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!

I do a lot of solo travel as a woman. I’ve taken solo trips in my twenties, thirties and now forties with very little issue.

I went to patagonia in December last year. That was amazing. I’m going cycling in Gran Canaria next week which I’ve done before and is pretty straight forward.

just think of activities you’d like to do and find a good place to do them would be my tip.

I’ve just come back from a solo visit to Japan . Absolutely loved it . Totally safe . Used taxis and public transport very easily . I stayed in 4 locations and every one was easy , the Japanese people are very helpful and the streets are clean . If you travel here without concern you’ll be amazed at how much better Japan is .

I am glad to hear they have stepped up with tourism police and had a government clampdown. I was on a thread last year with a lot of other women who had similar scary/worrying experiences, so hopefully now this is a thing of the past.

Thank you so much everyone - lots of food for thought here. I'm kicking around the idea of going to the US and hiking through Yosemite/national parks/canyons but with an organised group, although it seems like a slightly worrying time to be going there... Japan sounds incredible... Also fancy the far north of Sweden...

I travelled all over Asia in my 20's but had some super sketchy experiences in India and I've not really travelled alone in the last 20 years. I think I just need to get back out there...

I have been to Paris, Tourin, Rostock, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Bruges, Teplice and Vienna on my own and was totally happy in all of them. Then with just one female companion to: Nice, Carcassonne, Avignon, Palermo, Agrigento, Berlin, Malmö, Copenhagen, Lake Como, Jerez - again, all fine.

Go for it op. I also wanted to add, have you seen the hiking route, the Camino de Santiago in Portugal? I know a lady who did it and theoougly enjoyed the challenge. It looked incredible and I'd love to do it.

I love solo trips. Copenhagen felt very safe, Alicante was lovely for a mix of browsing shops, breakfast over looking harbour, sunbathing on the beach late afternoon. I enjoyed Rome for sightseeing and meandering back streets for spritz and Chichetti. I have Budapest, Malaga and Malta on my list. Krakow was quaint. Bruges too.

My solo Venice holiday was amazing, 100% recommend if you like history, architecture and art. The public transport (large boats) was always busy enough to feel safe and a circular trip admiring the views was a great way to spend an evening. Didn't feel odd to be on my own at all. I did it on a tight budget and still had a fantastic trip: great inexpensive food and wine if you look up where the locals go; a pass for transport made it easy to hop on and off whenever; free or fairly cheap entry to galleries etc; just walking round was a pleasure.

For solo trips, I started with short UK breaks, then tried Italy
I found traveling safely in Italy useful for tips on pickpocketing and transport, which made my solo trip feel more relaxed
You might check it for similar peace of mind when planning your own adventure

I think most European cities would be fine. Gosh big no to Egypt. I was with friends but have never felt so unsafe. And had a taxi driver put his had on my knee…

Wouldn’t start with Marrakesh either!

I’ve done Malaysia, Japan and Las Vegas solo and Japan was my favourite by a country mile . In fact I’m going to go back to explore more .

@Whatinthactual As a solo traveller I would suggest you start in Europe. Getting to Italy and travelling once there by public transport is one I would recommend. Italy has a good train network.

The Man in Seat 61 is a good website for rail travel https://www.seat61.com

You can do London to Turin by train, from there you can get to major cities.

I have flown to Italy and stayed in Como, took the train from the airport. Toured the villages around the lake using the ferry that cross crosses the lake. I also took the train to Milan for the day. I’ve also stayed in Milan with a good public transport network and visited places by train for the day.

I can recommend York as a so traveller, felt extremely comfortable and safe.
Also Brugge and Madeira .
I don’t recommend Birmingham. But that might just be my experience.