MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas breaks for singles

Celebrate in style on one of the special Christmas breaks from Friendship Travel. Ideal if you're looking to meet new people but just as good for some relaxed me time, there's a spa, a black tie ball and organized activities in Newbury, where 85% of the hotel is booked out for singles. Or double rooms have single supplements even over the festive period in the chic four-star ABode hotels in Chester or Wroxhall Abbey.

There's Also a string of festive breaks EXCLUSIVELY for singles from Solos Holidays. As well as a grand Black Tie masked ball, you can choose dinner dances across the UK with no single supplements or join a trip to a Christmas Market to treat yourself to a few presents.

Would you like to celebrate in the sunshine with a group of like-minded people? The singles specialist, Travel One, runs a house party over Christmas and New Year at the four-star Hotel Geria in Lanzarote. Its guests are typically in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

Snow and ski holidays

Head to the land of fire and ice for a magical winter break. This four-day adventure from Explore Northern Lights includes some of Iceland's best-known sights, from the Golden Circle to the Blue Lagoon, as well as an expert astronomer on hand as you try to spot the Aurora Borealis. Solo travelers make up around half the group.

Walks Worldwide says about half of its clients travel solo, and it has a great range of destinations Including the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. What a great place to finish the year - at the highest point in Africa.

Or discover the gorgeous snowy scenery of Canada in comfort with Great Rail Journeys. The Canadian at Christmas trip takes you from Toronto to Vancouver, Including Niagara Falls, with a tour manager to Ensure solo travelers are made welcome. See more rail journeys at Christmas.

Of course, the ski season is well underway across Europe. There is no single supplements on ski holidays for solos with Inghams at resorts throughout Austria, Including Alpbach, Filzmoos, Hinterglemm, Kitzbuhel, Lech and Zurs, as well as top Alpine destinations such as Meribel in France, Cervinia in Italy and Zermatt in Switzerland. Or if you'd rather join a group trip, Friendship Travel runs Learn to Ski weeks in Les Deux Alpes as well as skiing and snowboarding holidays in France, Italy and Austria.

Escorted tours for singles

If you'd prefer some guaranteed company for your December holiday, a small group tour is perfect with plenty of Departures over Christmas. Escape the tinsel entirely in South East Asia with a tour of Burma or Vietnam from Insider Journeys, with around a third of the group traveling solo. From Hanoi and Hoi An to Halong Bay, the 10-night Vietnam Insight is the perfect introduction to this beautiful and fascinating country, while Cambodia Revealed is a great way to discover its neighbor, mixing Angkor Wat at dawn with the country's less visited south.

Or enjoy a more relaxed holiday with an Island Hopping tour in Thailand from G Adventures, sailing, snorkelling and sunbathing along the coast in the longtail boats.

Also December is a great month to discover Central and Latin America especially if you've got plenty of time to spare, with Journey Latin America's two three-week Discovery tours. The unbeatable Alcion tour travels through six countries Including Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua, while Condor is a more in-depth journey around Peru, Including the Amazon and Machu Picchu, as well as some time in Bolivia. Around 40% of the group is normally traveling solo.

And the sun will be shining in Cuba, where you could explore historic Havana before venturing further off the beaten track with the week-long Backroads and Beaches adventure from Explore.

For Christmas with a twist, a trip to the Middle East is Certain to be memorable. Discover Jordan in the Passage to Petra trip from On the Go Tours roomates includes Mount Nebo, the mosaics of Madaba, as well as Wadi Rum and two nights in Petra itself.

Nature tours

Not all wildlife is busy hibernating in the depths of winter - nature lovers can find some great Christmas trips if they look further afield. From birdwatching holidays in Nepal to tigers and leopards in India, plus Spain and Portugal, there's a great choice from Naturetrek. It's also one of the best times to see whales off the coast of Sri Lanka.

For one of the most remarkable ways to spend Christmas Day, it's hard to beat a close-up encounter with wild mountain gorillas. Rainbow Tours treks in Uganda include a 10-day small group safari where you'll spend part of the trip in the rainforest of Bwindi encountering Primates in the wild.

Winter sun for solo travelers

freezing Temperatures and chestnuts roasting on an open fire for Scorching sun in the Caribbean or Indian Ocean. Mercury Holidays has no single supplement at hotels in Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bali Among others, or Indulge in the world-class spa at the luxurious Coral Reef Club on Barbados's glamorous west coast, with spacious single garden rooms.

If you want to guarantee an escape from families, Friendship Travel has adults-only four and five-star resorts in Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic and along with Cape Verde, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, all without any single supplement. And there's more adults-only all-inclusive fun at Breathless Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic where the eleven restaurants, free classes and an online chatroom guest make it easy to meet fellow guests.

Or treat yourself to a pampering break in St Lucia. As well as daily spa treatments and activities Including yoga, The BodyHoliday all-inclusive resort has double rooms with king-sized beds and no single supplement. And at The Palms in Sri Lanka 's Beruwala, there's an excellent Ayurvedic treatments Including center for massages.

Exclusively for the over-50s, the long-stay rates from Saga Holidays will tempt you to get away for longer and there's no single supplement in selected hotels. Discover the award-winning Bel Jou on St Lucia, with all 64 rooms exclusive to Saga, and 12 rooms specifically for singles. Also Consider Hotel Breezes Jibacoa less developed on Cuba's north coast, the Tamassa luxury resort in Mauritius and Kamala Beach on the Thai island of Phuket.