Singles Christmas Coach Trip - Recommendations Please

A friend would recommend spending the Christmas break at a hotel in the south coast.
Personally I quite like spending the break on my own (my kids spent alternate Christmases so I got used to it). I also dislike the idea of spending it with other people's families, kindly meant invitations are very nice to receive, but not for me.

A friend in a similar position to you told me that there's a difference between 'singles' trips and 'solo' ones. Singles apparently is for people looking to find another partner and solo is for people who just happen to be going on holiday on their own. She'd not realised that until she went on a singles holiday

I just googled ‘Christmas coach holidays U.K.’ and Shearings came up - funnily enough I thought they’d gone bust during lockdowns, but it would seem not.

It’s a long time ago now, but I once did a Shearings holiday to the Shetland Islands with my mother, and although was initially sceptical, we were extremely impressed with them.

From all I’ve ever gathered, there are usually quite a few singles on such coach holidays.

I am sorry about your friend

I hope you find somewhere nice to go for Christmas.

Thank you silverlining48. I am so sad I'm starting to wonder if I should be making plans, but some of these trips are already sold out. I live in Kent so think I will go to the south coast. Thanks.

I wish you well too and hope you find a nice way to spend Christmas.

Sending you sympathy.

Witzend. Shearings did indeed go bust in Covid, but were bought out by Leger Holidays. The Shearings coaches are the more basic ones, and their holidays are cheaper I think.

Shearings now seem to be more of the ‘bargain basement’ coach holiday. We have recently returned from a Leger trip, we have done several with them, and others on the same trip who had used Shearings recently were not very complimentary.

You will pay more for a Leger holiday, but think it would be worth it.

Just to clarify, we have used Shearings in the past, but think they have gone downhill.

I don't celebrate Christmas so have no experience of Christmas coach trips but I did go on a 5 day trip with Shearings/Leger in 2021 and my only comment is - Never Again!

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 ...

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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