Holidays alone

Premier Inn are reasonable and comfortable if there is one near where you want to be. I went to Cornwall for my first solo holiday. No way could I drive the 400 miles to get there so I went by train then hired a car to get around while I was there. It was wonderful.

There's a company that does solo travel called Just You which looks good, maybe worth a try

chris8888
Chester is a lovely place.If you are going by train the station is a bit away from the main areas, not a long walk unless you have mobility problems.
There is a bus service from the station that takes you into the middle of the city, There is a hotel opposite the station as well.
Hope you have a great time.The natives are very friendly ??

I too had difficulty trying to join AirBNB. They had my bank details, passport copy, and whatever else required, but they wanted a video of me.

A lot of cottages are annexes in larger houses. I would email the agencies and tell them what you are looking for. The smaller ones are helpful, have a look at what areas are in reasonable traveling times to give them an idea of location.

Can I recommend that you take a look at WAY UP? It is a active
only community for those over 50 who have lost their spouses and partners. It is free and there is tremendous support and active forums. Many holidays and meetups are arranged (I have yet to go on one of the holidays, as I only lost my husband in 2019 just before lockdown) but they seem to be enjoyed by everone.

I use Airbnb's holiday accommodation. I take my dog to the pet friendly ones and if you use the filter asking for just for a one bed and also find something close to amenities and maybe a beach. If it's company you are after, a lovely coach holiday or a river cruise might be just the ticket.

Reading all your posts has me desperate for a holiday now

Titan Tours are great, they pick you up from home with your luggage and return you home at the end of the holiday. They do UK or abroad and cater for single travellers. We have been on a few of their tours and always found the travelling group fun and friendly. Will deffo be looking to go with them again in the future.

Hi I go with saga Holidays have done for last 15 years you never feel alone but can be alone if you want to if you know what I mean take the plunge you won't regret it I didn't

Riverwalk

^Looking at going to Antarctica in January .....BUT have to count how many days out of the UK as now you are only allowed 90 days now we are no longer in the EU.^

ALANaV what do you mean by this?

Probably confusing the fact that you can't spend more than 90 days in 6 months in Europe now we aren't in the EU. My son went to live in Germany before the end of the transition and he mentioned he couldn't return to the UK intil he has his residency there confirmed or he wouldn't be able to get back. It doesn't affect going elsewhere as far as I know, unless there were already restrictions. It certainly affects people with second homes in Europe who used to be able to come and go as they pleased.

I apologise if this is not appropriate for you, as spare cash is required, but DH and I put some money from a legacy into Holiday Property Bond. He had worked on one of their conversions and was impressed with their standards. This is not a timeshare as many think, and (in normal years) is brilliant for those of us who are retired as you can has have as many short notice holidays as you like, especially out of school holiday time, without using your points up (especially if you invest over a certain threshold, you can go to somewhere that hasn’t been yet booked within the next 1month UK and 2months abroad). You can keep your main points for treating the family, as it’s great for kids too. There are plenty of studios and 1bedrooms, lovely accommodation, and communal areas and activities and trips if that is your thing. There is special accommodation for the disabled. The ladies in the office are lovely, so helpful if you need help arranging transport eg from airport or nearest railway. We love it

I have travelled very widely as a solo traveller and to some countries that its difficult to go to nowadays such as Afghanistan, Syria and Iran. These were not tourist destinations and I always avoided package travel holidays because of the way they rip off single travellers in favor of families. I found that if I travelled out of season and made my own booking I could generally negotiate a very nice room upgrade for myself once I arrived. After all, there was no obligation to stay in any one particular hotel and the owners knew it! As an independent you have the power to negotiate.

However this type f travelling is not for the faint hearted and I am no longer sufficiently mobile to go abroad.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lots of travel companies do single holidays, at home and abroad. Have travelled the world as a single traveller over the last 10 years or so (I'm 72 now). Many people I've met have had mobility problems and are in their 80s but that hasn't stopped them. There's always a helping hand. Try 'Just You' holiday company. They look after you - or a cruise. Always a large number of single passengers on board ship and the crew always go out of their way to help.

I was widowed (How I hate that word) in November. I have booked a holiday cottage in Sheringham for 4 nights.
Its midway between the sea and the station (I dont drive) and tucked just behind the main shopping street.
I am a little shaky about going on my own as it was the last place the love of my life holidayed.
One bonus is that my youngest DD lives in Norwich and can pop over for a few hours.
I have travelled in UK a lot on my own over the last 30 plus years. Always by public transport. Im used to it but always had my love to come home to.
Thats the difficult part.

I don't live in the U.K. so I can't help with your holiday plans, but I wanted to say, I really admire your spirit.

So sorry to hear of your husband's death, but you seem so full of courage in a difficult situation. I hope you have a marvellous holiday on your own.

Not only have B&B changed over the years, but camp-sites and youth hostels have too. Camp-sites have small cottages you can rent, and youth hostels cater for all ages and have private rooms.

Surely, hotels, inns etc are obliged to tell you whether they have handicap access? Otherwise, if you find a place you like the look of, phone or e-mail and ask about stairs, lifts, etc.

A lot of "cottage" agencies have one bedroomed properties that just sleep 2. Most will let you do a search based on numbet of rooms. You might need to consider that it could be an annexe to the owners home and that there may be compromises like the bed being in the livkng area. Then put google to good use to see if the owners do direct bookings themselves which may be cheaper than using an agency.

Probably not near the sea but universities sometimes let rooms in their halls of residence out in the holidays which are kdeal for single travellers

Saga do lots of different type of holidays including single U.K. holidays or have you ever thought about a river cruise?

How about if GN creates a way for people on it to connect and see if they'd enjoy going on holiday together?
But if you want a cottage, I do recommend www.guardianhomeexchange.co.uk/
I've done several home swaps and you get a whole house or cottage - and sometimes a cat to feed! Its always worked out well for us and people who've swapped up to 40 times say its never been a problem for them. A single friend does regular coach holidays and enjoys them, and goes on residential courses in lovely places, so those options might be worth considering. I hope you find something you will enjoy and I think its great that you are going to venture out somewhere, in some way or another. I hope it will be lovely and that each time you go it will be easier.

My Dad (90) was widowed three years ago and moved to the Midlands to be near us. He and Mum holidayed a lot so it was something he really missed.

He's done lots of coach day trips with Johnsons, through our local garden centre.
He then booked a week long coach trip with Johnsons to Scotland, with excursions each day if he wanted.
This year he has a Saga round-Britain cruise booked for a week in July. The ship spends one day sailing across to Norway, up one of the fjords and back. He'll be picked up at home and driven to Tilbury Docks, then brought home again afterwards.

Lots of ideas from everybody on here for you Luckygirl.
I think having a courier or some sort of backup is reassuring, especially when you first start to travel alone.
Happy planning ?

Anyone else had difficulty booking Airbnb? Tried ,but would not accept who I am, using driving license or passport! Gave up!

I’ve holidayed with Leger Holidays and in general they are very good. However, you need to watch where the hotel is. In my experience they’re not centrally located.
I’ve also travelled with Riviera. They are excellent ( not cheap though) and you can join trips or spend time alone if you prefer.

I took the bull by the horns and went on my first coach holiday to Weston Super mare before Covid kicked in and I had a lovely time. There are so many people who chat to you and include you in trips, outings, which does not really happen when you go as a couple. They make you feel very welcome, you are sat amongst them for meals and in the hotel bar where the entertainment is. I had another one booked for the Isle of Wight, and Great Yarmouth turkey and tinsel. But they were cancelled with lockdown. I hope to take them this year maybe . I will definitely go again and can recommend them. Never did coach trips when my husband was alive.

Chardy

Another Airbnb fan here. I prefer to rent entire flat, so I have a kitchen, bedroom and a lounge with TV and internet. There are plenty of small ground-floor granny flats at very reasonable prices, UK and abroad. You grade them, (and they grade you!) so I've never found one (and I've used 20+) that wasn't spotlessly clean as they don't want to lose their rating.

We’ve stayed in self contained Airbnb’s recently. One in Leeds was previously the servants quarters in a regency terrace. Like a large sprawling bed sit with own bathroom and kitchen.

One in southeast London with bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen. Detached and in an area in front of the owners house.

Had mixed experiences staying in shared Airbnb accommodation. Some really interesting, others obviously needed them money but didn’t especially want the guests! All part of the learning curve! They’ve tightened up the booking now to avoid people booking and holding big parties. It took a little longer to join than on past occasions.