It was the day after my 40^th birthday that I first took a solo holiday. I’d travelled a lot alone before, but I was always on my way to see friends, family or for work. At this point in time, my friends who I might have holidayed with weren’t free and I needed some R&R, so I thought at the grand old age of 40, a solo break was something to tick off the bucket list and say I’d done. I rented a friend’s apartment in a little town called Calpe, not too far from Alicante for a week and off I went, braced and bold now I was finally a grown up.

The flat was great, the town incredibly cheap. My life is generally quite hectic, and on holiday I love to relax, sit in the sun and read all day, work out, swim, have dinner, a walk along the beach and a nice glass of fizz as the sun sets. If I’m on a city break, it’s a different story, I like to gallivant, see the sights and soak in the culture, but an actual restful holiday is really bliss.

My one mistake on this initial adventure was that I went for a whole week, for me, slightly too long in my own company without seeing another human being I actually knew, I called a few people for chats, but I learnt for the next time.

Since that first holiday, I’ve taken two further holidays completely by myself, to Tenerife and Mallorca. Both of these were four nights, which for me, is absolutely perfect. Time that’s mine to while away, greedily devour books without chatting, decide which restaurant I want to eat in, get up and go to bed when I want, indulge my love of spending hours perusing foreign pharmacies, but mostly, take a long breath out and recalibrate. The last solo holiday I went on, I forgot to call my Mum and check in as I simply didn’t feel the need. I do get occasional moments of wishing I could share a lovely sunset with someone, but mostly, as a natural introvert, it gives me time away from the bustle, to be at peace with my own thoughts, and deeply relax in a way I probably can’t with another person, so much so, that if I do find myself in a relationship any time soon, I think I’ll still insist on my four days alone each year! Try it, it’s good for the soul.

Holidaying Alone Tips:

• Know your limits, I suggest keeping to four or five days maximum.
• Download lots on Netflix and Prime, if you feel at all awkward in the evening you can retreat and watch something, even if the wifi is bad.
• Use aerosol spray sunscreen, easier to reach your own back!
• Stock up on books you really want to read, not just ones you think you should, more Marianne Keyes, less Proust.
• Take face masks, foot masks, scrubs etc so you can do treatments before you go to bed in your room and treat yourself to a spa day if the hotel has one.
• Take a book with you to dinner, it will give you something to do, but it’s very liberating to dine alone.
• I had always sneered at package holidays, but for solo travel I think they’re useful. I booked my last two through Jet 2 holidays, ‘Indulgent Escapes’ range. Easy and quick to book and I had a great experience both times. (Not an ad, just passing on a recommendation).
  

Have you holidayed alone? If not, would you? Let me know.
Hannah x