Solo traveling is possibly one of the best ways to travel, in my opinion. You get to go where you want, when you want, and have full control over how your trip goes. There’s less obstacles when it comes to booking because it’s just your schedule and fully dependent on only your budget. But if you’re new to solo travel, where you go is important. In this post, we’ll go through the best solo travel destinations you can start out with, and why.
Solo travel is not for the faint of heart, or those looking for a relaxing vacation. There are a million obstacles that could come up, that you would have to face and decide what to do about, with only your judgement. Your flight gets delayed, what do you do? Your phone dies and you aren’t sure where you are, what do you do? Solo travel is great for the control you get over the trip, but it also comes with all of the control.
I’ve chosen these destinations as the best solo travel destinations for a few reasons.
Tourism:
Each of these locations are big tourist locations. Going somewhere with an economy fueled by people from other countries, means that local people generally need to know English to work in tourism.
For a first time solo traveler, this is comforting that if you have a problem, people will generally know what you are saying.
Additionally, if a place attracts a lot of tourists, that means there are tons of other English speakers. Solo traveling is a balance of doing things alone, and finding people to socialize with. I’ve gone a day or two without taking to anyone, while traveling alone, and I start to feel antisocial. I personally try to talk with or do one activity with someone I meet a day. But when I go places that are less tourism driven, it’s harder to find anyone to connect with in a language I know! That’s what happens in more remote places.
Excursions:
One of the best parts of solo travel is being able to choose exactly what I’m going to do. These best solo travel destinations have TONS of things to do.
I LOVE a good excursion. For a few hours, they are firstly entertaining me! And teaching me about something that I am interested enough in to pay for. Secondly, they allow me to not have to be “on” for this time.
Traveling alone, you are always looking out for yourself, being vigilant about your safety, where you are going, what you are doing, etc. Planning fun activities helps you fully experience your travel destination, stimulate the local economy, and relax a bit!
These destinations are chock full of great things to do!
The BEST Solo Travel Destinations for Beginners
Lisbon, Portugal
Going to Lisbon was the first solo travel trip I went on, and it set the bar high!
I stayed at a super social hostel, Yes Hotel Lisbon, which made it super easy to make friends to hang out with during the day. There were tons of people in their 20s from Germany, Italy, South America, Ireland, and the US. Everyone at the hostel, visitors and workers, spoke great English and were always open to talk. Every morning, they had guided tours of Lisbon for the hostel, so you could learn about the city as well as make hostel friends.
A large part of Lisbon’s economy comes from tourism, and you can tell since everyone I ran into in shops or restaurants spoke great English. I never assume people will speak English, so I prepared the necessary phrases in Portuguese, but I didn’t really need them! People I think appreciate the effort, but then switch to English to make things easier. Whether or not a country speaks English shouldn’t be the deciding factor in where you go, but when you are traveling somewhere alone for the first time, it helps calm the nerves.
History
Lisbon is a city with TONS of history. During my free time, I loved exploring different neighborhoods and seeing the different architecture or tiles. On the guided tour, I learned about how most of Lisbon was destroyed when an earthquake hit, which is why the door frames vary in height depending on if they were built before or after the earthquake! There’s fado music, pastel de natas, day trips to Sintra which is a town full of castles, surfing at nearby beaches. It’s hard to be bored while in Lisbon, making it a great trip to go on yourself!
Portugal in general is also on the more inexpensive side day to day, compared to other European countries, like Switzerland, which are extremely expensive. In addition, Portugal is the shortest flight from the USA. The low cost, short flight, tons of English speakers, and beautiful city is why I went solo to Lisbon, and why I recommend Lisbon, Portugal as one of the best solo travel destinations.
Rome, Italy
If you are a history buff or simply enjoy Italian food, Rome is a fantastic solo trip to go on! I went to Rome on my own for four days and wished I could have stayed longer! This can be the perfect first solo trip for you to go on – let me convince you why!
Free Things
If you are a woman traveling by yourself in Italy, you generally get free things at restaurants. This happened to me by far the most while in Rome. I wasn’t sure at first why, but was totally fine with it, since I was getting free drinks and/or appetizers at most meals! I later learned that women sitting in restaurants by themselves is not normal in Italy. The men in restaurants will either pity you, or try to hit on you, resulting in free things! In my experience, it’s been harmless and never made me feel unsafe, rather it made me pretty happy. It comes across more as a romantic gesture, and not as creepy.
If you are a man, you might not get free things, but you will have fun too! Italy is more set in traditional gender roles, so you’ll be treated with more respect and feel much safer than if you were a solo female traveler. In my experience, I always felt safe in Italy, but of course, stay in well lit places, do your research on if there are any parts of town not to visit, etc.
Rome is an amazing place to go solo because every meal here will be one of the best you’ve ever had! When I was in Rome, I learned that there are four famous pasta dishes they are known for, so I challenged myself to try them all during my time. If you want to take part in this tasty challenge (which I highly recommend) check out this post for more info.
Rome is chock full of history! The city itself feels ancient, so it deserves its nickname of the Eternal City. There are tons of tours to go here leaving no room for boredom!
Edinburgh, Scotland
If you are a bit worried about a language barrier when considering embarking on your first solo trip, going somewhere English speaking might be one of the best solo travel destinations for you! Anywhere in the UK can be a great starting point, as well as it being not too far from the east coast of the USA.
I personally have never visited London, for a lack of interest, but could see that being an option for some people. But in my opinion, Edinburgh is a way better solo travel location!
While I didn’t go solo to Edinburgh, I have no doubt that it would be a great solo travel spot. I felt like I was transported back in time while walking through the old town. Edinburgh feels like it should be a renaissance fair year round with how medieval it feels. The town is incredibly picturesque and oozes dark academia vibes, if that’s your thing!
To Dos
Edinburgh is also where the majority of the Harry Potter books were written, and the city inspired locations from the book! The stunning Victoria Street, shown below, was the inspiration for Diagon Alley. When I came to Scotland with my cousin, our main goal was to do everything Harry Potter related! If that sounds like what you’d do as well, check out my Harry Potter things to do in Scotland!
Or if you aren’t the biggest Harry Potter fan, this list of the best things to do in Edinburgh might be better for you! Edinburgh is one of the best solo travel destinations for its hilarious people, great vibes, and the fact that they also speak English. If you are looking for crazy night life, Edinburgh might not be the location for you, but you can surely get a great UK pub experience while there!
Best Solo Travel Destinations (That I Haven’t Visited Yet)
Thailand
While solo traveling around Europe, you of course run into tons of British travelers no matter where you go. I did not meet a single Brit that had not been to Thailand before. Before COVID, Thailand was getting over 900,000 British visitors in a year. Now post COVID, that number has dropped by almost 25%, but is rising again.
A large part of Thailand’s economy is based on tourism from the UK, as well as countries like France and Germany, meaning that local businesses generally know enough English to support the tourists. Part of the reason is because the Thai Baht is pretty weak against the pound, euro, and dollar. To get a good bang for your buck on vacation or, for many people, to retire, they come to Thailand.
What draws people to Thailand? Their rich culture, beautiful nature, and delicious street food. There are magnificent temples and hidden beaches, so pretty they look AI generated. If you are looking for an adventure in a culture that might be quite different from your own, Thailand might be the solo destination for you!
Australia
Similar to the UK, Australia’s appeal comes from the English speaking. BUT Australia has so much more to offer than the UK if you can get over all the scary snakes, spiders, sharks and other animals that you might encounter, Australia is on the opposite hemisphere as the US, so it will always be in the opposite season as us.
It’s crazy to think that their holiday season is also their summer. How do you have the two parts of the year at the same time?
I also met tons of Australians, also solo traveling while I was, and they’re always either the funniest person you’ve ever met, or the most attractive. To go on a solo trip and see these people every day sounds like heaven to me! Also with Australia being comparable to the size of the US, there is so much to see and do
If I were to go to Australia, I would definitely want to tour the Great Barrier Reef, see a real life kangaroos and koalas, tan at one of the picture perfect beaches, and so much more.
Conclusion
While all of these spots would prove to be great first time solo trips, the best solo travel destination is the one you are most interested in! If you are really excited to go to a certain place, pick there and you can make it work.
The hardest part about solo traveling, is being alone, which you can practice any time you want! Now that you hopefully have the place you want to go picked, check out these solo travel tips I wish I knew before my first trip!
Solo travel is truly life changing! Once you realize you enjoy traveling alone and feel comfortable doing so, you feel like there is nothing you can’t do. I hope from the bottom of my heart you get to experience this feeling as I have. Be safe and happy traveling!
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