Has anyone been on a solo holiday (escorted group) and would you recommend it? What's the best company?

[ScreamingBeans]

That's it really. Want to do this in 2024 but procrastinating.

Yes, went to Belize last year with Explore. Over half the group were solo travellers. Definitely recommend it. Also you can usually call and ask how many other solo travellers going. My friend has been with Exodus too.
Where are you thinking of going?

How old are you?

I have been on many trips with Explore and some with Exodus and love them. I'm not brave enough to travel completely solo and like the reassurance of having a tour leader to sort out problems and other group members to talk to / eat with.

If you're young, G Adventures do some trips specifically for younger travellers.

A bit of a while ago now but I did a trip with Intrepid when I was 27, it was a really mixed group in terms of ages (no children / families) which I really liked. I met some great people. It wasn't just a party trip though if that's what you wanted.

I did a ski trip with hofnar

Great if you are in your 20s/early 30s and up for a social time.

Downside was that I got sick and struggled with all the noise and lack of privacy but same can happen anywhere.

A couple with Intrepid.
One with a Central Asia specialist

One with a Caucuses specialist

All excellent

I do cooking holidays in Italy with a company called Flavours.
They are really good, you do cooking lessons and trips out.
They do pilates and art holidays too.

Journeys Latin America were brilliant. Less impressed by Exodus but the tour leader was a German-trained gruppen-fuhrer ... just bad luck, she told us she'd had lots of complaints from previous groups and ours was her last trip. I wasn't impressed when a single woman who had booked to share a room with another female found on arrival that she was expected to share with a man; unfortunately, she was too timid to speak out - I'd have raised hell but it wasn't my place to stick my nose in. As gruppen-fuhrer was very publicly shagging the spare man (in her own room) by the end of the week, I suppose it all worked out. I did write some stinky feedback but she was leaving anyway.
Never felt inclined to book with them again although I can see it was probably a one-off. But JLA ... one of the best holidays ever!

I haven't but I have a good friend who goes different places with Intrepid every year and she loves it

Done two with explore and two with intrepid.

all great.

might not matter but the explore tour were all British- I think they only market in the UK. Or at least that used to be the case. Intrepid a mix but mostly Aussies.

Sorry to clarify- on explore tours the guides were local (and extremely knowledgeable). But the participants were all British. Or at least were UK based.

I’m looking at this too and had found exodus had the best reviews - bit put off now though! Also going to try swimtrek

I’ve been on one with travel talk tours.
Was great.

Why? Not been but Exodus have excellent rep and lots of my friends have used

A couple with Explore which were really well thought out. Pricey though

My daughter, who regularly travels solo in Europe and the US, has done the Far East and also India with this company and had excellent trips. I think there was some room-sharing, but they do go to decent hotels, not hostels.
Flash Pack | Adventure holidays for solo travellers in their 30s & 40s
Just noticed that the preview photo looks like she might be laughing at salad, but on her motorbike [re thread about models posing] 😂

I have done a few solo holidays. 1 with riviera travel (Budapest) who I can thoroughly recommend. I went to Slovenia last summer with a company called just you. Again I can recommend. Next week I’m headed off on a solo riverboat cruise through riviera travel

I've not used them myself, but a friend of mine swears by HF - she has been on many i f their walking holidays:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/

I haven't been on one for some time but I went on many solo holidays with friendship travel, all over the world. They were really good, check out the website

I did an explore holiday years ago and it was well run with great guides however unluckily for me my room buddy had mental health issues causing difficulties in the group , not explores fault but grim all the same .

I am using Riviera in September and have heard nothing but good reports .

I have a client who has been with GAdventures 6 times. She’s late 50’s and loves them.

I used "one traveller" twice. Thailand and India. Not cheap but very good.
I'm now 60 did the last one at 55.
Also cox and kings to south Africa.

I've done Swimtrek twice and am saving for their Galapagos trip (to go sometime in the 2050s at this rate!) I'm mid 30s and have been the youngest each time, but I love it. You do have to like swimming and swimming chat though.

I've also been on guided mountaineering courses, but they're a bit more safety critical so less messing about and chilling. I'd like to do a ski mountaineering course next year.

I like the look of Riviera thanks for the recommendation, seem a bit cheaper for what you get as well. Looking at their solo hols and poss the Greek tour with dd one sept pre uni.

@StamppotAndGravy I love swimming and can easily do the distances but not so sure about swim chat, I’m aware this could be an issue! Was thinking of trying short swim breaks to avoid the more hardcore swimmers.

@Taylorscat it's not only swimming chat, don't worry! The people who go are all obviously active and relatively adventurous, which tends to mean they're curious and interested in a lot of different topics. We were all swapping books, trying to learn the local language, comparing cat photos, talking about work, archeology, marine life etc. The groups are 16 people which is big enough that you can avoid anyone you're less keen on (everyone has been lovely on my trips though) whilst being small enough that no one gets left out or forgotten.