Ready to holiday solo? These are the best trips for single travellers – Scotland on Sunday Travel

Swerve single supplements and make the most of great group tours

A ship in MS Arena's fleet. See PA Feature TRAVEL Solo. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Premicon/YPS Yacht. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature TRAVEL Solo.

Now the world is opening up again, people are eager to make up for lost time – even if that means going on holiday alone.

Escorted tour company Explore says more than half of travellers on their small group trips are typically travelling on their own, with 2022 bookings for solo travellers up 27 per cent on the same period in 2019. Cox & Kings report a similar uptick: over a third of bookings made in January (36 per cent) were solo tours.

Whether you’re a lone traveller seeking company or a practical way to explore, here are the best value holidays designed for singles.

Best for… Adventurers

Determined to make up for lost time, travellers are booking bigger breaks for longer. Explore reports a big rise in ‘mid-life gap years’ such as their 21-day Five Stans of the Silk Road trip. Following the Silk Road and crossing off the five Stans of Central Asia, it includes a few off-beat experiences, such as an Uzbek fashion show in Samarkand, a visit to the one of the largest collections of Soviet art in Nukus, and camping next to the ‘Door to Hell – the eternally-burning gas crater of Darvaza, lit since 1971.

How: From £4,350 per person (including a 50 per cent discount on single rooms from £890 to £445). Excludes flights. Visit explore.co.uk.

Best for… Nature lovers

The fire of the Darwaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan.

An African safari provides an opportunity to see a variety of wildlife – but holidays are too often too pricey for one. A favourite with honeymooners, Botswana has a reputation for being especially expensive. But Kwara Lodge in the Okavango Delta – a prime wildlife viewing area – offers affordable packages for lone travellers.

For five months of the year (November through to March) Kwara and its two sister camps (Lagoon and Lebala) are run with zero single supplements. During this low season period, the landscape is green, birds are in abundance, and rainstorms clear dust from the sky – making it a great time for photographers.

How: Reef & Rainforest offers an 11-day stay from £4,720 per person, with a guaranteed single room and all activities. Flights extra. Visit reefandrainforest.co.uk.

Best for… sustainable travellers

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru.

Taking the train is not only a nostalgic way to travel; it’s better for the environment, too. Now it’s possible to save the planet – and a few pennies – by booking a holiday from Explore’s new collection of London2 rail journeys.

Based on the classic Orient Express itinerary, their 15-day escorted London to Istanbul rail adventure travels through French countryside and Italian cities, before continuing to the Balkans and finally crossing into Asia Minor. Pass through narrow-gauge railways, sample rural Serbian wineries and cover nine countries in two weeks.

How: From £2,245 per person (including a 50 per cent discount on single rooms from £435 to £217). Visit explore.co.uk.

Best for… women

Cittorgarh Fort, India.

A chaotic mix of fascinating culture, bright colours and exotic foods, India is a mesmerising country – but can be a headache to navigate. The challenges and rewards are captured in the cult film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which forms the basis of a holiday offered by Wild Frontiers.

Fellow females (and males too) can follow in Judi Dench’s footsteps, with the reassurance of a group and tour guide on an 11-day trip through Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Based on themes and locations featured in the film, the trip includes a stay at Ravla Khempur, a 17th century palace once famous for its Marwari horses, which provided the inspiration for the film’s title hotel.

How: From £2,155 per person (sharing with a same gender traveller), excluding flights. Various departures. Visit wildfrontierstravel.com.

Best for.. cruisers

A floating hotel where life is easy and views change daily, cruises are an excellent way to visit multiple destinations without any upheaval. River cruises are especially relaxing and often popular with more mature solo travellers.

Train travel in France.

Arena River Cruise offers single supplement deals on several of their itineraries, including a seven-day Springtime in the Gardens of Holland and Belgium – with Floriade trip. Travelling onboard new ship the MS Arena, it includes a stop at the once-in-a-decade Floriade Expo, a dazzling horticultural experience, and the theme this year is Growing Green Cities.

Also included are optional visits to other gardens, including the Appeltern Gardens. the Floralia spring flower show in the grounds of the Chateau de Grand Bigard near Antwerp, the National Botanic Garden of Belgium, and a day at the Keukenhof Gardens.

How: From £1,099 per person – saving £200, including full board, coach and ferry travel from the UK. Departs April 23, 28 and 29, and May 5, 2022. Visit arenarivercruises.co.uk

Best for… history fans

Peru contains some of South America’s greatest archaeological treasures, including the world class wonder, Machu Pichu. It can be tricky to persuade partners and friends to travel on niche holidays – especially those with long haul price tags – so a group tour is often the most affordable and practical to book.

Cox & Kings offers a nine-night Treasures of Peru tour, starting in foodie hot spot Lima and continuing to former Inca citadel Cuzco, followed by a scenic train ride through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. High rise Lake Titicaca also features on the itinerary, where there’s a chance to share lunch with a local family.

How: From £2,595 per person, excluding flights. Various departures from April to October. Visit coxandkings.co.uk

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.