More are catching onto benefits of the shoulder season; in Europe<\/a> it\u2019s the industry shorthand for September and (usually part of) October. A report from travel publication Skift<\/a> found that solo travellers dominated hotel bookings in September and October. <\/p>\n Here are some of the best options for a trip alone next month, whether you\u2019re tempted by a walking<\/a> holiday, city break<\/a> or fly and flop. <\/p>\n Solo fly-and-flop\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Online travel agent Loveholidays<\/a> has seen a 19 per cent increase in solo short haul bookings in 2025 compared with 2024. British traveller favourites such as Benidorm, Tenerife and Ibiza were popular among one-person reservation. Mallorca also has plenty of flight departures, warm Septembers and a wide range of affordable breaks. Several operators offer solo packages, including Tui<\/a>.<\/p>\n A three-night stay at Tui Suneo Haiti<\/a>, in Ca\u2019n Picafort resort on the northwest of the island, is available for \u00a3357pp. That\u2019s for an all-inclusive stay with return flights from Belfast airport. The hotel has two pools and is a 10-minute walk from the beach. S\u2019Albufera, the Balearic Islands\u2019 largest wetland reserve, is around eight minutes by bus from the town. <\/p>\n Mountain hikes, with no single supplement<\/strong> Despite the growing popularity of solo breaks, single supplements are enduring tax on those travelling alone. They can add hundreds of pounds to the price of a holiday \u2013 so it pays to watch out for deals, and trips, that waive them. <\/p>\n On UTracks\u2019 guided alpine walks, guests stay in dormitories, so there\u2019s no supplement \u2013 it\u2019s typically added for solo accommodation. Its seven-day Mount Blanc Rambler Guided Hikes starts from \u00a31,050pp and take you up the highest peak in Western Europe. It\u2019s with a small group, ideal for getting to know your fellow travellers. The pace is relaxed with stops to take in the scenery and enjoy picnics. Departs 7 September, utracks.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Affordable mini-breaks<\/strong> For a low-effort escape, consider a French<\/a> city break \u2013 you can even skip the airport. Among the options for a place to stay is Mama Shelter, a contemporary four-star hotel chain with properties that include places to eat and drink. It has a \u201c2 means 3\u201d deal with a 33 per cent discount on each night booked when staying for three. Among the best-value options are Mama Shelter Rennes and Mama Shelter Dijon. <\/p>\n Rennes, the capital of the northwestern region of Brittany, has a walkable centre of cobbled pavements and half-timbered buildings \u2013 plus it\u2019s flush in green spaces. With average temperatures of around 22\u00b0C in September, it\u2019s prime time for lingering with coffee on streets dotted with caf\u00e9s. Dijon, meanwhile, has a vehicle-free centre and grand 17th and 18th century mansions that recall the riches of the Dukes of Burgundy, the region of which the city is capital. Rooms start from \u00a386 at Rennes and Dijon, mamashelter.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 5.5 hours by train from London to Rennes. This includes a Eurostar to Paris (2hrs, 16 minutes), a change of station in Paris, then a train to Rennes (around 1.5 hours). For travel by train to Dijon, it\u2019s also a Eurostar to Paris, a change, and then a train of around 1.5 hours. Use interrail.eu to plan.<\/p>\n Mama Shelter is also part of Disloyalty<\/a>, a \u00a312 a month food and travel membership scheme that offers discounts that include 50 per cent off at new hotels and 20 per cent off for a first-time stay at a hotel. The Hoxton and 25Hours Hotels are among the other hotel brands in the chain that have affordable city stays. <\/p>\n A trending destination, with fewer crowds<\/strong> Albania has seen a spike in tourism with 15 million visitors predicted in 2025, up from almost 12 million in 2024. If you\u2019ve yet to visit, now is the time to go \u2013 ideally outside of the peak travel period. WeRoad has an eight-day tour departing 1 September. It includes beaches, the former Greek settlement and Roman city of Butrint and the hill-ringed Lake Koman. It is available from \u00a3779 and includes accommodation, some meals and activities, weroad.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n A multi-country tour<\/strong> Young people looking to meet travellers of a similar age could opt for one of G Adventures\u2019 18\u201335 tours. There\u2019s an eight-day trip to Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Corfu with a 30 per cent discount on dates in September. Shoulder season is an opportune time to enjoy Dubrovnik and Kotor, which are overtourism hotspots \u2013 July and August bring the most visitors. Montenegro\u2019s seaside town of Perast and a cliffside monastery in Corfu are among the other highlights. From \u00a3594pp, includes accommodation, tours and in-country travel, gadventures.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n September sun in Turkey<\/strong> Turkey\u2019s Turquoise Coast is geographically in Asia. However, with a flight time of around four hours from the UK and temperatures warm into October, it fits the appeal of shoulder season. Turkey can also offer great value. Friendship Travel\u2019s seven-night break at Forever Hotel in Olu Deniz includes breakfast each day and four dinners, flights and return transfers. There\u2019s a host available for the week who can help to arrange sightseeing tours, boat trips and visits to Turkish baths. The three-star hotel has a pool, gardens and, with just 19 rooms, plenty of quiet. From \u00a3790pp, with a double room for one, friendshiptravel.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fewer tourists, lower prices and warm weather \u2013 these breaks make the most of shoulder season August feels…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[28002,2000,299,5510,5187,17978,118261,183],"class_list":{"0":"post-328463","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-budget-travel","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-europe-travel","12":"tag-european","13":"tag-iweekend","14":"tag-solo-travel","15":"tag-travel"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114994411349587360","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"France,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261523282_b314a5.jpg\")
Head for the mountains at a gentler pace (Photo: Westend61 \/ Lorenzo Mattei\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"5th.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261523290.jpg\")
In September, Rennes is warm enough to dine al fresco (Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261523313_6253ca.jpg\")
Join a tour for a first-time trip to Albania (Photo: Vitmir Smakaj \/VITO PHOTOGRAPHY- www.fb.com\/VitoPhotographyAL\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261523293_5b7efa.jpg\")
Perast is a highlight on Montenegro\u2019s coast (Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261523301_82bda9.jpg\")
The coastline is still inviting for a dip in early autumn (Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n