Hi ozb. Lately I've been considering doing solo travel somewhere in the world. It's not something I think I would particularly enjoy (compared to traveling with a companion), but it's still something I'd like to try while I'm young. I was hoping fellow ozbargainers might have some suggestions on where to go. So far, I have been along the east coast of Australia, south island of NZ, South Korea (mainly Seoul) and Japan (mainly Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka). Iceland is on my bucket list, but again, not sure if I want to do that alone or with family/friends. Pretty open to all ideas, but would prefer safer countries. Throw your suggestions at me :D
Best places for female solo travel?
lizzle on 18/09/2017 - 17:30
Comments
North Korea. You'll be assigned at least one escort.
if you like beer they have an annual beer festival too
If you like cheap beer, Saigon - Pham Ngu Lao, street food and sit and watch the passersby. about 80 cents for a very cold 500 ml bottle!
Savas's home :)
Thanks, but no thanks đŸ˜‚
You know you want to really.
Most every Western country would be safe for a solo female traveler. But of course even in safe countries there are places you wouldn't walk late at night, in the dark, on your own. Common sense should still be undertaken.
Places I think would be perfectly fine. UK, France, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Netherlands…..basically most of Europe. Dubai I would say is very damn safe.
Taiwan, Singapore, HK
Look at Intrepid Travel
- small groups
- amazing places
- lots of solos travel with them
- see the 'real side' of countries
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/auRundle Mall.
lol I wish I got the inside joke, but sadly do not know what Rundle Mall is
Bondi beach
I was in the same boat and did my first solo trip last year to japan and I loved it, I'd like to do more solo trips the only issue I'd have is safety concerns but Japan was very very safe. I'm looking at nz, Hawaii, Korea and Japan again for solo trips. Possibly Taiwan as well
India … oh wait, wrong thread.
i am a female solo traveller and i feel fine everywhere i go, thailand, malaysia, seoul, hongkong… europe is fine, nz is fine… not sure about india tho…. anyway, its up to you if you like being alone or not… :)
Has the language barrier ever been a big issue in your travels??
Only in places sich uz NZ
no, never had a problem… they are very friendly and always try hard to talk and understand….i always get a local sim with data so im ok for directions. but main thing is … enjoy yourself! im heading to bali next month and the philippines :)
My daughter, who's in her mid-twenties, recently travelled solo in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Japan. She had no safety issues in any of these places.
Well I'm heading to Vietnam in Nov for my first solo trip, I heard it's pretty safe apart from bag snatching and scams.
Hope you have fun! Planning to go there in the future as well :)
Thanks :)
I don't know about the rest of V'nam but Saigon (not HCMC in my book) and Vung Tau are extremely safe, and not to be missed. Beautiful people. Been there a dozen times. Bag snatching & Scams? I never heard of any, and I research a lot!!
Loved Vietnam and it's friendly people. However a friend of mine did have her mobile snatched while she was there. Just keep an eye on your belongings, same as anywhere I guess.
Its was one of the first places that came to mind for me for safety. I'm not female but i did travel Vietnam extensively and found it to be very safe and secure. I found that authorities keep an extra eye on tourists (in a good way!) and that everyone was polite.
Sooth Ofrica
China and tibet - Cheap, safe and really great people. Safer and easier to travel imho than many south east asian countries.
Suggest avoid india unless you want to be groped.
DO NOT GO TO INDIA WITHOUT A MAN. You will be ignored by staff, denied service, followed, touched. Sad to say.
Anywhere except…everywhere
Japan, safest country in the world.
I travelled solo to Bangkok and Chiang Mai a few years ago. Always felt safe.
As AdosHouse said, generally Europe is pretty safe. I am in love with Italy after my last trip there! Like anywhere, do your research and use common sense. Also India comment above, I was very keen to go solo but an Indian friend warned strongly against it. I've seen a 10 safest countries for solo female travellers somewhere (Lonely Planet?).
As well as safety you need to consider meeting people and the cultural friendliness factor. For eg. Taiwan, very safe, lovely people, but very mannerly and will not easily engage strangers. However, Ireland, again great for solo female travellers but they will generally want to know everything about you and in small towns if you are friendly you will likely know half the local pub by the end of an evening! So I guess it depends how much you want to keep to yourself/socialise. Spain, also very friendly/open people. Also I second the Vietnam comments, beautiful country, lovely people. Iceland, also on bucket list but apparently very expensive however if you were going via the states Alaskan Airlines had some ridiculous cheap flights so that could balance out costs? Same for Scandinavian countries, Norwegian Airlines/Scoot deal at the moment is crazy cheap. Depend if it's worth the inconvenience for you.
If you like the snow I can highly recommend the cold fusion chalets in France. They are designed for solo travelers. Especially well run, great food, and just a great time all round.
Utah
I used to live in Japan and it is super safe! so i highly recommend it!
My opinion is biased because I live in Japan, but I really think it's a great place for solo traveling. it's so safe here and not as expensive as a lot of people think.
Believe me, you don't need to convince me to go back to Japan! In fact, I'm going over in 2 weeks :) It's a country I'm sure to visit every few years.
Awesome. I live in Yokohama (near Tokyo) so if you want any advice or want to hang out for a day just send me a message though I don't know how good my tourist guide skills are.
Singapore is amazing - the people are super friendly and they have extremely strict laws (drugs, littering, even chewing gum!) There's heaps to do and it is very easy to get around. It has a late night, late morning start culture.
Nothing wrong with most of the countries mentioned above. But there is so much to see and explore in our beautiful country of Australia. Tasmania, the amazing West Coast between Perth and Darwin, Northern Territory, even the less travelled South Coast between Adelaide and Perth are all stunning and will leave you satisfied as a traveller.
All the very best for your travels.
Singapore, laos, Thailand, Vietnam. Take the overnight trains in Asia, an amazing experience.
I have not done it yet, but have heard that walking the Camino in Spain is safe. I hope to do it in September 2018, but it'll depend on whether the cruise lines are actually going to sail out of WA in oct/nov 2018. They are fixing the cruise port in Broome and apparently it is the most desired Australian port for worldwide passengers. Carnival says they will do at least 5 sailings out of WA using a princess boat. Hopefully other cruise lines will follow suit.
Cruises are great. I'm doing at least 5 this calendar year. Four solo. Always meet new people.
The number one thing is always go with your gut instinct. Always. Even if you feel you are being rude to do so. Never ignore your intuition.
What about a cruise to start with. Won't be so scary.