent holiday insurance and book hotels that allow cancellation.  The world is wider when you go independent.

Martin_the_Unjust

It all depends on your likes etc and budget!

Sandtree

madlyn said:

Looking into going on holiday on my own next year, either somewhere I am familiar with Spain or Portugal or somewhere completely different.
Are the usual package holiday companies the ones to use or a company that specialises in solo traveller holidays?

Both work, just be aware that the headline rates for standard package holiday companies are normally based on 2 adults sharing a room and that solo travellers will pay more per person. 

Outside of that its just weighing up benefits of package -v- independent booking

madlyn

I am a cautious person and have always booked a package holiday in the past, so booking everything separately is way out of my comfort zone. 

TELLIT01

Go the way you are comfortable.  No point in booking everthing separately if you are going to worry the whole of the time you are away.  In your situation I would probably go to one of the independent travel agents shops which aren't basically trying to sell holidays for their own companies.

tightauldgit

madlyn said:

I am a cautious person and have always booked a package holiday in the past, so booking everything separately is way out of my comfort zone. 

I travel a lot independently and always just book flights and hotel. It's not that difficult really and you will generally save a LOT of money doing it that way. You also get a lot more options of places to stay I find. 

If you are really against it then just go to a travel agent on the high street and see what they can suggest for you. 

CKhalvashi

What do you want to do? What is your rough budget?

Happy to give you general guidance with this that's not too far off the beaten track and can be tweaked to something you feel comfortable with.

I echo the above also, flights and fully refundable accommodation is generally the way to go for savings, paired with a decent insurance policy.

Voyager2002

If you go with one of the usual package holidays you will (i) pay more because it is a package; (ii) pay a lot more because you are on your own. If you don't care about paying more than is necessary then enjoy your holiday.

If you are worried about feeling lonely then choose a group holiday, for instance a Nile cruise. (On such cruises bar prices tend to be very high, so if you board the boat with a crate of the drinks that a cheap and sold in shops there you will be a very popular person!) Or stay in hostels with shared kitchens and living areas, which are generally very sociable places.

mark_cycling00

It's not always true that packages are more expensive, as has been alluded to, the base cost can be a loss-leader in the hope that you spend a lot at the bar and on extras.

For example, for £750 (a few years ago) a single person gets a Neilson-style activity holiday with flights, transfers, nice hotel with pool+spa, breakfast, lunch and most dinners, cycle-hire, windsurf hire, tennis, sailing lessons etc etc. Booking all this individually would easily be £1500+

There's a certain type of middle-class person who does these holidays so could be heaven or hell depending who you are. lolz

madlyn

If I was going to go somewhere like Ibiza, where I have been 3 times then I could book everything separately as I am familiar with the island and the resort I would go to.
But if I were to book something like a safari, then I would go for a package as I have never done a safari before.