I’m framing 2025 as The Year of Big Firsts for me. Firstly, starting January without a job was glorious – would fully recommend. The endlessgreydays are always going to be a downer, but having the freedom to do whatever I wanted, rather than being sat at a desk, was energising. I know some freelancing friends who always seek out a sunny beach on the other side of the world for January, and I can see the appeal. Anyway – this post is not about my choice to step off the corporate ladder, but about My First Solo Holiday (it sounds like a children’s book, doesn’t it?).
Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and become a travel blogger (although wouldn’t that be fabulous), but for friends that have asked me about the holiday and for those who took an interest in all of my Instagram posts, now you have a bit more detail! Gotta feed this stack something.
A solo holiday was one of my New Year’s resolutions. I’ve flown alone before countless times, but always to be greeted by a friend on the other side. I’ve lived by myself for over five years (bliss), so only having myself as company wasn’t an issue either. But going on an actual holiday, by myself, felt like a real step outside of my comfort zone. And when holiday allowance is limited, it is precious: I want to be enjoying a new place with friends or family. But without a job to tie me down or limit my movements, I had the freedom to go anywhere, any time I liked.
I ummed and ahhed about where to go for quite a while, taking in suggestions and keeping an eye on flight sales (shout out to Jack’s Flight Club for this). All I knew is that I wanted sunshine. Do you remember February? Perhaps not, it may only be a foggy haze in your memory by now seeing as there were actually only three hours of sunshine for the whole month. Anyway, one grey day an email popped into my inbox: Cape Verde flights for only £200! Now, I’d already been looking at flights to Cape Verde because friends who’d been there said how good the weather was. But at an average of £550-600 flights, it felt a bit steep. £200, though, I could get on board with. So, I thought about it, did a bit of light-touch research, and within 24 hours of receiving that email had booked my flights and my accommodation, ready to depart seven days later. Smashed it!
I flew to Sal island, enticed by its beautiful beaches and promise of 350 days of sunshine a year. All I needed was seven! The flight was with TUI, and most people were off to a resort. But while sometimes an all inclusive can be great pretty good, it felt like a bit of a cop out for my first solo holiday (plus it would’ve been five times more expensive than the accommodation I chose). I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and actually experience the area, so I booked an apartment for three nights and a guesthouse for four (because I’d booked it so late, there wasn’t anywhere available for the whole week). It meant that it kind of felt like a holiday in two halves, as the apartment was very central and had its own private slice of beach, and the guesthouse was a bit further out but really sociable (I got added to a Whatsapp group as soon as I joined) so it was a great way to meet people.
The holiday could easily have been a book-on-the-beach-with-a-beer vibe for the whole week, which would’ve been fine, but I ended up meeting people quite naturally and doing activities with them. First was a zipwire, starting at a height of over 1000m and floating down across the rocky expanse, looking out at the sea as we made the 1km journey to the bottom. It was so serene and beautiful, I’d do it again in a shot if I could.
Another day we took a boat out to sea to snorkel and see turtles (somehow I missed them, must’ve been looking the other way – true story), a shipwreck and a statue of Christ underwater. Praise be. I also did a full island tour which was amazing and brought together two groups of friends I’d made. On my penultimate night we had dinner and drinks together and ended up in a bar with live music until 2am: Party Pearson © out in full force.
WHAT’S THERE TO LOVE ABOUT SAL, CAPE VERDE?
The beaches are beautiful, the water is clear, and the sun was always shining. Vitamin D levels truly topped up. 🌞
Sal is a very friendly island, and clean, too. No rubbish washing up on the beach. 🚯
It’s cheap! My accommodation for the week came to about £400 in total, for seven nights. I had large private rooms in both locations, with a little kitchenette, my own bathroom, and my own terrace or balcony. 💸
It felt safe – my guesthouse was a 12 minute walk out from the centre and I had to walk back to it alone a few times, both day and night. As a single woman that’s always going to induce some anxiety, but it was fine. 🙇♀️
Beers cost about 2 quid (but bags of crisps cost £4!) 🍻
There’s plenty to see and do. Floating in salt lakes, paddling with baby lemon sharks, zip lining – you could fill a whole week with new activities every day. 🦈
You can get some very insta-worthy photos - beautifully bright properties with a bloom of hot pink begonias is enough to brighten any mood. 🌺
HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Travelling by yourself, as everyone will have already told you, gives you the freedom to follow your own itinerary. Waking up at 10am? No bother. Spending an hour journalling on the balcony with a bowl of crisps and a few beers - no judgement (although feel free to judge me now for telling you that. I know it sounds a bit wanky). 📝
Eating alone has quite a serene quality to it. Now I’ve done it, I’ve got more confidence to try it in London. 🥗
Being yourself without judgement - letting go of the uptight Londoner in me, it was fun to say YES to new experiences. 🆗
I only got FOUR mosquito bites, which must be a record for me. 🦟
THE NOT SO GREAT (because nothing is perfect)
TWO of the mosquito bites were on my bloody FACE. One on my cheek, one on the end of my nose. Good look. 👃
A dodgy back burn. How do you apply SPF cream to your back effectively without someone to help? 🧴
I encountered my first ever cockroach. Tried to trap it under a glass, accidentally crushed it in half, but it survived for another half an hour. Had a low-level fear that an army of cockroaches would come to attack me. 😱
I ended up eating pasta 4 times in a row when at the mercy of other people’s restaurant choices. 🍝
Some of the street vendors/beach salesmen choose not to acknowledge when you’re not interested. Within an hour of arriving, a street vendor asked for my number and wanted to take me to a nightclub. No thank you. When I was on the beach, one guy from The Gambia said he saw me and thought we would be the perfect couple. He asked if he could sit next to me and chat some more, I said no. He continued talking at me for a solid two minutes. Then half an hour later, another guy tried to sell me his wares and stayed crouched down next to me for ages despite me ignoring him and getting my phone out. I didn’t feel threatened, just pissed off they were invading my personal space. 🙋🏽♂️
The island’s motto was CABO VERDE: NO STRESS 💆♀️
My first holiday alone really surpassed any expectations I had, and I’m really proud of myself for doing it (I know that loads of people do it all the time). Tell me: have you travelled alone, where are your favourite places and is there anywhere you’d avoid?