Holidaying alone…

[SurreySideEye]

I’m happily single and I’m looking to go away abroad on a simple pool/beach holiday just for some change and rest, I don’t want to be involved with the ‘singles scene’ so I’m not looking to meet a prospective partner or even have a ‘holiday fling’ nor do I want to stay in a hotel where I’ll be seated with strangers at mealtimes…basically I’d just like to holiday alone. Are there any ‘Mumsnetters’ out there who’ve done this and could offer some suggestions ?

@OctopusSting @Rainbowcat77 I've never been on a cruise but this is interesting information. When you say 'they insisted" did you really have no option? Were there no tables for two? How does it work? Did you have timed 'sittings'?
I would hate being forced to sit with strangers at a large table.

What ship/cruise line was this? Do they all do it?

Sorry OP that comment annoyed me!

Going On holiday alone is completely doable.

Break it down : do you travel alone for work, do you live alone, if so you can certainly travel alone.

Get a nice room in an adults only hotel, spend your days walking, exploring, lying by the pool or on your balcony with a book. You don’t have to eat alone every night in the restaurant have room service. Pick up some wine in the airport and put it in your mini bar.

Use the hotel room TV to log into Netflix or Amazon and watch some films.

Get a VPN so you can watch BBC iplayer or ITV or ITVX anytime if feeling homesick.

Use the gym spa pools.

WIFI abroad is so much better than the UK, use the time to What’s App friends family etc. I recently had WIFI 1/2 mile out to sea on a boat at a resort I was at.

Take a Power Bank so your phone is always fully charged. Check airline rules for carrying power banks.

The key is to pick the right resort and just go!

I was thinking the same thing.

Oh dear

My Dsis always travels on her own. She either SC in a cottage or apartment or finds an adults only or small boutique hotel that wouldn't be attractive to families as she has no wish to be surrounded by people's noisy DC. She loves it and always has a relaxing time doing her own thing.

I suppose they didn’t point blank refuse to seat me at a table for two, they just kept steering me to the singles table and giving me the spiel about how great it was…and I was too polite to refuse.
Then, I think that the night before two men had been on it and made friends. They were trying to fill it up but the two men eventually decided just to sit together leaving me alone.
Now, I’d be a lot blunter and just say “I’m not sitting here” but I’d booked on the cruise to get away from a couple of horrible life events so was a little more fragile at that point.

I have not done this but Im tempted. I’d probably choose a location that has some beach AND culture like Venice. Well it has a Lido area anyway….My other choice would be Cascais on the Portuguese coast and have a couple of days in Lisbon and then get a train out there. It has art galleries etc which for me would be a big draw. Good luck though…. I might start a savings account for next year.

I think you should start your own thread to get help with that.
OP, I think pretty much anything goes, depending on your preferences. If you want to be on your own, don’t do things like yoga weeks because they make you engage and eat with a group of mostly single travellers. But other than that, you can be on your own in an All inclusive resort if that’s what you fancy, or rent an apartment and venture about… I’ve done all of these before my child was born and I’m so envious right now, would love a week on my own to do nothing but chill.

Why? Do you think you will be smitten by the universe for the terrible crime of appearing solo in public?

Stella Blue in Crete may fit the bill . Its reputation is for couples so you will likely be left in peace . It’s AI and I ate alone most days as my DH doesn’t do breakfast or lunch . Not much around the hotel so you would likely be reliant on it for food and drinks unless you wanted to take a taxi to near by area for walk about .
if I was to holiday alone , I would happily go again .

@Vulcanvolcano I’ve been with Celebrity (albeit not on my own but would be more than happy to) and they have always been more than happy to ensure the customer gets what they want!

Well that’s a shame, you have one life, why should being single or alone stop you doing the things you want to

I travel solo a lot, I much prefer it now.

Do what I want, when I want, if I want.

Been on cruises too - music ones - and have never been "steered" to any table with a crowd of singles.

Oh, and to the PP who wants to go to Vietnam solo, my friend has done it a few times already. She says it's great.

I have friends who travel abroad alone, the only thing stopping me doing it is caring for a parent but I eat out alone, take myself on days out. I plan to watch a band alone next time I have friends who don’t fancy it.
I’ve worked abroad and knew nobody till I got settled. As a shy girl growing up, I now make sure I don’t let me be the reason I don’t do things

Since leaving exDP, I have it done it several times. I
look for a small, friendly, family-run type place to stay with a decent restaurant or good restaurants very near by. I find in these smaller places. I end up chatting the staff some of the time and they take me under their wing. I don’t need a lot of interaction but it is nice to get a friendly welcome at dinner while watching the sun go down.

I download lots of books onto my kindle.

If you tell us your budget is and roughly what part
of the world you want to go to, you’ll get more specific recommendations.

I’ve done this in Tunisia and Egypt and trips were fantastic. I book a couple of small group excursions and get picked up from the hotel and and visit somewhere fab such as Atlas Mountains or Luxor. I also enjoy boat trips.

On hotel days I read on they beach (three books a week), swim in the sea and drink Diet Coke, book spa treatments.

I like fairly large all inclusive because then I blend in and being on my own isn’t a thing. The hotel last year had 7 à la carte restaurants but I found I preferred the buffet and an evening stroll. Lunch was as the restaurant on the beach each day I wasn’t on an excursion and very enjoyable.

I tend to make the days very long and the evenings fairly short.

I’m sorry to hear that.

I haven’t cruised on my own but always have lunch and breakfast on my own when I’m on a cruise. I mainly cruise with NCL, RC and Celebrity and am always offered a good table with a view. I’ve never on my 34 cruises been asked to share and always see solo diners in the evening sat a table on their own.

I have made friends with lots of solo travellers, I’d recommend NCL.

Have done it a few times, sometimes booked a proper holiday but just for 1 and joined all the trips - Turkey a couple of times was great for this as I did boat trips, Ephesus, Kaplan, Fethiye, etc with the guide and other holidaymakers. Other times I’ve been away for work and tagged on a week to travel alone - Spain, Italy, France, USA, Greece, Brazil, ummm trying to think where else. Hoping to see Argentina and maybe India next. I always take a book to dinner. Tbh when I went with my DH, he would sometimes go skiing or whatever and I would explore alone so it just feels like an extension of that.

I’d like to holiday alone, too. I’d love to swim several times a day and not have to cook at all. Read a lot. Sounds rejuvenating. Have been thinking about it recently. September might be a good time to go, quieter. Somewhere with lots of trees and nice food.

I would avoid all inclusives and do an Airbnb or smaller hotel. I love travelling alone, to the point where I prefer it. Do you have any destinations in mind?

I've done it a lot, & I enjoy it.
You don't have to sit where you are told to, just say no.
And do not accept a single table near the loos

I haven't got any recommendations for where to go abroad, OP, but it's nice to see that lots of other people like to go out, or on holiday, alone, too! It's so much nicer to be able to do whatever makes you happy, without having somebody moaning that they're bored trailing along behind you!

Solo breaks are great. I'm in my late 60s now and have done this a lot over the years. I enjoy being with someone on hols, but I absolutely love being on my own too. It is so liberating, and a lot easier than I thought the first time I did it. I was a lot younger then and I was far more shy than I am now, but it worked out well.

As for places to go, well the world's your oyster really. There are so many places around Europe that are so interesting, lively, sunny and warm that you are spoilt for choice. Others will have suggestions. I've been to the Basque country Bilbao, San Sebastian, and Bayonne, and it was amazing. The food OMG. Another nice place (to me) was Nice and surrounding areas, also the seaside town of Ostia Lido which is 25 minutes by train to central Rome, that was brilliant for a solo, as I could see Rome by day, and flop on my balcony by the sea in the evenings.

Anyway, for me I found the most difficult thing was eating dinner at night alone. It might not bother others, but I personally felt awkward amongst the couples and groups. Perhaps I shouldn't have, but I don't believe in doing something because others find it easy! So my solution was to have a gorgeous lunch which I found far less formal than evening dining, and after a day wandering and sightseeing I had a hotel room picnic on my balcony. Worked for me.

I am older and invisible now which is great ha ha, so I had no hassle from cheeky men swooping around either. Perfect 😊

I went to a lovely hotel on the banks of Lake Como, it had a swimming pool and a lovely restaurant for breakfast and dinner. I really enjoyed it.