All my travel friends are married and I want to take a solo trip out of the country. Doesn't have to be Europe. Where are the best places in the world to travel solo?
* Southeast Asia: The sheer number of backpackers coming through the area means you'll never want for people to meet. Thailand is the biggest draw, and, well, there's a reason people go there: cheap, lots to do, good tourist infrastructure, tons of accommodations, good food, good weather.
For my money, Laos is the place to go, and it'd be super easy to travel solo.
* Central America: I swear I can't go a day without seeing something about Nicaragua these days. Seems like tons of young people are flocking there and they infrastructure is in place. Of course, there's tons to do in Mexico too, whether you want food, culture or nature.
* South America: Peru would be a great starting point. It's easy to get around, great infrastructure in place and lots of other travelers.
* Europe: I'd kind of sworn Europe off, and then we got stranded there and decided to kick around for a while and we realized "Holy s*%$, this is great!" It is just so fricking easy to get around and do anything. If you want to get off the beaten path, it's easy enough to do, and then you can just hop right back into a more happening place if you feel the need. Prices are higher than the three regions above, obviously, but if you plan right and watch your budget, it's doable.
Thanks Gina. Oddly enough, I've been to Peru and most of central America, and Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia. I was thinking maybe Instabul or Morocco. or maybe even Ireland and Scotland.
Istanbul is a snap. One of my favorite cities in the world; you'll experience the most incredible hospitality there and throughout Turkey. I had a great time in Scotland as well—incredibly friendly people! I'm plotting out a Morocco myself, and it seems like it'd be an easy place to go solo—lots of good connections, hotels and transport options.
I just got back from 2 months in Thailand and it was the perfect place as a solo traveller! Inexpensive, safe, warm climate, amazing food, a variety of travel experiences and TONS of other solo travellers to meet and talk to so you're never lonely.
Relaxing and sun can be found in the islands in the south. I stayed in Phuket but many travellers I met raved endlessly about Ko Tao Thailand and Koh Samui. I loved all the areas around Phang Nga Bay and Krabi.
Bangkok is huge and takes a long time to explore as well as the surrounding areas of Ayutthaya Ratchaburi you'll never find yourself bored.
The northern province you can land in Chiang Mai and make day trips to visit the surrounding areas of Chiang Rai and Pai for a taste of the mountains which are more laid-back then the big cities.
The other area which is great to visit is Udon Thani which like the north is a little slower with rural areas but also has amazing food and provides a quick visit across the boarder to Laos and the city of Vientiane.
Good luck, I'm sure you'll enjoy wherever you end up!
Hi Mike, most of my travels have been solo. Good destinations would be dependent on your age, your attitude and your sense of adventure. I spent 7 years travelling (mostly) alone. The best places I found, with the friendliest people and the most accepting of lone travellers are: United States, though I assume you are from there. Visit Cape Town for the most amazing trip you will have in your life. Dublinfor a great mix of history and a great social atmosphere. Anywhere in Scotlandis great for solo travel. Amsterdamis simply beyond compare.
Hi Mike, i found this articles written by Heather Van Deest of International Living from their website i think it relevant to your question.
Those looking for a peaceful, rural lifestyle head to Chiang Rai, located just 110 miles from Chiang Mai, in the country's northernmost province. Chiang Rai offers all the basic amenities for a comfortable lifestyle, including restaurants, bars, a private hospital, and even a recently opened shopping mall.
Another exotic destination where life will cost you not more than $500 (€350) a month is the Philippines. Following the rule of getting away from big cities, Manila is not an option, as a rent prices start at $360 (€255) a month. But if you head for Cebu City, one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, with sandy beaches, golf courses and great shopping, you can get an apartment for $150 (€106) a month. In other bustling towns, such as Dumaguete, you can easily rent a room for around $40 (€28) per month.
Food is also cheap. $200 (€142) a month will be absolutely enough to provide you with all necessities including alcohol and tobacco – a big glass of beer and pack of cigarettes cost $0.55 (€0.39) and $0.80 (€0.57) respectively.
As Jin Duan said, you really can go anywhere. I've traveled solo pretty much everywhere in Europe, Asia,Central America and parts of Africa. It's a great way to travel - it forces you to meet new people (both locals and fellow travelers) and allows you the flexibility to do adjust your itinerary as you like.
One thing to keep in mind is cost. In SE Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, there are good hostel networks where you can find cheap accommodation and like-minded fellow travelers. It's also easy to be a "flash-packer" in SE Asia - i.e. pay a bit extra for a private room in a hostel, eat out more rather than cook your own food, etc. But in North America, Russia, and Africa, there aren't so many hostels (at least not in my experience). I know lots of people who couch-surfed in Russia, which is one option.
As mentioned, Europe is fantastic. Morocco is also amazing and relatively easy to do solo. I stayed in riads and met other travellers and even did some camping in the Sahara with the Berber people. Beautiful country. I also went to Cuba this year solo and highly recommend it. It's hard to backpack if you don't know Spanish, but if you do, I definitely suggest staying in casa particulares, which are local families who rent out rooms to travellers. In Havana, stay with Casa Ania, one of the few hostels in the country - they are sooooo nice! You get a better sense of how life is lived...a very different experience than the resort route. It is a little sad to see how life can be for them, but the people are warm and friendly and love talking to tourists and hearing about life in other places.
I think Ireland is a great place to travel solo and meet new people, everybody is genuinely friendly and interested in your stories. Italy too is great, public transport is very good, the people are friendly and the country is so darned beautiful. Australia United States Portugal and Spain are friendly and safe places for the lone traveller.
I'm writing to you from the Balkans and can tell you that if you're flexible on timing, its amazing here. From Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia,Kosovo, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, all I've encountered on my solo expedition is hospitality and welcome. Plus, the nature here is still relatively pristine and devoid of the tour groups that overrun the rest of Europe!
I spent 14 months in South America and Central America and it was great for solo traveling. I didn't actually end up travelling alone for much of it.... Plenty of other solo travellers to meet if you are staying in hostels. And the whole continent is totally amazing!!
Marco as a woman that has traveled around the world solo a few times. I would say anywhere is good to know as long as the political situation is stable.
Southeast Asia is definitely one of the easiest places to travel.
For ancient beauty and history I would go for Egypt. I went there 3 times already, I couldn't get enough.
I think that Southeast Asia is an incredible destination for solo travelers as you meet hundreds of other inspiring, like-minded globetrotters. You will arrive solo, but the chances of you leaving feeling like you experienced the world alone are very slim. Enjoy!
It depends on whether you want an expedition-type vacation or something more cultural. I travel alone all the time and have done both. Expedition-type trips (Silversea, Lindblad, etc) are great for the solo traveler as they are small boats and the nature of the shared adventure makes everyone quite friendly to all the other participants. On the more upscale ones there will be receptions for solo travelers and you will also be introduced to, and at meals seated with, other passengers. Fellow travelers tend to be interesting people and are usually very generous about asking you to join them for meals or on side adventures. When I went to Antarctica I was the only solo traveler on the ship and I had no problem meeting people or feeling like I had company.
For less adventuresome travel, I like Southeast Asia, Croatia, Italy, Amsterdam, Spain, Canada. Countries that have more formal customs, such as Switzerland and France, are easy to travel in alone, but harder to meet people as locals don't reach out to strangers as often.
If you are part of the backpack community or if you like local pubs, then it's very easy to meet people in any country. If you are traveling in more upscale hotels where people tend not to mingle with each other, then you have to be more proactive about it.
I have never had a difficult time traveling alone so ultimately go wherever is interesting to you and you will certainly meet enough people to have companionship when you want it.
Spain! Especially for solo female travelers as it is very safe and very friendly. Right now with the Euro down, it's really cheap and great travel. It has the perfect mix of big cities in Barcelona and Madrid, beautiful country, and very different local flavor in different regions of the country. Go to Andalucía and travel throught Granada, Seville, Cordoba (Spain) and the white villages and enjoy the Moorish influences on the food and architecture. Do San Sebastian and País Vasco to the French border. Beautiful and great food and wine. When visiting Madrid, do central Spain and see Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Ávilaand Cuenca. From Barcelona, make sure to visit the lovely coastal towns of Sitges and Cadaqués. Spain is whatever you want it to be. It's a party, it's for foodies, for religious pilgrims, history buffs,and people who want to experience a culture of friendly warm people.
I'm Thai who traveling solo to some countries, especially around Southeast Asia.
A lot of answers recommend Thailandand Southeast Asia. I think Thailand is the right place for first time solo travelers. There are a ton of reasons which you must try!
Hi Mike, I have done Hawaii and Belize totally solo, no problems. I have used G Adventures as a solo to travel as a part of a small group and had a great time. They are fantastic for South America. Have done Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador/Galapagos, Argentina and Chile with them and had a great time. I also did 24 days in Africa which overall was good because it was Africa, but they were just cutting their teeth there. Some of their local partners were not as good as I experienced in South America. This was in 2006, so they have probably got it down by now. Wherever you go, enjoy!
Anywhere! Try some travel companies like Gate 1 or Friendly Planet and meet other people who like to travel. They have great prices and lots of fabulous destinations.
Australia and New Zealand are great destinations for a solo traveler - friendly, safe, well set up for solo travelers.
Anywhere really if you're adventurous!. But I think generally anywhere that you don't have much of a language barrier, convenient public transportation and walkable cities are good choices.
I just recently traveled to Bali on my own, and I had an amazing time there. My boyfriend also did a solo trip through Central Europe in March and really enjoyed himself. He visited Czech Republic, Ljubljana, Vienna, Budapest.
I had the best time travelling around Southeast Asia solo and would recommend that to everyone looking to travel solo. It's an easy place to travel: locals are awesome, foods great and there's a well-worn backpacker trail should you just want to check out places where you can meet and party with a bunch of backpackers every so often.
I think that Southeast Asia is excellent for solo travelers. There is a very hospitable energy and likely you will not feel like you are truly "traveling on your own."
It depends on how adventurous you want to be :-) Aside from trips with National Geographic I generally travel solo and have been to all continents. Japan and South Korea are great for experiencing a different culture and some great food, assuming not speaking the language and deciphering a foreign script don't worry you. I had no problems in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Western Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands are interesting if you didn't want to roam around Europe itself. I loved Jordan and Oman.
A tip I would recommend you consider is look in TripAdvisor for private tour guides. Spending some time with a local that can take you around and show you spots that you might not know about or might be intimidated to venture into is not to be underestimated. You can also organise a multi-day tour with a driver/guide, which is how I approached Jordan.
Have you traveled solo before? And how much time do you have available?
Very easy to travel solo are Australia and New Zealand but they are expensive as well. Mexico is a destination which is very easy to travel around solo as well as Argentina, Chile and Peru for example.