Here at Ibiza Spotlight we're always game for an unaccompanied jaunt to the dance floor when the session calls for it. As someone who has upped sticks and moved to a foreign land as an alien entity, with no one to initially dial for a dive to the dance floor, you quickly realise that it's all on you to make it happen. Sure, having a gaggle of your nearest, dearest and weirdest alongside you every step of the way is usually stamped with success, but I speak from experience when I say the nights when you have to step out of your social safety net are usually the best ones.
In Ibiza, thousands flock to the island in their crews, however, you can't always rely on everyone having the same free block over the summer season to make it through the departure lounge at the same time, and that means you'll get solo travellers. Then there are the troops who actually manage to make it here together, only to have mates fall and crumble just before that night you've been planning for months. The sensible ones will get their arses out regardless - you have a responsibility to finish what you set out to witness.
Luckily, there's a real sense of community here, which everyone can plunge into if they push themselves to the front of line. So with that in mind, here is our guide to nailing the solo mission, from the vital moments before you've even stepped on the plane, to getting yourselves knee deep at the nightclubs.
Ibiza Spotlight Forums and Ibiza Workers' Facebook Pages
Before you've even printed your boarding pass, get online and kick things off as there are buddies to be found via your computer screen. The Ibiza Spotlight Forums are a goldmine for getting connected to clubbers who hold the dance floor sweats and tears as close to their beating hearts as you do. For those who don't already know it, the forums are an invaluable source of information from those who know the island inside out, with pages loaded with top tips that will enlighten you on biggest tunes of the moment, in-demand daytime parties, club line-ups, fashion, and of course, clubbing solo. The forum runs a Meet Me In Ibiza thread that's bulging with requests from solo travellers looking to hook up with likeminded individuals during their trip, and members are always on hand to give you the info that unlocks the key to having a stellar holiday. You'll also get top notch advice from the workers on the Ibiza Workers Facebook pages and very often you have people posting when and from where they're flying, so that stands you in line to amass a crew before you've even checked into the hotel. Everyone knows that plane trips are the best place to make new best friends for life.
Hang with Ibiza Workers
The bubble surrounding our workers' crews can seem impenetrable, but push your extroverted sensibility and you'll quickly be mucking in with the best of them. Some workers are here to sell and sit on their growing funds for a winter escapade, and others don't know what a night in smells like, so expect a range of characters to assist you on your merry way. The PRs get paid to know their stuff, so while drilling questions on your plans for the night might be an irritation for some clubbing holidaymakers, for you, they're the ones to knock heads with - the ones who'll see you through to the beats and the booms. In San Antonio, workers are often found at venuesin the the bar-filled West End. The bars along the Sunset Strip are also a good spot to find workers soaking up the rays and offloading on the misadventures they've been entangled in. Over in Playa d'en Bossa, you're also spoilt for choice with bars, and many of the PR and bar staff have worked in the same bar for years, which gives it a real community feeling. As previously mentioned, the workers can go hard, so don't be surprised if you wake up in all sorts of bizarre situations.
Pre-Parties and Boat Parties
Catching the eyes of elated humans on the dance floor and sharing an exchange that screams “THIS IS THE DOG'S BOLLOCKS” is a relationship that can progress beyond the dance floor. But, to really lay down the concrete bond, get in there with the people before you've even murdered a bottle of water inside the club to temper the sweats. Pros of the pre-parties, both on land and by sea, are that you can actually hold down an audible conversation where the party atmosphere is alive and kicking and sets you on an upward trajectory to peak time pleasure. Going to an official pre-party of the night you're attending is a brilliant way to expand your crew for the night to come, and drinks are cheaper than you'll find at the superclubs. On boat parties – vessels which always make the most of the immense sunsets – you have the added bonus of keeping several hundred raucous ravers in a confined space for three solid hours – no room to escape, but why would you want to? Remember to pace yourselves though eh, because you don't want to be that sorry soul who's rinsed and put to bed by midnight.
The Beach
From personal experience and the recounted tales of others, burying your bones in the sand after a spirit-lifting raveathon at the beach is a peachy spot for after party nonsense. Walk along the coastline of Playa d'en Bossa as the sun begins with the melting action and you are guaranteed to find some characters you'll want to stay attached to for a good portion of the day. Likewise, San Antonio beaches collect the nightcrawlers, or for a more multicultural scene head to Salinas and Sa Trinxa in the south east of the island. A shop bought stash of alcohol will no doubt draw in a trickle of troops, but the beach is the ideal place to introduce potential friends to your inner child – bucket and spade all the way. Show them how to master the sea's salts and float like an otter, make a den from the piled up sun loungers, build a replica of Carl Cox in sandcastle form – whatever, use your imagination and make pals.
On Your Jack Jones Rave Sessions
If you bypass all of the above and land at the club with no Jim or Harry stood by your side to cruise in with, then no fear, this is where the real magic lies. One thing that holds true is that when you're with your chosen mates, you fall into a comfort zone that doesn't usually have you engaging with anyone outside of that tight, trusty circle. But that's a damn shame because there's a wealth of wonderful experiences to be had if you have the feelers out for your other fellow men. In the case of the solo mission, you might at first feel exposed as a solo merchant, but clubs are a distinctly social place and more often than not you'll end up blethering with some Dick or Harry through the night - be open to it and you'll never be alone on that dance floor. There are countless stories of clubbers who were previously nervous to get out there solo, only to wind up having the most memorable nights of their lives, culminating at some villa after party with a mob of sound specimens you otherwise wouldn't have met. And that friends, is the beauty of Ibiza.
WORDS | Aimee Lawrence
