Singles Christmas Coach Trip - Recommendations Please

Considering a solo Christmas coach trip in the USA? Explore festive destinations like New York City or San Francisco for dazzling lights, seasonal events, and delightful experiences!

Instead of taking a holiday, if you are finding it hard to choose or book near you, maybe you could consider volunteering? Lots of charities cook and serve Christmas dinner to homeless or lonely people and might be glad of the help.

Schnakie, I was widowed in 2015 and really needed to be able to get through the christmas break. I have AC and we do get together but the majority of that time I was on my own and knew I would be so

So I determined to find something to occupy my time fully, no matter what the weather and without having to make small talk with anyone. I bought myself a wooden kit, to make a spinning wheel, It took me the whole break and beyond but I ended up with a beautiful thing that I use regularly

Perhaps try and see outside the box during this early stage of grieving. Being occupied meant my mind did not wander but if I wanted to sit down and have a think, I did and not beholden to anyone

I'd wondered about Warner's too

If you can't find a coach trip, how about a Warner's holiday. A widowed friend of mine goes every summer. I haven't looked at their website, but they may be open at Christmas.

Plus schnackie, maybe consider a Cruise? You (& others) may not be aware that Fred Olsen specialise in the British 'mature' type of customer, smaller ships and the right food, etc. They have a Soton 'Northern Lights' cruise over Xmas, and one from Liverpool to the Canaries, then hits Funchal on New Years Eve - wonderful lights then fireworks! (not too bad a train from Kent, various routes to St Pancras, quick shift to Euston, frequent L'pool trains from there, but DO research fares as some massive differences).

And the Olsen site refers to deals for solos.

Have been on lots of Alfa trips.Both on my own and with friends.On the solo trips I made lovely new friends.Many different types of people go.You are really looked after.Take the plunge and give it a try.You have nothing to lose and all to gain.Good luck and enjoy

Well, I just looked at Kirby's website, a recommendation on here, they have a trip to Pitlochry (loooooong way on a coach), one to Winchester (fine if you haven't been, trip to New Forest included), and one to Warks, which has a trip to Worcester, and Stratford, but a pit-stop in Banbury (a long way down my list!), though coming back you get a stop in Oxford, which on 27th may not be plagued with foreign tourists?! The PROBLEM with Kirby is that they pick-up across Essex, not Kent, so you'd have to get across the river yourself?

One question would be do you want to be somewhere, but with possible company, or just alone somewhere so you can distract yourself with new surroundings and not perhaps get lumbered with folk involving possibly tricky conversations?

Crosskeys in Kent do a trip to Warks, based near Stratford, and Jewels Tours (Kent) do a Xmas trip to Paignton (which is OK, pretty flat too, if that's important?!). If you go to somewhere involving Xmas Markets, I'd say immediately reject the one at Birmingham, horribly crowded, and packed with tat!

If you're in Kent you must be well placed for a trip abroad, (?), which you could do solo (though that risks having no English voices nearby?!) or in company. I'd suggest chatting to your local travel agent as they'll be much better placed than you relying on Google.

Christmas is such a 'loaded' event.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss of your partner. I'm wondering with your recent bereavement if going away might not be distressing instead of something nice to do. It depends on who you are as a person... some people might love the company of strangers rather than sitting alone at home. For me personally I think that being surrounded by people I don't know and being away from familiar surroundings might make me feel even more alone. We are all different.

Volunteering is what quite a few people do who are alone on the day... giving out meals to homeless people and it seems to be a very special day for the people who do it.

Whatever you decide to do I hope you will be very gentle with yourself during this time of grieving your relationship.

It's going to be a difficult day, wherever you are, so choose well so that you feel as ok as you can.

It could be worth actually ringing round coach companies local to you to see what vacancies they have.

Until I had to give up because of mobility problems at the age of 82 I went on coach trips both home and abroad and enjoyed them. I was never left to sit at a table on my own . I didn’t always go on the included excursions as I wished to explore by myself.

National do lots of trips including over christmas and /or new year. (I booked one as single room though for the Downton trip, before christmas, there was a £35 supplement) but they do have solo trips too.Booking came through Go travel! but its National holidays initially.I'm looking forward to it.

I live in Folkestone and have been on several solo coach trips with Shearings and some on my own but not solo with Leger. I did Christmas ones with my husband most years before he died and they were hit and miss some excellent some not so. They are both the same company now just Leger are a bit more comfortable on their better coaches. They are a great way to meet people. Being in Folkestone we are the last pickup so not hours and hours travelling, some go by ferry some go by the train. Just don't do any express tours as they are so tiring overnight all night just stopping for breaks. Not all the other coach companies pick up in Kent it all depends on their destinations.

Sorry for your bereavement. Johnson's Coaches are very good.

Shearings were taken over by Ledger Holidays but have retained their image.

There is a wonderful company in .Essex called Kirby’s Coaches… incredible selection of holidays both in the UK and abroad and lots of Christmas breaks in their brochure which is also online. I would thoroughly recommend them……they are very good company and have an excellent reputation. They have won many awards and are far superior in service to Shearings or Daish.

So sorry for your loss 'schnackie.' If you can't find a trip, change your mind and really don't want to be alone then I'm sure that there must be some volunteering that you could get involved with on the day instead. As I've got older I've started to dread every Christmas for all sorts of reasons.

To the poster who mentioned Shearings going 'bust' - they did.
And they took my money with them.
I'd been stupid enough to send them a cheque. Please always pay by credit card and your bank will help you retrieve your money.

A friend of mine in a similar position a few years ago actually booked into an expensive boutique hotel in her own town as she had always wanted to go and now found the perfect excuse. Also made a couple of new friends into the bargain!

Always go on solo trips ......also trips called singles trips ...have never found those to be 'meet someone. trips ...ha ha ...maybe the OP went on a different one !!! I would recommend you have a look at some of the solo holidays advertised online ....mostly coach trips, but you dont HAVE to choose one that takes hours to get anywhere ! I live in the NE so prefer Scotland (I am off for New Year to Scotland) ....then to Antarctica (not ha ha a coach trip !) in February ......if you prefer somewhere hot or warm, a lot of companies offer solo holiday BUT BEWARE the solo supplement is often double to ordnary fare (IF there are any single rooms left ...although I have found it you contact the hotel yourself they will have single rooms and the coach company can negotiate a price !) or maybe a cruise ...doesnt have to be to the carribbean although that is nice .....look at Passion for Cruises ...a group online that finds fairer prices for a solo traveller .....you can opt for somewhere like the Med, the British Isles, etc and there is often a goup maybe near you, to meet up with other solo travellers before you go ! (I dont go to groups, but I do like the cruises because there is an opportunity for a shared table at dinner, and to join in the quizes onboard) other than that, you do your own thing during the day ...there are loads of activities on board, so you wouldn't get bored ! Also a spa, swimming pools, a gym, several coffee shops and restuarants entertainment every evening ...and nothing to do like cooking, cleaning,etc ! Leger travel has loads as does Calednonian Travel, and probably one near you wherever you are ! There are also companies (travel agent would know) who do Christmas breaks by air to Spain, Europe, Paris (a particularly lovely place at Christmas ...(used to live in France) with the lights, the markets, shops, the Eiffel tower lit up in sparkling lights ....also Germany .....I do have to say I have just come back from Rhodes ...lovely hotel, weather great, but hotel not really for a solo .....no one spoke to me for a week !! ha ha ...only the shop assistants and the hotel staff ....only found one other holiday on a Marella cruise like that ...usually have a few people to chat to ...Fred Olsen and Princess line has solo meet ups (NO not dating !) so any solos on board can chat etc ...Marella did have, BUT I was the only solo so no one came ....ha ha ...I did chat to a few people though ....so that was nice ! but I am someone who loves to wander on my own, so if you don't, that could be a problem....except the cruise lines/package holiday companies/ have a lot of excursions you can opt to go on (for extra cost) went to New York, met up with a few other solos ...spent a freezing cold wet n windy afternoon in an Irish bar off Times Square...had a great time !!!! Ireland, Dublin and Belfast are great too ....there is SO much to choose from ...even if you decide not to go anywhere, looking at the brochures is fun (nip down to your local travel agent, not online, so you can have a coffee and a browse !) .....travel programmes are also a good way to 'travel' ...David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley, etc etc .....just GO ...

If you decide on a hotel holiday (some are not full of "jollity" at Christmas!) or any other kind of vacation really, I recommend looking at Travelzoo's website. Of course, this doesn't solve your decision problem, but I think you would find it worthwhile for a browse, even if just to make your mind up.

Thanks for replies, I'd not heard of Alfa so I'll give that a try.

Just thought, the singles trips I have been on DO NOT mean you want to meet someone, just that you are holidaying alone.

I've no experience of solo Christmas's but I have been on a couple of Shearings coach holidays.
It takes about 10 hours to get anywhere by the time the driver has picked up the world and his dog from far flung places nowhere near to your pick up point of the trip so you lose a day either end of the trip just sitting on the coach

There are several coach companies that do singles holidays. Look at Leger, Shearings, Alfa
I do a lot of coach trips on my own (not just for singles) and people are really very friendly.
Unfortunately the single rooms fill up very quickly and you have to be looking well in advance to see what is on offer.
Look on line at Alfa's website and the trips show how many single rooms are available.
You will probably struggle to get a single now for Xmas. (I tried).
How about renting a cottage for a few days over Xmas and seeing somewhere you've never been before. I do this too and quite enjoy being on my own, tucked away somewhere in the country or seaside.
Good luck and I hope you have a good, maybe different Christmas and New Year.