Who to book a solo "fly& flop" holiday through that doesn't cost as much as 2 people?

[OhMyGiddyAunt]

For years I've wanted to do a solo holiday - to push me out of my comfort zone a bit, maybe give me some confidence that I've lost over the years. I just want to do before I'm too old as well!

I just fancy 5 days somewhere sunny near a beach - Spain, Portugal, Greece maybe - I've been to them all and think would feel safe enough there. We usually go self-catering and book our flights and accommodation independently but I'm erring more towards a package deal, possibly half-board, for a solo trip. I'm not discounting self-catering, it's just AirBnB accommodation for example would be priced for 2 people staying so quite pricey for one.

Trouble is, finding something that doesn't cost the same as 2 people going!
Where should I look? Someone mentioned Jet2 but their solo holidays are so pricey!

It seems crazy to see deals that cost the same for 2 people as it does for one. Is there something I'm missing?

You need somewhere that has single rooms.

The reality is that most hotel rooms are doubles and there's little difference in the cost to the hotel whether one or two people stay there.

I would look for a cheap flight somewhere like mainland Spain, Portugal, Canaries or Balearics and a local smallish hotel somewhere where you can get the bus or train from the airport. That's likely to be the best value and least expensive but you're never going to get a solo holiday for anywhere near half the cost of going as a couple.

Cruise with Norwegian (NCL)? They have single studios on some ships

you can socialise as much or as little as you like and visit places you haven’t yet been -which you may then find you want to go back to for longer. Or you can doze on a sunbed

I haven’t found TUI to be too bad, although as pp have said unless you get a single room the accommodation will be a similar price for one or two people (may or may not take food into account). The overall package should be cheaper for one, though, as you only need one flight.

The ones I object to (villa companies, I’m looking at you) is where it costs MORE for a single person booking than it would cost in total for a two person booking.

Thank you, I'll have a look at Tui.

I realise that it's not going to be half the price of a couple but, in some cases they almost seem to bump up the price

Oh, I should have said, cruises are not for me I'm afraid. Neither are activity/group holidays like walking ones.

Have a look at love holidays/ on the beach as you then filter between hotels/ apartments etc

I go in October each year with easyJet holidays alone. Costs me around £550 all inclusive for Palma Nova for 3 nights this year. That’s for a double room as i don’t want a single bed.

Yes, of all the shocks to come from widowhood, the cost of travelling (or doing anything) solo was one of the bigger ones.

Love holiday or on the beach. I booked mine with on the beach 5 star All Inclusive so it’s a bit speedy but I intend to relax and speak to no one 😂

Single occupancy will always be more expensive than double. All you can do is try to reduce that premium.

Package holiday operators mostly work with larger hotels, because it's not worth making the deal and writing up the property. Also they like nice uniform rooms because it produces fewer enquiries that have to be dealt with by a human.

In your place I would pick a couple of destinations and then look on Booking dot com for places with good deals for single occupancy for your dates. For example, I put "Majorca" (which I know quite well) and 14–19 June into the search boxes, plus of course "1 Adult 1 Room", and then I rolled back the nightly budget slider. It found me a few places, including these two https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/hpc-portocolom-porto-colom-felanitx.en-gb.html?aid=304142&label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaEaIAQGYAQm4ARfIAQzYAQHoAQH4AQyIAgGoAgO4AvvJzMEGwAIB0gIkZDBlNDViN2ItMjRkNS00ZmNlLThjNDMtNmQ5YWVkOGZmZGM52AIG4AIB&sid=ac6377a7028a56ba634a00f310ab5425&allsrblocks=34872603394311566120&checkin=2025-06-14&checkout=2025-06-19&destid=767&desttype=region&dist=0&groupadults=1&groupchildren=0&hapos=4&highlightedblocks=34872603394311566120&hpos=4&matchingblockid=34872603394311566120&nflt=price%3DEUR-min-120-1&norooms=1&reqadults=1&reqchildren=0&room1=A&sbpricetype=total&srorder=popularity&srpriblocks=3487260339431156612041641&srepoch=1748182620&srpvid=00a563ccd5cf031f&type=total&ucfs=1& and https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/cala-murada-cala-murada.en-gb.html?aid=304142&label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaEaIAQGYAQm4ARfIAQzYAQHoAQH4AQyIAgGoAgO4AvvJzMEGwAIB0gIkZDBlNDViN2ItMjRkNS00ZmNlLThjNDMtNmQ5YWVkOGZmZGM52AIG4AIB&sid=ac6377a7028a56ba634a00f310ab5425&allsrblocks=250289005103481971010&checkin=2025-06-14&checkout=2025-06-19&destid=767&desttype=region&dist=0&groupadults=1&groupchildren=0&hapos=5&highlightedblocks=250289005103481971010&hpos=5&matchingblockid=250289005103481971010&nflt=price%3DEUR-min-120-1&norooms=1&reqadults=1&reqchildren=0&room1=A&sbpricetype=total&srorder=popularity&srpriblocks=250289005103481971010_48232&srepoch=1748182620&srpvid=00a563ccd5cf031f&type=total&ucfs=1&.

After that you just have to arrange flights and get a transfer. You can get a shared coach transfer to either of those two hotels for about €20 each way, or you can take the public bus for €8.10, albeit with a change, or you can get a taxi for about €80.

However, those hotels are going to be closer to guest houses. There is not going to be a bar by the pool, nor will their be nightly entertainment. It's not the same fly-and-flop that you would get if you went to a "resort-style" hotel, because those are fully set up for couples or families.

Jet2 have solo holidays.

Thank you for ideas.

A bar or entertainment is not something I'd be looking for . I'd prefer a glass of something on my balcony whilst reading a book or scrolling mumsnet 😊

Maybe I should look for a studio apartment with basic kitchen instead and eat out once a day. I don't think eating out alone would bother me.

I did a solo holiday last September with Tui.
The price was a package per person and it cost under £400 for 3 nights in Gran Canaria. Double studio with a fab terrace straight out to the pool terrace. I was the non pool end so no people traffic and had my own sunbed with spectacular views.
A couple of beaches, lots of boats trips to islands/ dolphin spotting or water activities.

If you just want amazing views, with cafes and restaurants nearby, have a look at
puntblancresidences dot com
or
apartamentosamores dot es

Easy jet?

You're always going to pay more than if you split the cost of a room unfortunately but there are steps you can take to minimise the pain.

Most holiday provider search engines let you specify one adult one room and set a budget. That helps you filter out the ones who charge double, although it's a ballache then going through and checking that you have actually got a standard room and not a "single" ie an airless cupboard in the cellar.

Alternatively go to a bricks and mortar travel agent and let them find you something nice - they'll be familiar with which hotels don't penalise you too much. Sure, they'll take commission but you get more protection and all the listing sites like booking etc also charge commission but offer no protection/guarantees and will let anyone who wants post up all kinds of shit on there without checking a damn thing.

I just book a hotel and flights separately, but I usually choose 4 or 5* hotels. Last year I went to a beautiful adults only hotel in Crete and did a Ryanair flight.

That sounds like a good idea. To reduce the cost, I'd start by looking at what cheap flights are available from your preferred airport and then look for accommodation that's fairly central so you can access restaurants and beach and a supermarket to buy wine and easy food for the balcony. Then plan to eat out at lunchtime while out and about.

Perhaps look on the Extreme Day Trips Facebook groups for accommodation ideas as many people on there are taking one or two night breaks to places like Alicante or Malaga and are posting details of the cheap apartments they've stayed in.

If you use the website not the app with TUI and search for your dates/airport/whatever for one person a box will come up at the top with a discount code for £100 off solo traveller or solo parent with child, not a huge amount but helps

https://www.friendshiptravel.com/

The forever hotel turkey is probably their most affordable. I went last year and have rebooked for this year. As sociable or not as you prefer.

Jet2 have a code SOLO30 for £30 off a package holiday

My limited experience shows that packages want as high occupancy as possible.
I spent an age trying to book a 2 room holiday for me and DS16 (don’t want to share a room much less a bed!).
I advise you to phone, agents at both TUI and Jet2 were very, very helpful.

OP what are you hoping the holiday is going to cost? Are your expectations reasonable? Prices have risen a lot in the last few years so it could be that you're hoping for something that doesn't really exist.

Jet2 has 5 night packages next month from about £400, I don't think it would be possible to find a holiday in the sun for much less than that tbh.

I think as a solo traveler it's the flights where you make the saving rather than the hotel, so I would separately book flights on skyscanner and an all-inclusive hotel on Booking.com .

pckages are poor value for solo travellers. I’d always recommend DIY, it’s so easy and you will likely get a much better standard of hotel.

if you don’t mind Airbnb self catering, you could easily get a whole week away for around £500 in Greece, Italy, or Croatia. I was looking at just this sort of trip recently. That was for early/ mid August. Start with sky scanner and their option to search ‘everywhere’ from your chosen departure airport, and go from there.