A few years ago there were hardly any single travel groups that offered options for holidays for one – let alone companies who entirely focused on solo departures and looked at things like no single supplements etc and solo travel groups.
Thank goodness for the growth in singles travelling as now there is a good economic reason for companies to look at developing great offers for those looking for holidays for one.
There are now singles travel groups over 30s, single travel for over 50, singles travel getaways, luxury solo travel tours and singles travel getaways galore.
I will let you know which of these tour companies I have traveled with and which I haven’t – if you then go and do a tour on one of the ones I haven’t been on please do let me know what they are like – and I would love you to write a guest post if you’re up for it.
There are so many options for solo traveling today – here are some great trips for single travelers.
BEST SOLO TOUR OPERATOR: Short on time? You can’t go wrong with Explore which has a section dedicated to solo travel on their website.
30 Singles Travel Groups
Top 3 Companies for Organised Solo Travel Vacations
#2 PICK
#3 PICK
1. Group Tours for Solo Travellers
Explore is perhaps one of the best singles travel groups. It is also the company I have been a traveling single with the most so the best place to start! Explore has been running since 1981 so they have loads of experience with running tours.
Explore covers over 100 countries and has a maximum group size of 11 and there is no single supplement if you take a shared room. There is an option to have your own room but that does cost extra. They prioritize working with locals and do a great job finding expert guides.
Around 60% of people who go on Explore trips are traveling on their own and they break down solo vacations into age groups on their website which is really helpful.
My second recommendation for solo travel vacations is G Adventures. They have a wide range of small-group trips designed for the solo traveler. There is no single supplement as long as you are willing to share a room with someone of the same sex. G Adventures also offers single rooms at reasonable prices if that is your preference.
The itineraries for G Adventures trips tend to have more free time than some of the other tour companies in this article. This is great if you are someone that likes to have some time to yourself to relax or explore further but want the support and structure of an organised group trip.
One of the most difficult parts of solo travel can be dinner. Eating on your own can feel lonely and isolating. The tour leader organizes group meals most nights, so if you want company you will almost be able to find it.
If you are traveling alone one of the best ways not to feel like it is to join a group doing some challenge – when I summited Kilimanjaro on an organized solo tour. we were a team from almost the word go. More than half of the trip was traveling solo – some were single, some had partners who didn’t want to go, some like me had someone pull out last minute etc.
It didn’t matter who you had arrived with – what mattered was everyone wanted someone to talk to about whether or not to take Diamox, tips on altitude, share lollies, etc etc.
Check G Adventures Tours and Prices
Check Explore Tours and Prices
I have done two travel solo tours with friends – North India and cycling Southern Iceland. Again an activity-based trip can be a great travel for singles option – particularly as you tend to be exhausted every night and eat and sleep.
⇒ Don’t miss my Complete Guides to Singles Holidays over 40s – and Vacations for over 50 singles – these thorough guides have all of the most commonly asked questions about Solo Travel – and everything I have learned.
Want to join me on a small group female trip to Africa? I am heading to Kenya in October on an 8 night safari with Walking Wild Africa and would love you to join me. It’s a unique mix of game drives, walking safari and some chill time. Make sure you tell Kim that you want to go on the tour with The Boutique Adventurer so she gets the right one!
⇒ Still not sure about group travel for singles? Check out this great post on The Benefits of Solo Travel.
2. Solo Female Travelers Club
Solo Female Travelers Club is a community of more than 90,000, run by the fantastic travel bloggers Meg and Mar. The heart of the community is their Facebook group, which has some great information and is the perfect way to meet other females interested in traveling solo.
Meg and Mar also run female-only small group tours that range from luxury retreats to adventurous expeditions in some awesome locations.
3. Luxury Single Traveller Vacations
One company I have been particularly keen to try but it just hasn’t worked out on timings and destinations is Flash Pack. I love the tone and feel of their website – it is very much about boutique adventures.
They focus on people in their 30s and 40s and seem to have some great travel groups for solo travelers.
Australian based Travelling Divas also promises boutique hotels and customized trips. I have also been very keen to try Cox and Kings solo holidays.
Cox and Kings have a great reputation as a high-end travel specialist so I am highly confident that the thread count on their sheets will be up to my standards based on how fantastic their hotels look.
These trips though will, of course, be at a premium to some of the other options I have mentioned. But their group travel singles options look terrific.
⇒ Looking for some travel inspiration? Check out this post on The Best Adventure and Travel Quotes.
⇒ Spas and skiing are terrific options for solo travelers. Check out my posts on the best Singles Ski Holiday options and on 30 Fabulous Solo Spa Breaks.
4. Solo Travel Companies that are specifically for traveling alone
I would highly recommend that you think beyond the country you live in when it comes to solo travel groups. For example, quite a few travel companies based in Australia now run specific holidays for solo travel groups.
Encounter Travels is all about solo travel but not traveling alone as they say.
They also age match so if you are a 35-year-old solo traveler you won’t be in a group of people in their 70s. They do have quite a few trips to various parts of Australia but also a few trips to other places around the world.
Another solo travel company based in Australia is Twos a Crowd. Some UK based companies that specialize in solo travel groups are:
5. Companies that specialise in Adventure
For a more adventurous bent check out 8th-day adventures. They are a London based club that has lots of sporting events and other fun things that are a mix of social and activity.
They also run some group holidays which could be good for the more adventurous solo traveler eg Everest base camp
An interesting-sounding organization is Archaeo Adventures. This female-focused travel company looks at adventures in countries like Morocco and Jordan in small groups. They are about boutique hotels, working with locals, and off-the-beaten-track experiences.
Female-focused hosted adventure trips are also the focus of Living Big which is US-based. Another company specializing in solo travel groups USA is Overseas Adventure Travel, which offers some fantastic-sounding trips for adventurous solo travelers.
Heading to Australia there are Adventurous Women and Another World Adventures. Another World Adventures curates adventures from different providers. It is a very comprehensive site with loads of options that sound great.
6. Cruises for Solo Travelers
Even cruise ships have gotten on board with the growth in solo travel. Norwegian Cruise Line is the brand most commonly mentioned for having actually built single cabins and apparently there is a dedicated area for solo travelers.
They have several cruise brands – Norwegian Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape. But ensure you look closely as these can be more family-focused at certain times of the year – check out my top tip 2 below.
Encounter Travel also has loads of information on solo cruise options. They even have a “cabin mates wanted” section where you can potentially find another same-sex solo traveler with whom you can share a cabin.
7. Charity Based Solo Travel Companies
There are a few organisations that run group tours that have some activity/challenge that supports a charity. These can be a great way to find others to travel with and the shared sense of purpose can surely add to the group bond.
Have a look at Global Adventure Challenges and Charity Challenge.
8. Passion-based Solo Travel Tours
An organized trip around an activity you love that is also about solo travel is a fantastic formula to follow. Even if you don’t really bond with anyone on the trip if you have learned more about Italian cooking or photographing sea life it is a well-spent holiday.
Quite a few organizations I have listed above offer planned trips around passions and hobbies. Here are a few others I’ve found:
Frui has some fantastic looking passion-based trips – from photography (a great one for solo travel) to painting to food in some lovely locations. I did a day class with them once in London in photography and they were great.
The Red Sea in Egypt appears to be a very popular solo travel spot – most likely driven by the amount of activity that can be done in the water. There are also numerous diving and/or underwater photography courses in the area.
Skyros is a very famous spot in Greece for activity/passion-based trips. They used to have a bit of a self-help bent but now they are very focused on passions like painting, singing, yoga, and learning.
They have two locations in Greece and one on the Isle of Wight for taster weekends. According to their site, 70% of their travelers are between 40 and 60, and most travel solo. This is a great option if you’re looking for singles travel groups over 40.
9. Something Different for Single Travel Groups
In August 2017, I spent a month living life Unsettled in Medellin Colombia, and loved it. Unsettled is a fantastic concept. Essentially it aims to give people the experience of living in a city for a month rather than being a tourist.
It does this because it has about 25-30 people sign up, organizes apartments and coworking space and sets up activities that you can participate in as much or as little as you like.
The other people on the trip are your community, the hosts act as your connection to local life and having an apartment and workspace means it feels more like living.
They choose brilliant locations from Buenos Aires to Cape Town to Barcelona. I highly recommend checking them out.
If you decide to live life Unsettled then use the code “FRIENDSOFUNSETTLED” and tell them that the Boutique Adventurer sent you for a discount of USD$150.
Solo Travel Tips
1. Mix Up Your Plans
A great way to travel solo is to mix things up. If you were heading to say Australia you could go and stay in a spa for a few days (a great way to meet people), head to say Sydney on your own and stay at a boutique hotel and use Tinder or join a meetup group.
You could then join an organized tour with someone like Explore, travel with them for a while, and then have some time solo again. Committing to a lengthy organized tour can be a bit much – plus it is hard to find one that covers everything that you want.
I find a mix is optimal – if you feel lonely it is only a few days till you have company, if you’re dying to be on your own again it’s only a few days till that happens. And you may very well meet others traveling alone on your organized section who are keen to have further adventures after the tour.
I have many friends I have met when traveling solo who become travel buddies and loads of other friends of mine are the same.
2. Avoid School Holidays
September is a great time to travel solo. Be careful of all organized tours/cruises etc during any school holiday time, particularly over the summer, as you may end up surrounded by families.
However, school has returned in September, and there are often many deals for solo travelers.
3. Fill Up your Kindle
There is nothing like a good book to keep you company when traveling solo! I keep adding to my list – please email me with more suggestions! [email protected].
I keep them all in my Amazon shop. And I have just launched a range of e-books aimed at solo travelers! I have an ebook on Solo Travel, my trip to Colombia with Unsettled and Everest Base Camp.
Who Paid for What with this Singles Travel Groups Post
I paid for everything associated with this post. This was completely me travelling and not working with any tourism boards or hotels or tour groups. Much of what is in this post is stuff I learned before I started my blog – and probably a lot of what led me to start a travel blog.
However, this singles travel groups post does contain affiliate links. That means that if you click through on them and make a purchase I may well receive a small commission. I just wanted to make sure that you knew.
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Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.