5 Retreats for Solo Travellers | Make the Most of Time for Yourself
Travelling with someone else can be wonderful, but you may not always want to try the same things or take a break at the same time. On a solo trip, the choice is yours: try the surfing you’ve been curious about, or simply slow down and enjoy the view.
Here are five retreats, from stays focused on food and caring for your body to time by the sea or in the mountains. Think about how you would like to spend your days—it’s well worth finding a destination that suits you.
１｜Surfing? You’re in Expert Hands
You’ve always wanted to try surfing, but you don’t have the equipment or know where to begin. For beginners, expert support can make that first step feel more manageable. With coaching and equipment provided, you can focus on trying something new.
Lessons are tailored to your experience and the conditions at sea. Beginners start with gentler waves, while experienced surfers head to spots selected according to the day’s tides and swell. Whether you want to learn at your own pace or return to surfing after a long break, this is a destination that gives your trip a purpose.
After a session in the water, enjoy a meal or unwind with views of the Indian Ocean. Instead of planning days of sightseeing, make “trying to catch a wave” your goal for the day. There’s room for both a new challenge and time to relax at the hotel.
２｜Take Time to Rethink How You Eat
You may want to change your diet for your health, yet feel unsure where to start. Stepping away from everyday demands for a stay focused on your body and how you eat is one option.
Surrounded by the Tyrolean mountains, this resort shapes nutrition and care around diagnostic assessments and consultations with specialists. Without having to accommodate someone else’s tastes or mealtimes, you can take your time over a meal prepared for you. That space may also help you notice eating habits and daily routines you usually overlook.
Enjoy good food while travelling, and consider what you might bring back to your own table. This stay suits those who want to make lasting changes to how they eat, rather than follow a temporary restrictive diet.
Before or after your stay, you can also extend your trip into neighbouring Germany or Switzerland. With connections via the nearby transport hub of Wörgl, you could include Munich or Zurich, combining time to care for yourself with a city break.
３｜Plan a Stay Around Your Needs with Expert Guidance
You want a break, but you’re not sure whether rest alone is what you need. Rather than planning everything yourself, you could shape your stay in consultation with specialists.
At this wellness retreat surrounded by greenery in Thailand, individual consultations help guide your choice of programme, bringing together meals, treatments and movement. Travelling solo also gives you the freedom to express your interests and preferences without worrying about a companion’s wishes.
The aim is less about fitting in as many activities as possible and more about taking time to consider what you need. This stay suits those who want an unhurried opportunity to discuss concerns about their body that everyday life has pushed aside.
４｜Leave Your Schedule Open and Unwind in the Desert
Even on holiday, sightseeing and getting from place to place can keep you busy. This time, perhaps you’d rather stop thinking about the next destination. A desert escape where the stay itself is the experience could be just what you’re looking for.
Enjoy a meal, warm up at the spa and rest in your room. When you can spend the day without venturing far, there’s no need to add activities simply because you feel you should make the most of being there. Choosing a package that includes meals and access to facilities also leaves you with fewer decisions to make.
Sip tea as you take in the landscape stretching before you. Let what would usually be a short break last a little longer. If you’d like a holiday without a list of things to accomplish, this is a way of travelling worth trying.
５｜Walks, Fine Dining and Spa Time—At Your Own Pace
You’d like to travel solo, but spending all your time in a hotel room sounds a little dull. Planning a detailed sightseeing itinerary feels like too much effort, too. A place with walks, good food and a spa gives you plenty to choose from.
On the hillside overlooking Lake Lucerne, start with a leisurely stroll around the surroundings. Pause to enjoy the view or stop for tea. Spend a day unwinding at the spa, or plan your day around a meal you’re looking forward to. With no companion’s schedule to consider, you can linger wherever you like.
You don’t have to commit to doing nothing or feel obliged to keep busy. With a choice of things to do, you can follow your mood. It’s a stay for those who want the freedom to enjoy time on their own.
Travelling Solo? Try What You’ve Always Wanted to Do
You want to try surfing, rethink how you eat or book a treatment you’ve been curious about. But have you been putting it off because you haven’t found someone to go with?
On a solo trip, that experience can become your reason to travel. Join a cooking class, spend time with your favourite works in a museum or book a special lunch. You can spend your time and money on what you’ve been looking forward to, without having to accommodate someone else’s interests or budget.
If dining alone feels uncomfortable, reserve a counter seat. If exploring an unfamiliar place feels daunting, join a guided tour. You don’t have to do everything yourself—turn to professionals where you need support. For a solo trip to Japan, consulting a private guide is one option. Share your interests and what you’d like to try, and let them help you make the most of your trip.
A solo trip to Japan no longer has to feel like a daunting adventure.
Start with one thing you’d like to do. Why not let that guide your choice of destination?
