How solo travelbenefitscaregivers

Let's start with the dog. Because if you've ever tried to book a holiday and spent three times longer arranging the dog than you did choosing the destination, you'll know exactly what this blog is about. The kennel research. The guilt spiral. The moment you find somewhere lovely and immediately think—but who's going to water the plants, check on Mum, do the school run on Thursdays?

You, probably. You do most things. That's not a small observation. There are 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK—people quietly holding families and communities together, often at significant cost to their own wellbeing. And more than half of them feel overwhelmed often or always. That's millions of people putting everyone else first, every single day, and telling themselves they'll take a break when things settle down.

Things don't always settle down. You know this. Which is why we're saying it plainly: you are allowed to go. Not when the kids are older. Not when your parents are more stable. Not when you've found the perfect kennels with five-star reviews and a webcam so you can check in at dinner. Now. Or at least, soon. With a plan that means everyone is looked after–including you.

Because here's the thing about being the person everyone relies on: you can only keep giving if you occasionally remember what it feels like to receive. A morning with no one's needs to manage but your own. A meal you didn't have to think about, shop for or clear up. An afternoon that belongs entirely to you—with no particular agenda and nowhere you're supposed to be. It sounds almost radical, put like that. It shouldn't be.

The grandchildren will be fine, better for having a grandparent who comes back rested and full of stories. The person you care for will be in good hands for a week. The dog will forgive you, eventually, once you've made sufficient fuss of them on the doorstep. And you—you might just come home remembering something important about yourself that the daily grind had quietly buried.

At Solos, we see it regularly. People who arrive slightly apologetic—half-convinced they shouldn't really be there, that someone probably needs them—and who, somewhere between the first dinner and the second day out, remember that they are also a person with their own appetite for the world. Who laugh more than they expected. Who sleep better than they have in months. Who send a voice note home and genuinely mean it when they say they're having a wonderful time.

That's not selfishness. That's maintenance. The kind that makes you better at everything else you do when you get back. This week is Carers Week—a moment to recognise the quiet, extraordinary effort of everyone who shows up for someone else, day after day, without fanfare or annual leave. We see you. And we'd very much like to take you somewhere lovely.

The dog will be fine.

Explore our holidays at solosholidays.com