Here at Ibiza Spotlight we're always game for an unaccompanied jaunt to the dancefloor when the session calls for it. As someone who has upped sticks and moved to a foreign land as an alien entity, 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. However, from experience, the nights when you have to step out of your social safety net are often the best ones.
In Ibiza, thousands flock to the island with their crew, but 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.
Then there are the troops who actually manage to make it here together, only to have fallen warriors crumble just before the 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.
"Solo travellers", or perhaps more accurately "solo clubbers" are the result of each scenario.
Luckily, there's a real sense of community here, which anyone can plunge into if they push themselves to the front of line.
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 fellow clubbers who hold the dancefloor as close to their 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.
Each thread is loaded with top tips that will enlighten you on biggest tunes of the moment, in-demand daytime parties, club line-ups, fashion and, naturally, solo clubbing too.
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. 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 . Very often you have people posting when and from where they're flying, so get in line to amass a make-shift crew before you've even checked into the hotel.
Everyone knows that the queue for boarding at the gate is the best place to make best friends for life.
Hang with Ibiza Workers
The bubble surrounding the workers' community 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 holidaymakers, they're often the ones to gravitate towards.
In San Antonio, workers are often found at venues in 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.
Many of the PR and bar staff have worked in the same bar for years, which gives it a real sense of familiarity. As previously mentioned, the workers can go hard, so don't be surprised if you wake up in all sorts of bizarre situations. You've been warned.
Pre-parties and boat parties
Catching the eyes of elated humans on the dancefloor and sharing an exchange that screams "THIS IS THE DOG'S BOLLOCKS" is a love language with the potential to progress beyond the club.
To really lay down the concrete bond, get yourself out whilst the sun is still shining and everybody looks fresh. That doesn't mean you have to stop partying...
Pros of the pre-parties, both on land and by sea, are that you can actually hold down an audible conversation. Flirt mode activated. The party atmosphere is still 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 super-clubs. As we mentioned earlier, Café Mambo and its neighbours on the Sunset Strip are ideal for this.
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 hours.
You're the definition of a captive audience, but why would you want to escape anyway?
Remember to pace yourselves in these situations, because no one wants to be that sorry soul who's rinsed and put to bed by midnight.
The beach
From personal experience, as well as the recounted tales of others, burying your bones in the sand after a spirit-lifting rave-a-thon 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 and cosmopolitan scene (with added nudity) head to Las Salinas and Sa Trinxa in the south east of the island.
A shop bought carry-out 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 spades 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 – 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 one stood by your side, 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 circle. That's a shame because there's a wealth of wonderful experiences to be had if you put the feelers out.
In the case of the solo mission, you might at first feel exposed as a lone merchant, but clubs are a distinctly social setting and more often than not you'll end up blethering with some Tom, Dick or Harry through the night. Be open to it and you'll never be alone on the dancefloor.
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 wouldn't otherwise have met.
And that my friends, is the beauty of Ibiza...
