Travel is a beautiful thing. It puts us in uncomfortable, unpredictable, unique situations but it teaches us so much about ourselves. It teaches us patience and learning to let go, it teaches us that most of the world doesn’t live our way of life, ascribe to our values, care for our conveniences. It shows us that some of the best things about a place — the things that sell it as a tourist destination, can also be some of the worst things about that place. But most of all it teaches us that the world is a big place and ultimately our fears and troubles are an exceedingly small part of a large ecosystem of people, cultures and creatures that make up this planet.
In March 2020, global leisure travel came to a grinding halt as Covid-19 ravaged cities and suddenly, we were left wondering, when will we travel again? And while the pace and rate at which we were travelling, was unsustainable for our planet, a move to a more conscious type of travel is possible for all of us.
Ladies, if you ever thought of taking a solo trip, it is worth considering once it is safe to take to the skies again. If safety is your concern (and it usually is the biggest one for women travelling on their own), take heart. There are many places in this world where the people are warm, the crime rates are relatively low, and women can comfortably travel with some precautions. Here are 10 gorgeous destinations for solo female travelers.
1. Copenhagen, Denmark
Like Berlin, the secret is out about Copenhagen as must-visit spot in continental Europe. Not only is the city beautiful, Danes are some of the happiest people in the world, according to 2020 The World Happiness Report. If you love European cities and want to get around on foot or bike, then Copenhagen is the city for you. Public transit is efficient, and the city is sprinkled with Michelin stars. Head to Noma (book months in advance) for your own Chef’s Table experience, or the Goddess Gefjun fountain which tells the mythological Norse story of how Denmark was formed. At night, the fountain lights up and glows blue. If home-ware and the furnishings are your beat, the Danes have you covered with colorful home furnishings, cool lighting fixtures and beautiful glassware and ceramics. For the environmentally conscious, off-set your carbon footprint by staying in one of the city’s many eco-friendly hotels.
2. Lombok, Indonesia
Bali has long been the go-to spot for tourists, leading to over-tourism on the island. The high number of tourists all year-round have left a serious footprint on Bali, the biggest one being the city’s garbage emergency, not to mention the solo-female traveler in Bali has been a little overdone since Eat, Pray, Love. So, what’s a girl to do if one of the 17,000 inhabited Indonesian islands beckon? Go to Lombok! It has everything that Bali does, except it’s less crowded and cheaper. Sounds like a win-win!
3. Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Santa Teresa is a stunning beach town on the western side of the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. A surf, yoga and nature lover’s paradise, Santa Teresa has accommodations, restaurants and nightlife for every budget and every type of traveler. Playa Santa Teresa has powerful waves so it is a beach for more experienced surfers who want a good swell. The town is also ideal for yoga with beautiful open-air yoga-shalas that offer year-round retreats. A yoga retreat is a fantastic trip for a solo female traveler because you spend a large portion of your time with people you meet on the retreat, making it a perfect opportunity to make friends.
4. Havana, Cuba
Cubans are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people you will ever meet, always willing to help with directions, or recommendations. Havana is a stunning city with a rich history and is known as the city of eternal summer. A walking tour includes going through Habana Vieja (Old Havana) and Centro Habana. It’s a great way to get your bearings around the city’s many beautiful squares — Plaza de Armas, Plaza de Catedral, Plaza de Revolucion and Plaza Vieja. Havana is a magical city with colorful, colonial style buildings, old style cars and some of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite local spots. The nightlife scene with its many salsa clubs and rum bars is not to be missed. But the best part of visiting Cuba — a ride in a vintage convertible along the Caribbean to one of the country’s spectacular white sand and turquoise water beaches.
5. Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada
Take the road less traveled to the hamlet of Ucluelet, significantly cheaper than its well-known neighbor, Tofino. Situated on Vancouver Island, Ucluelet is a hop, skip and a jump from the country’s capital Ottawa or it’s main financial center, Toronto. A flight to Vancouver, followed by a short (14 minutes precisely) flight to Vancouver Island gets you to Nanaimo. Strap into a car and cue a podcast to accompany one of the most spectacular, jaw dropping drives you will ever take through the mountains and rainforests of western Canada. An adventure traveler’s paradise, some of the things you can do include, hiking the Wild Pacific Trail, hiking some of the most incredible rainforest trails to a World War II era plane crash site and wreckage, or driving into Tofino to visit it’s several restaurants, coffee shops and breweries. If the majestic beauty of the B.C. mountains isn’t enough, you can see whales — humpbacks and orcas frequent the Pacific Northwest most of the year. The main precaution to take as a solo traveler — let someone know where you’re going, stick to the trails and get inside at dark. It is wild after all!
6. The Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are not for the budget traveller, simply because getting there is quite the trek, but if you have the money to spend, nowhere else in the world can rival it. Few places allow travelers to be within such proximity to wildlife like Nazca, Blue Footed and Red Footed Boobies (birds), flamingos, iguanas and giant tortoises and sea turtles of all varieties. Most people come to the Galápagos because they love animals, so you’re likely to meet a few like-minded people on your trip!
7. French Polynesia
A sparkling group of islands in the South Pacific, French Polynesia is breathtaking with remarkably friendly people. Although Bora-Bora and Tahiti in the Society Islands have plenty of luxury accommodation and over water bungalows, Airbnb is a girl’s best friend in French Polynesia. Other friends include the locals you will meet both on land and under the sea, since this is a diver’s dream.
8. Bhutan
Bhutan is a majestic place that has only recently become more accessible to mainstream travelers. The land of the thunder dragon (that’s literally what Bhutan means) boasts a distinctive Buddhist culture, majestic and wild beauty of the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. If you’re not a passport holder from India, Bangladesh, or the Maldives (they are considered regional tourists) you will need to travel on a pre-planned, prepaid, guided package tour or travel program. This isn’t really a choose your own adventure kind of trip, but the required structure does make it safer, as Bhutan is still quite rural in many parts. A trek to the Taktsang Dzong (Tiger’s Nest Monastery) takes you 1000 meters in elevation to a monastery that clings to the side of a steep cliff. It is a breathtaking, spectacular, working monastery where monks still live. Since most people only get a limited visa duration in Bhutan, other sights worth seeing include the Dochula Pass where there are 108 Chortens (shrines) that overlook the capital city, Thimphu valley and 160 meter suspension bridge between the town of Punakha and it’s dzong, adorned with prayer flags. The Bhutanese people are warm, curious, welcoming, and deeply peaceful. After all, the country became famous internationally for its Gross National Happiness index.
9. Vienna, Austria
While all of Europe has its own, unique beauty, few cities are as grand or majestic as Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Vienna is a city best explored on foot in the city-center. The Wiener Staatsoper, is one of the leading opera houses of the world, which makes sense since Vienna was the epicenter of classical music — Mozart was born in Salzburg and but composed many of his best-known symphonies and concertos in Vienna. A walk through the downtown core of Vienna takes you down cobblestone streets lined with shops past St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the city’s posh shopping district, Graben. A must-visit is the Hofburg palace, the former imperial seat of the Habsburg empire and birthplace of Marie Antoinette. Vienna is a stunning city with a vibrant nightlife at the city’s many wine taverns and bars and extremely safe for solo travelers with well connected public transit.
10. Cusco, Peru
This captivating little city is the former heart of the Incan empire and gateway to the Sacred Valley of Peru. While Cusco and the Sacred Valley are very doable as a solo traveler, it does take a little bit of effort. The first couple of days in Cusco are typically spent relaxing and exploring the city, the Cusco Cathedral, and the San Pedro market on foot to help you acclimatize to the altitude. Once you’ve adjusted, there are tours all over town to many historic sites and ruins in the Sacred Valley, including the Incan ruins of Sacsayuhuaman and Tambomachay and the village of Pisac which boasts one of the most colorful markets in the Sacred Valley. One of the best activities for the solo female traveler is to hike the Inca trail as part of a group tour to Macchu Pichu.
These are only 10 of many places in the world women can safely and comfortably travel alone. Solo travel doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating. If done right it opens a world of possibilities and allows you to visit places, you may not have if you were travelling with someone else. There is something inherently liberating about setting your own schedule, planning your own itinerary and choosing your own adventure. So, what’s stopping you?
