Have you ever been on holiday alone? Where did you go and what did you do and did you like it?

[NaughtyBoyGeorgeMichaelJacksonBrown]

I have a lot of friends but they are either coupled up or (as much as I love them) not people I want to be stuck with for more than a few hours (I'm a people pleaser so go along with what others want then get resentful!). I'm happily single and can't say I ever really had compatible holidays with any exes. I have DC but they are secondary age, stay with their dad happily and are not interested in doing much with me (we do the usual meals and walks and film nights etc. but I don't want to spend £££ for days of whining about missing wifi/ Playstation/ friends/ home).

I'm happy being alone, don't get lonely and am reasonably confident but not sure where or what I would do alone for a week or two- do I just spend it at home doing days out and lies in or can you recommend something?

In my view, a solo holiday is exactly that - I would hate to go as part of a group, and don't want to chat to anyone or "make friends". But I guess the point is that there are all sorts of options, so something for everyone.

Have you considered cruising?
I went to Norwegian fjords last year with my daughter. I was well impressed at how much you can partake in as a single person.
We picked shared dining one night and had two amazing women on our table, both travelling separately, it was such a fun night.
there's also quizzes; meet ups and shore excursions directly booked through the cruise so you're with people off your ship. The daily newspaper lists everything.

when DD stops holidaying with me, I've got an absolute list of places I will be heading off to solo cruise.

Twenty years ago, I did Torremolinos. One week, basic b&b. Did daytrios every other day - Morocco, Alhambra, Gibraltar. Chilled the other days. Dimmer out every night and actually made holiday friends. In at 2am and start again.

Two years ago I went to see Andre Rieu in Maastricht. Coach tour full of old people. Genuinely hysterical road trip. Bit of sight seeing in Germany.

If I were to go alone now I'd pick somewhere that I knew I could do lots of sight seeing stuff but also a nice beach to relax. Somewhere you'll feel safe alone past sunset.

I've just returned from a solo trip to Disney World in Florida - absolutely not everyone's cup of tea but I had the best time ever, and have booked to go again later in the year 😁

How big a nightlife? Somewhere like Chamonix has amazing hiking in summer, and plenty of choice of cafes, restaurants and bars, but isn't a major city, for example.

Closer to home, somewhere like Liverpool or Manchester, you could get out into the Peak District during the day and spend the evenings in the city.

I was just going to send this link to my daughter, who is a regular solo traveller, although she is not an 'older' woman.

Long lunches, casual friendships, no one to worry about: solo holidays are brilliant for older women like me | Travel | The Guardian

I have been holidaying alone for the past 25 years and love it. I have had some holidays with other people during that time too but I prefer solo holidays.
I have done many city breaks over the years, in Europe.
I have had a lot of holidays in the mountains. I started off staying in a hotel in a mountain village and doing day hikes from them - some on my own and some guided hikes. Then I moved on to solo hut-to-hut treks in the Alps. And now I go to Norway every year with my tent and trek for 3 weeks in the mountains. I have also been on many cross-country skiing holidays alone.

It depends what you like to do really but if you do like nature maybe you could book a week in a mountain village in a nice hotel and see how you get on with that. I used to go with Inghams and they were good as they also had organized hikes and trips out. There were also other Inghams guests in the hotels and I've made lifelong friends with people I met there. Neustift im Stubaital is lovely. Obergurgl - very small and very high up but fabulous for hiking. St. Johann in Tirol. Alpbach, Austria - no nightlife though. I enjoyed Wengen in Switzerland. Maybe have a look at Ingham's website and see if anything takes your fancy.

Citybreaks: I love museums and galleries, wandering around cities and looking at the architecture, having nice meals and reading a good book. I'm not a nightlife person and I would feel unsafe going out alone so when I go on a city break I have a meal around 7 pm or so and then go back to the hotel and chill and get up again fairly early to make the most of the day.

Long-distance trekking: that's my favourite thing of all. I've never felt unsafe. If you choose your route carefully there are plenty of people around in summer. In a lot of the remoter places in Norway you might not see anyone for a few days and you need to be equipped for various eventualities and know how to react in a dangerous/emergency situation.

My first holiday alone was to Funchal, Madeira. I didn’t want to go to a party boozy resort (and feel left out) and I thought Madeira was popular with older people and safer. It was to an extent but their was still lots for me to enjoy in my 30s

I take myself off to London once a year for two nights by myself and I go and watch a theatre show, and go and eat loads of sushi and I stay in a nice hotel with a gym and go on long walks around the city, then sleep in a lovely big bed. I love it.

My DP also does similar.

I was meant to take a solo trip to the Emilia Romagna region of Italy but that was scuppered by Covid. Fast forward a few yrs later and I went to London on my own for a week. I'm from the UK but don't currently live there, and the idea of being in a city I'm familiar with, no foreign language to negotiate (in a foreign language speaking country at the moment) and just doing what I wanted to do was very attractive. I'd only ever been to London with friends/family/husband and there's always some compromising over where to eat and what to do.
So I spent the week eating at nice restaurants, having afternoon tea in Claridges, walking around art galleries that I know my husband and son would have zero interest in. I did some shopping, browsed independent book stores, slept in, read lots, saw Hamilton and went to watch Self Esteem in concert in Hammersmith. It was so nice just to switch off for a week, and to eat where I wanted without having to consider others. I'd absolutely do it again - maybe a beach holiday or a few days in New York. Doing all these things alone is such a huge confidence booster and when I got back to my family it was such a treat to see them again after a week of being totally selfish.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. Lots of inspiration!