The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
FIND NEW FRIENDS
COASTAL COACH ADVENTURE
Ireland
Do a world-class road trip without having to drive at all. Just Go! Holidays’ Wild Atlantic Way coach tour covers all transport – including pick-up points across England and Wales – removing pre-trip panic. It’s designed for solos, with no single supplements and plenty of shared craic as you explore Ireland’s coast from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, with time in Dublin too.
A six-day Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way coach trip (0333 234 2010; justgoholidays.com) costs from £659pp including transport, accommodation and most meals. Departs May 29, July 2, September 4 & 18
FIND CRUISE CAMARADERIE
Egypt
You’re guaranteed a smooth start to your solo adventuring with specialists
Friendship Travel – they are used to guiding first-timers, ranging from age 40 to 70-plus. Join a Nile cruise and you will have your own cabin for the timeless journey down this temple-flanked waterway; guides will reveal the history at classic sites such as Luxor, Karnak and Kom Ombo while a Friendship host will ensure the group bonds over afternoon teas and aperitifs on deck.
A nine-night Cairo & Nile Cruise (0289 446 2211; friendshiptravel.com) costs from £1,595pp including flights, accommodation and most meals.
Departs September 24, November 5, December 24
GO AT YOUR OWN PACE
Austria
Ramblers Walking Holidays’ Bad Hofgastein break is good for uncertain solos. Based at a charming four-star hotel (with no single supplements charged), the trip has two leaders, meaning there is a choice of walks each day – decide every morning between the leisurely or more challenging route, both of which utilise the area’s mountain railways. Alternatively, you can simply stay put in the traditional spa village and enjoy the vast complex of pools and dazzling views.
A seven-night Bad Hofgastein smallgroup trip (01707 331133; ramblersholidays.co.uk) costs from £1,399pp including flights and half-board accommodation. Departs July 9 and
23, August 6, September 10
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
Cuba
With salsa clubs, mojito bars and music spilling onto the streets, spirited Cuba is an island best appreciated in company. Jules Verne’s Best of Cuba solo group trip ensures you have instant buddies with whom to share cocktails in El Floridita (Hemingway’s favourite hangout) as well as companions for exploring the handsome old towns of Havana and Trinidad, genning up on Che Guevara in Santa Clara, visiting cigar factories and sugar plantations, and chilling on the beaches of Cayo Santa Maria.
An eight-night Best of Cuba trip (020 3553 3722; vjv.com) costs from £1,845pp including flights, accommodation and most meals. Departs June 5
EPIC TRIPS MAKE FOR EPIC PALS
Peru
Make your first foray alone a real bucket-list ticker. On Cox & Kings’ solospecific Peru tour you will join a small bunch of like-minded travellers (group size averages just 12 people) to hit the country’s most lauded sights: foodie capital Lima, the indigenous and Spanish charms of Cuzco, the wealth of Inca ruins along the Sacred Valley, the mountain-tumbling terraces of Machu Picchu and ethereal Lake Titicaca. A trip this exciting can only lead to lifelong bonds of friendship.
A nine-night Treasures of Peru guided solo tour (03330 603303; coxandkings. co.uk) costs from £2,595pp including flights, accommodation and most meals. Departs April 27, June 1, September 7, October 5