I’ve never been dying to solo holiday. I’m a naturally sociable person who loves having my people around me, so the idea of spending two weeks of my free time alone or with strangers never appealed to me.
Also, travelling solo kind of scared me: being raised to go home with a friend at night, stay with my group when out, and take other similar safety precautions made going abroad solo feel a little bit Charlize Theron in Apex.
You can imagine then that, last summer, when those closest to me couldn’t go away for one reason or another, I didn’t exactly welcome the prospect of a solo holiday. Before mentally spiralling down a road to nowhere, I did what any grown-up would do and freaked out to my colleague at work.
“It’s all right! I love going on holiday by myself!” she enthused. Unexpected. I told another colleague, somewhere inside hoping she’d tell me staying in my comfort zone was a good idea: “You’ll be fine, you just have to do it. I do it all the time.” Goodbye comfort zone.
It’s Not Just Me?
It turns out solo holidaying is actually quite common. According to Solo Traveller, searches for solo travel deals were up by 30% in October 2024, and Pinterest reported a 350% increase in women pinning articles on ‘solo female travel,’ with significant surges occurring as early as 2015.
The more people I told, the more I found who had done it or wished they were in a position to do so now — there’s nothing like a conversation with a mum of three toddlers to put things into perspective. Less trapped by my feelings, I decided I was just going to do it.
Planning a Soliday
Having done some travelling before — albeit with other people — I understood the importance of planning to avoid any pitfalls. Being particularly apprehensive about a solo holiday, this pre-trip step was a must; it would save me a lot of wasted time in potential emergencies and awkward moments fumbling about cluelessly by myself.
First up, I thought about my location carefully. The middle-aged dad in me knew I needed somewhere with easy-to-access and cheap transport — previous trips taught me accessing convenient, cheap transport in the day and at night was not always a given. That ruled out lots of European beach locations which required cars to get to most beaches (and would probably be too quiet for a solo trip).
Thanks to this and the fact that I wasn’t looking for a big partying holiday, I knew a city break with plenty of beaches to explore was the way to go. The crystal-clear waters of Mallorca’s Cala Major and the like had been shouting at me from Instagram for a while. It was also home to the pretty city of Palma, good transport, and a sunny climate. Decision made.
As I tapped my way onto Expedia to book a trip to this popular Balearic paradise, I arrived at my next conundrum. How long should I stay? I didn’t know how travelling alone would go for me, so I decided against the standard two-week holiday. Five days seemed just the right amount of time for sightseeing and relaxing before boredom or loneliness could set in.
Soon enough, I was off to the airport. After the self-imposed rigmarole of duty free was done (Boots shop; repacking my suitcase with my Boots stuff, forcing it shut and yanking my overpacked suitcase up the airport steps and into the overhead locker), I sank into my EasyJet economy seat as though I was first class on Emirates.
As I whipped out Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, scrolled through my pre-downloaded Netflix films, stuffed magazines ready for reading in the rack in front of me and put away my hand luggage overflowing with other fun things I’d been too busy to do earlier in the year, I could feel myself getting into my solo trip.
Some Mallorca Ramblings
After embracing a hotel room all to myself and the freedom to laze around, unpressured by any fellow traveller’s bursting itinerary, I started my first full day in Mallorca on the bus to Palma for a day of sightseeing.
Breakfast in Palma
First stop, breakfast at Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo — a backstreet bakery full of locals, with the authentic interior of an Abuela’s casita. As I sat there snapping the cute mosaic tiling, I realised it was the perfect chance for me to get out my guidebook and figure out the rest of my trip (laugh all you want, I still love a good guidebook).
The excitement and subsequent planning left me completely lacking in self-consciousness as I munched an ensaimada de chocolate (a traditional Mallorcan spiral pastry). Full of pastry, I was ready to explore Palma.
Wandering Palma’s Old Town
I love wandering purposefully aimlessly around a new city; you know, going to see a sight, but wandering in and out of other places on the way. Again, the prospect of doing so without friends or family felt a bit boring — without the shared excitement and jokes, it was all at risk of being a bit stuffy and intellectual … until I jumped onto All Trails.
All Trails (an app with walking, biking and running trails) became my handheld tour guide. It pinged a two-hour walk of must-see spots (principally Palma Cathedral, which was completely beautiful), and lesser-known spots to explore (Convento de Santa Clara, Jardi del Bisbe and Place de Cort, to name three). It helped me mooch around the city, rather than restricting myself to spending hours in the better-known museums like a phoney culture vulture, fact-loving version of myself.
Beach Days and Day Trips
After a morning seeing Palma, and a trip to Cala Major (where the sea is as azure as it looks in photos), I spent three more days exploring Mallorca’s beaches and going on various day trips — a snorkelling trip on the Bay of Palma and the popular train ride to the so, so beautiful mountain-top Port de Soller area, which you really need to visit — if my editor would let me put emojis mid-sentences, there would be lots of love hearts here.
The Freedom of Suiting Myself
With all of this, the luxury of suiting myself was the chocolate on the ensaimada. I could really listen to what my body needed and tailor my plans to whatever I felt like — if I was tired, I delayed my big days out and lazed around on the beach instead. Cutting out overthinking and going with my gut was the ultimate relaxation. With no obligation to anyone but me, I understood why it’s said that solo travelling is the perfect way to connect with yourself.
Candid 2026
I don’t want to glamourise my article for social media peacocking or to make it sound good … that’s not going to help anyone, especially when loneliness is now a major public health challenge in the UK.
In the name of fighting the anxiety-inducing, life-is-perfect social media pretence, some pre-trip anxiety around travelling alone did set in the night before my soliday and, cue the violins, I was longing for my friends and family when my dad dropped me off at the airport and I saw nothing but groups of people queuing up excitedly together.
As they say though, when life gives you lemons, carry on with your flight to a hot country and buy some lemonade … right? Don’t let those momentary feelings sink in and cloud the trip because they’ll pass, the trip will be worth it and there are so many more pros than cons to a soliday.
You can, of course, also meet people out there. 99% of the time, I was happy just wandering around exploring and I am wary of meeting people abroad — flashbacks to Taken are popping into my head. However, there are loads of solo and small group travellers out there wanting to meet people too — one of my friends just came back from a solo trip to the Philippines and ended up meeting people and going to Australia with them. It’s completely doable.
Would I Solo Holiday Again?
100% yes. In many ways, my solo holiday was more relaxing than my usual summer break, thanks to the time away from both real and digital life. Having so much time alone gave me the headspace to think about how to use my time in the best way for me and led me to build better habits when home.
Now that I’m no longer nervous or self-conscious about holidaying solo, I have so many ideas for future trips. Maybe my next article will be about the month I spend exploring Italy in the summer or a solo conservation trip to explore my David Attenborough-inspired love of the ocean and wildlife. Who knows? If I can travel by myself, the world really is my oyster.
Final Tips for a Successful Soliday
Here are some top tips for a successful solo holiday:
- Pack as lightly as possible (one-bag travel helps); lugging a heavy case through the airport alone is not fun.
- Make sure you can get to your accommodation from the airport easily — booking a cheap flight doesn’t pay off when you have to book an out-of-hours taxi.
- Remember you’re in charge of everything. The cash your parents always sorted out as a backup for a credit card or the stuff your friends usually look after on the beach while you go for a swim is all down to you to manage — invest in a waterproof case for your valuables and choose what you bring to the beach carefully.
- If you want to meet other solo travellers while you’re away, it’s a good idea to sign up to some activities early on in your trip. You might also be more likely to meet others travelling alone if you travel in September, outside of peak family-holiday season.
- If you’re self-conscious about being alone, pre-empt when you’re going to feel it the most and figure out a way to handle it – I know someone who loved travelling solo, but felt self-conscious eating alone so they always went to dinner before the crowds.
- Check out the article, How I Learned to Find Comfort in Dining Alone in Italy — and Why I Miss It, for advice.
For more, read When to Visit Mallorca: Your Essential Month-by-Month Mediterranean Guide.
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Author Bio: Catherine McColgan is a freelance travel writer who loves finding new, adventurous and exciting places to write about. She has written for multiple publications and was a three-time runner-up in the Telegraph’s Saturday Your Say travel writing competition. Find her on Instagram @catherinnneee
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