Five solo adventures for mind, body and soul

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Walking on the “roof of the world” in Pakistan

Jonny Bealby, the founder of adventure travel creator Wild Frontiers, is a firm believer in the uplifting qualities of solo travel. He also knows all about loneliness in foreign places, having lived for months in the remote Hindu Kush. His new solo journey, Wild Frontiers, is an exceptional walking tour of northern Pakistan, drawing on Bealby’s deep familiarity with the region and calibrated for a group of no more than 12 individual travelers (“alone but not alone” is his working motto). The 14-day “Trip to the Roof of the World” takes in some of the highest mountains on Earth, which are visible from the route from its various paths and bypasses.

Beginning in the Khaplu Valley and ending at Shigar Fort in Baltistan, the route traverses the terrain of the giants including, right there on the horizon, K2; at its midpoint there is a non-glacial walk over the 4572 Thalle La. Along the way there are towns out of time, encounters with the various ethnic clans that call this territory home, and honest yet sublime food. It’s the closest one can get to the majesty of these mountains without embarking on an actual expedition, and a great way to meet and connect with like-minded adventurers. wildfrontierstravel.comfrom £2,950 for 14 days

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Culinary and cultural adventures in Portugal and Colombia

Flash Pack, the UK company that specializes exclusively in solo travel for people in their 30s and 40s, has a list of exciting new itineraries for summer and fall 2023. Small groups, custom days and accommodations, and adventure and gastronomy-led guidance are in line with what their clients want; each one is then interpreted and customized for destinations as diverse as Turkey, Morocco and Costa Rica.

Two we especially love: first, a week of gentle adventures in Portugal, starting in Porto and the Douro Valley, with riverside walks and tastings, traversing the coast (where surf lessons are optional), and a hike and 4×4 ride through Sintra National Park. Then there’s the nine-day exploration of Colombia, whose highlights include graffiti tours in Bogotá, speedboat rides in Guatapé, community project cooking lessons in Medellín, and, naturally, a day on Cartagena’s favorite party island, Cholón. flashpack.comPortugal from £2,550, Colombia from £2,445

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Leadership Life Hacks at Spain’s Leading Wellness Destination

SHA Wellness, just outside Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, is a leader in diagnostics, but also a leader in all things feel-good wellness, from excellent fitness consultants to equally skilled massage therapists (not to mention beautifully served, delicious, nutritious food). It’s no surprise that couples and groups of friends often check in together; but its newest program, called Leader’s Performance, is designed with individual attendees in mind. The heads of cognitive development-brain stimulation and healthy aging and sleep at SHA, respectively, have together created a seven-day course of analysis, diagnosis and treatment for the single C suite executivebusiness leader, or anyone whose job involves excessive activity, travel and stress.

The goal: to optimize healthy productivity by identifying how clients react to markers of stress, mentally and physiologically, and then making appropriate, fully personalized recommendations for behavioral, fitness, sleep and nutrition habits and routines that help. Treatments, sessions and science are state of the art; the information you walk away with, actionable in everyday life. shawellness.comfrom €9,600 per week for the complete program including accommodation

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A leopard safari in Sri Lanka

Abercrombie & Kent subsidiary Cox & Kings is another company that heralded the solo travel boom, and it has a portfolio of attractive (and very good value) itineraries to prove it, ranging from tiger tracking in India’s Ranthambore National Park to hiking and cooking in Peru.

In Sri Lanka – a greatest hits destination for both culture and nature – groups of no more than 12 embark on a 12-night exploration that moves from elephant and leopard safaris in Wilpattu National Park to the wide beaches at Anantaya Chilaw and Wadduwa, with visits to the rock fortress at Sigiriya and the cave temples at Dambulla, and two nights in beautiful Kandy, where guests can pair off for cooking classes, dance performances and Puja ceremonies at the hill station’s famous Temple of the Tooth. coxandkings.esfrom £2,695