Solo Travel Holiday Ideas

With an increasing number of solo travel holiday options emerging, Alena Duykers looks into some of the best on offer for Aussie ladies who want to go it alone.

When Sue Hile went in search of a holiday package that was exclusively for women and suited to her desire for adventure, her hunt proved difficult. Inspired by an obvious gap in the market, she decided to open her own travel company named Adventurous Women, which for the last three years has offered women with the same sense of adventure various options to explore the globe.

Specifically for solo travelers, Adventurous Women also offers a forum on their website that allows women to discuss their travel plans and find a female travel partner with similar interests. The company also gives traveler’s advice on how to get around the single supplement.

One of their best Aussie options is the ‘Adventurous Women’s Outback Adventure’. For $1099, participants can go on a nine-day camping trip from Adelaide to the Red Centre and learn about some of Australia’s most iconic attractions along the way. But this trip is not for princesses so if you’re after something a bit more easy going, there are many more options to choose from.

For women looking for luxury, there is Boutique Tours & Travel. Again a female-only travel business, they offer textile and ceramic tours, cuisine and cultural tours and other private travel options in Australia and overseas.

There are plenty of options available for women looking to travel in a female only environment.

For example, for women who are serious shoppers and want to discover some of the best shopping precincts in America, then tour company Travel Addictions is ideal.

If you’re considering travelling to a variety of different locations overseas, than other female tour companies like Sisterhood Womens Travel, Girls on Tour and Getaways for girls may be for you.

Group tours and cruises are another great option for solo travellers, with businesses such as Abercrombie & Kent catering to singles and offering solo savings. Abercrombie & Kent also guarantee to waive the single supplement fee or reduce it by as much as 75 percent, depending on the tour.

But for those on a tighter budget, consider combining voluntary work with your holiday plans.

For example, those interested in the environment and wildlife can go on a six-day camp at Camp Chivaree in Mapoon, Cape York, where volunteers help save Cape York Sea Turtles. The camp includes training on how to care for the endangered animals.

If bird-watching is of interest, Bird Tours Australia offers the ‘Eight Habitats Tour’. For $250, participants are taken to some of Australia’s most beautiful coastal rainforests and woodlands to enjoy breathtaking views in ideal bird-watching territory. If you’re interested in over night bird watching trips than visit the Bird Tours Australia website to find the tour that is suited to you.

Photography enthusiasts can embark on Australian photographic safaris and camping tours with River Deep Mountain High. Based in a variety of different locations like the Blue Mountains, the Simpson Desert, Central Australia, south-west Queensland, remote WA, the Flinders Ranges and other beautiful settings around Australia. This tour group helps participants build their skills while seeing the country.

Whatever the interest, there’s bound to be a solo travel option to suit.

DETAILS

Adventurous Women // 1300 388 419 or 0423 057 994// www.adventurouswomen.com.au

Boutique Tours & Travel // 0411 116 925 // www.boutiquetours.com.au

Travel Addictions // 0418 787 128 // www.traveladdiction.com.au

Sisterhood Womens Travel // 1300 885 255 // www.sisterhoodwomenstravel.com.au/

Girls on Tour // 0409 057 417// www.girlsontour.com.au

Getaways for girls // 0410 645282// www.getawaysforgirls.com/

Abercrombie & Kent // (03) 9536 1807 // www.akdmc.com

Cape York Turtle Rescue // 1800 032 501 // www.conservationvolunteers.com.au

River Deep Mountain High // 02 4782 6109 // www.rdmh.com.au

Bird Tours Australia // (02) 4923 6819 // www.birdingtours.com.au

This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs. — Adventure starts where the road ends.

1. Discover Broome, and beyond

Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea. — Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters. — Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs. — Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance. — See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia — Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

Solo Travel Holiday Ideas

With an increasing number of solo travel holiday options emerging, Alena Duykers looks into some of the best on offer for Aussie ladies who want to go it alone.

DETAILS

The total lunar eclipse tonight is the last of its kind until 2028

What’s on around Australia in March 2026

13 autumn weekends away across Australia to plan now

Australia’s 10 best beaches for 2026 revealed

6 reasons the best way to experience the Kimberley is by cruise