Solo travel - tell me about your best trips alone?

[Whatinthactual]

Going through a bit of a change in circumstances at the moment (children leaving home for Uni, realising that relationship-wise I'm basically on my own) and just looking to reclaim a bit of myself and wanting to get back out in the world. I want to have some adventures over the next year and am just wondering about solo trips I can take as a woman and feel safe, and mainly relying on public transport? I travelled a lot on my own in my 20's but it's been such a long time and I'm hoping to avoid some of the mad and random situations I got into back then. 😅

Looking for ideas for breaks in the UK and Europe (and maybe next year further afield) - would love to hear about any trips/destinations you've travelled to alone and felt completely comfortable? Thank you!

Not on my own but with my sister and had no issues in Copenhagen or Geneva. I wouldn’t do Geneva again but we did spend a day down in Montreaux which id visit again. It’s beautiful.

I travel alone a lot, and it is my absolute favourite thing. As an autistic, perimenopausal lone parent I am constantly teetering on the brink of burnout due to the sheer demands of peopling, especially for my DC. Hours and days of solitude, perhaps with the odd low- demand chat with others, are my absolute lifeline.

My main escape is going off in my van, finding a cheap campsite where I can have a fire, and hiking. Obviously this is mostly a summer thing, so I'm getting cabin fever right now.

Otherwise, I escape by Interrail. A 4 day pass is about £220, but there are regular 10- 25% off sales. I have previously travelled to the South of France (Grasse) and gone hiking in the mountains, with 24 hours in Paris en route. At Easter I'm going to just a little further, over the Italian border. I've found an ecovillage to stay in that looks just lovely. Easily reachable by train, a very reasonable price that includes breakfast and dinner, so I'll have people to chat to, but be able to spend plenty of time solo hiking from village to village.

I have done various other Interrail trips, but with the DC/ XP. Can confirm that I am a million times happier to travel alone than with XP, who used to freak out and have mantrums whenever he was outside his comfort zone 🙄.

Poland and Budapest felt very safe, Scotland my favourite trips.

I should also say that I've never felt uncomfortable as a lone woman on any of these trips- not even when I inadvertently booked a mixed couchette compartment on the sleeper train 😬

Oh, tell a lie. Grasse is not in fact the liveliest of towns, and I was greeted with incredulity upon arriving in the only open bar I could find in the entire town at 7.00pm after a 20 mile walk and ordering a whole pint of beer 😲. So unladylike! 😆

I heartily recommend Japan, if you choose to go international in future. It's generally extremely safe for lone travel. It's got so much to do that you could spend a lifetime there and see only a small percentage of everything. The food and weather and terrain are so varied and interesting. The people are nice, and with some key phrases, it's "easy" enough to get by. There's history, art, architecture, hiking, cyberpunk neon cities, bizarre events and festivals and gorgeous islands, and everything in between.

The public transport is also second to none. Hotels/hostels cater to all price points. And the yen is currently weak, so it's very good value for money (the flights are not especially cheap though!). But so worth it. Be aware it may ruin you for other destinations, because people usually want to go back :-)

Independently - Amsterdam, Boston, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Seville. Organised - Zambia safari (and this year Galapagos Islands). With a friend but would happily go solo - Copenhagen, New Zealand. Wish list - Norway rail trip, Scottish Highlands and or Islands road trip.

Just start with the UK, get your mojo back and take it from there.

I had a great solo trip to Barcelona housesitting for a friend. It’s a great city, loads to do, and easy to navigate on public transport. Also no one batted an eyelid at me having a glass of wine in a bar by myself. If you do go further afield in the future, I also recommend Bali - solo travellers are common there so it’s easy to meet people and you’re not made to feel odd if you’re eating in a restaurant alone for example.

I've travelled to dozens of countries solo and have never been made to feel odd for eating alone. It's a mindset. It's 2026. It's absolutely fine for anyone to travel alone and eat alone.

If you're lacking confidence OP I'd suggest starting small e.g. in the UK or a country where English is widely spoken and then branch out as you get a bit more experienced. Or a cruise where you can book their excursions if you want to or do days out yourself if you don't.

I loved Seville as a solo traveller. A lovely place.
Krakow is great.

I completely agree with you but have been treated like an oddity in certain places. Although admittedly in a different city in the same country it wasn’t an issue at all. If you need to eat then you need to eat!

Strange. It's never happened to me.

And I’m pleased for you. I’ve never been punched in the face but it doesn’t mean it’s never happened to anyone else!

I enjoyed Prague and Krakow on my own

Start with the UK. Is there anywhere/anything you've always wanted to go to or see but the rest of the family wouldn't have been interested?

I started doing 3-4 day breaks to places/things I wanted to see while my kids were away with my Ex. For me this included Ironbridge, and the Tile Museum there, and live folk music sessions in pubs on 2 evenings; Charleston Farmhouse and Lewes antiques shops; Hastings and Rye. I've never been to Cheddar Gorge and always wanted to, so that's another on my list, as is York. I can spend as many hours as I like looking at things only I would be interested in! Most of these places would be reachable by public transport, but you would be more limited on getting around once you were there, but the internet is great for getting hold of bus timetables!

So start by thinking of places you'd like to go/see (any niche interests?), then consider which would be the easiest for public transport.

I always stay somewhere with breakfast, don't bother much with lunch and love 'taking myself out for dinner'. Preferably in a small local restaurant or pub. I also prefer accommodation that has a bar, so I can travel back there safely/sober after dinner, then have a relaxing drink or two before bed.

Only places I wouldn't recommend going by yourself are Instanbul and Marrakech.
Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Barbados, Japan, Thailand, US, Australia, NZ, Norway, Sweden and Denmark are all completely fine and amazing to do solo.

Italy. Florence and hiked through Cinque Terre villages stopping for wine and pesto pizza 😉 best time of my life!

It depends what you want from the trip. Are you looking for peace and quiet or a buzzy, busy atmosphere? Countryside or city? Beach or mountains?

Staying at an Italian vineyard.

Best time I've ever had. So quiet and peaceful. Beautiful wine and food. And a gorgeous tiny town nearby.

But I have travelled all over solo.

Only places I wouldn't recommend going by yourself are Instanbul and Marrakech.

Never been to Istanbul but had a fab time in Marrakesh solo.

Lots of riads to hang out in. Breakfast on the roof --with a funny Belgian guy smoking all the hash he had on him. LOL.

The lovely Morrocan guy had been married to an Australian and they had spent 4 years travelling all over North Africa.

I took him there and they got on like a house on fire. Neither ever gave me a hard time.

Never be scared of travelling alone. You just meet an amazing bunch of people.

Egypt for a week, I did a big day trip to Luxor which is somewhere I’ve wanted to go to for years. I went on a couple of boat trips and chilled on the beach (from 7am to 6pm) swam, went on my float, sat in the beach bar, had lunch at the beach restaurant and read three books. It was a 10/10 trip.

I have traveled to the following places solo and had a great time :

Kenya
Spain (various)
Italy (various but Amalfi coast was fab)
New York
Paris
Strasbourg
Lisbon
Riga
Australia
Caribbean (various)

The only place I had problems with intimidating/creepy men was Osaka. I would never return to Japan. Just my experience which was terrifying.

I agree with PP, start off in UK somewhere that matches your interests. York was a great shout. Edinburgh? London?

I have so much fun on my travels, I prefer it to holidays with big groups.

Could you tell me abut Kenya, where you stayed and what you did etc, I really fancy going there on my own?

I went alone to San Francisco and spent 5 days there. Did an open top bus tour, Alcatraz and walked a lot. Also picked up a Mini Pass that gave unlimited travel on the trolley buses etc. I then caught the California Zephyr train from Oakland to Chicago, 3 nights/4 days. Was amazing and is one of the most scenic train routes in America and I felt so safe on the train. I also met so many fabulous people at meal times and had some really enjoyable conversations over a meal in the dining car.Then spent a few says in Chicago before flying to Florida to meet up with family to go to Disney land.
I get that travel in the US may not be such an enjoyable idea at the moment but something to think about in the future.

My first solo trip was to Turkey. I’d never been on holiday to Turkey so I had no idea what to expect. I flew into Dalaman airport at 3am. I was booked onto a Turkish Gulet for a week cruising from Fethiye. I had no idea what to expect. I was met at the airport and put into a taxi. The captain from the gulet met me and took me to the boat. As I boarded the gulet, dawn was breaking and the call to prayer was echoing around the harbour. It felt like the most magical moment of my life. I had the most amazing time. Being on your own, on holiday, is the most liberating experience. You have no one to please but yourself. I’ve had five holidays on my own now, Turkey and Rhodes.

I also loved Marrakech on my own! (Though this was reasonably recently, since the government clamped down on the touts etc that used to make a trip there stressful).

I stayed in a riad, where, like every other road I've heard about, my hosts were incredibly kind and hospitable. And I was two minutes walk from the main square, which was buzzing with people until about 2am. I loved being out late and just people watching and soaking up the atmosphere. I felt totally safe because it was so busy. And if course the tourism police are around all the time, making sure that the atmosphere remains entertaining and fun.

I've been walking in the Peak District and in Pembrokeshire.

Avignon is pretty and I felt safe.

I'm currently in Baden-Baden for the second time. I was going to go to Cologne and already had the Eurostar booked when I discovered that it's Karneval in Cologne this weekend. So I'm going to Cologne and Trier by myself in October.

All trips done by train.