It’s 2024…. and solo travel is on the rise. Solo travel can bring some amazing benefits to your mental health, and it can provide a unique way of discovering yourself for many. It can truly make for a spiritual and transformative experience, especially in the midst of a major life transition.
If you would like to take the first step into traveling solo, but you have nowhere to start, we’ve compiled some data that might help you make your decision. There are key factors that every solo traveler should consider when deciding where to travel. These factors are price, experience, and safety.
How We Conducted This Study
SmokyMountains.com first listed the top most commonly mentioned solo travel destinations on the internet and then ranked them based on average cost, crime rates, and solo tour experiences offered.
Key Findings
- Number one travel destination for solo travelers? Prague is the winner! Prague is not only affordable and costs $844 for an average week (flights and accommodations included), but it also has a low crime rate of 16.57 and offers over 60 solo travel experiences.
- Norway is known for solo travel, but Tromso is actually the most expensive solo travel destination. For one week (flights and accommodations included), it costs an average of $2,386.
- Stick to Hoi An, Vietnam for a safe solo travel experience. The crime rate is the lowest at 6.25. Lima, Peru is the most dangerous at 84.51.
Prague Knows How to Treat Its Solo Travelers…
Prague is highly sought after because of its affordability and its safety measures. It is known to be one of the safest cities in Europe and is loved amongst many internet forums. The crime rate in Prague is about 16.57, and the crime that they do have is less violent and more petty theft. For expenses, solo travelers are best seeking out hostels or dorms. The price of accommodation averages about $89 for one week. Staying in a hostel also provides solo travelers with the opportunity to make friends and meet new people in a new town.
Other top-rated destinations with a low crime rate and budget-friendly prices are destinations like Budapest, Lisbon, and Krakow. Each of these destinations has a crime rate under 31, a cost under $1,100, and over 20 solo experiences offered to travelers.
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Commonly known solo travel destinations like Perth, Portland, Dublin, and Santiago were all on the lower end of our list. These solo travel destinations had a higher crime rate all over 45. Not only that, but there were few to no solo travel experiences offered, and were each over $1,200 in accommodations. All of that combined put them lower than places like London, Edinburgh, Porto, and Istanbul.
Poland Will Keep You From Breaking the Bank
Poland is notoriously known for its low price, and it’s no different if you are a solo traveler. For your average week in Krakow, Poland, you can expect to spend a small amount of $727 on average. Not only is the accommodation for a week cheap (around $93), but flights only range around $500, and your average attraction is around $1.24. Krakow also offers over 30 solo tours and experiences and has a crime rate of 23.41. It is safe to say that this destination is an all-around winner as far as solo travel comes. It’s number 3 in our worldwide list of top solo travel destinations.
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Other inexpensive places like Cairo, Egypt, Lima, Peru, Paris, France, and Vienna, Austria also made the list. It’s important to note that most of these places offered dormitory or hostel-style rentals as cheap as $42. Staying in a dorm or hostel will also provide you the opportunity to get to know other people staying in the area or also traveling alone. This could be a great experience for those wanting to travel in groups or make friends as you travel solo.
Several flights for many of these were also on the cheaper end… many averaging under $800. While these are the most inexpensive, it is important to still pay attention to solo experiences offered and the overall crime rate. For example, somewhere like Cairo, Egypt is wildly affordable but has a crime rate of 51.24 which might be a deal breaker for some of you who wish to travel solo. Other inexpensive destinations like Vienna, Austria have a much better crime rate of 28.17 and are also inexpensive.
Norway: Is the Most Expensive Solo Travel Destination Still Worth the Trip?
While expenses are a huge portion of one’s trip, others might not have the budget barrier. With that being said, is going to the most expensive solo destination still worth the cost? There are several, incredible locations under $2,000, but some of the more expensive ones have been found on lists time and time again, and there might be a reason for that. Places like Tromso, Norway are known for their magical feeling. It’s also known for its amplified feeling of safety. In fact, the crime rate in this destination is only 25.33. As far as other expenses go like average food and attraction costs, it’s pretty inexpensive. Where the expense gets pricey is when it comes to its accommodations. The average accommodation for a week ranged over $1,000 alone.
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Other more expensive places were destinations like Hoi An, Vietnam, Bali, India, Tokyo, Japan, and Sydney, Australia. It comes as no surprise since these destinations are a little further out that flight cost could be an issue depending if you’re traveling from somewhere like London or somewhere like Miami. These places also have an abundance of free attractions and nature-based attractions but also have good options for more expensive top attractions. For example, somewhere like Bali, India has a Sacred Forest Monkey Sanctuary, the Bali Zoo, and Waterbom Bali which are all highly rated, but average over $20. Meanwhile, Bali has an abundance of solo tours (over 50) that are relatively cheap BUT it has a mediocre crime rate score of 49.36.
When it comes to answering if they are still worth it… That’s completely up to you and how you want to spend your budget. Keep in mind that some of these expensive destinations might not have the attractions that you are looking for and they might also not have the safest crime rate. If they are expensive but have several solo tours and a low crime rate, then maybe give it a second look and save some room in your budget!
Travel Advisories Are Essential: Lima, Peru Unsafe for Solo Travelers in 2024…
So, what makes a city dangerous vs safe? A crime rate generally covers things like car theft, break-ins, hate crimes, corruption, and property crimes. Lima, Peru ranks over 84/100. Theft and street crime violence like armed robbery and assault are the driving factors to the crime rate here. *The U.S. Embassy will often update their travel advisories so that travelers can keep up with current news and travelers can decide if they still want to visit Lima.
Other solo travel destinations on the more dangerous side? Places like London, England, San Francisco, California, Santiago, Chile, and Lyon, France.
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Lyon, France has a crime rate of over 58 and is known to have safety issues with petty theft, drugs, and scammers (especially with tourists). Santiago, Chile has seen an increase in violent crime and petty crime near popular tourist areas which is why it’s given over 71 on its crime rate. London, England has also been known for drug crime, knife crime, and theft giving it a crime rate of over 63. San Francisco, California has a wide range of muggings and robberies to break-ins, drugs, vandalism, and assaults. This is why it’s given over 69.
That being said, just because these destinations are unsafe currently, doesn’t mean that they will always be dangerous or unsafe to visit. Keep up with the crime rates in these places as they may change over time. Solo travelers can also still visit these places, but proceed with extra caution and make sure there is no travel advisory advising against visiting.
Expect to Feel Safe and Welcomed in Hoi An, Vietnam
When you travel solo, feeling safe can make or break your experience. You shouldn’t have to worry about being pickpocketed, assaulted, kidnapped, or harmed during your trip. Luckily, there are an array of locations that have safety measures and precautions so that you can feel and be safe during your visit. Hoi An, Vietnam is one of those destinations.
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Hoi An has a crime rate of 6.25, making it significantly lower than the highest crime rate on the list – 84.51. Other destinations on our safest destinations list are destinations like Kyoto, Japan, Munich, Germany, and Santa Barbara, California.
Kyoto, Japan is the next safest destination with a crime rate of 9.84. When comparing it to Hoi An, Kyoto has a slightly higher chance of assault, but Hoi An has a more likely chance of things being stolen. However, both of those crimes are still highly unlikely... A U.S. destination like Santa Barbara, California only has a crime rate of 12.24, which makes sense considering it is a more “upscale” city in comparison to a U.S. destination like San Francisco, California. The homeless issue is also significantly less in Santa Barbara than in San Francisco.
Munich, Germany has a crime rate of 15.71. While crime has been increasing as of late, travelers and tourists still feel generally safe walking about. It’s even been labeled as one of the friendliest travel destinations in Europe. The crimes most associated with Munich are crimes associated with drugs, vandalism, or assault. With that being said, it’s still very much safe for solo travelers.
Why Do People Choose to Travel Solo?
While traveling solo may not be appealing to everybody, it’s been steadily rising over the past year. According to a study from Statista, one of the largest reasons why people like traveling solo in 2023 is because they want to see the world but don’t want to wait for other people to be able to do so.
66% of surveyees didn’t want to wait on others while 57% felt like they didn’t need a reason other than they just wanted to. Among this list, others feel like they gain some freedom and independence, others like meeting new people, and some feel like it helps personal growth.
You don’t need a reason to travel all by your lonesome, but these are just some of the few answers that may ignite your inspiration to travel solo. Meet new people, explore unique interests that are your own, and learn new cultures. Traveling solo comes with so many benefits, and you deserve to explore them.
5 Tips on Traveling Solo
If you’re planning on traveling solo, here are some of our most essential tips…
1. Test It Out: Take Yourself On Mini-Dates at Home
If you’ve never traveled alone before and are not sure if you’d like it, there’s a way to test out if it’s right for you. Start taking yourself on mini-solo experiences around town. Take some classes by yourself, go out to eat by yourself, and stroll around town by yourself. If you want to truly see what it’s like, go to a nearby town and test out your solo skills there! This is a great intro way to see whether or not you feel comfortable in a new situation without your friends and family around.
2. Research the Destination Beforehand!
Know a bit about the destination before you go. Research the crime rates in the area and which type of crime so that you know how to mentally prepare. Research the best classes and tours to take for solo travelers. Really get the lay of the land so that you can fully prepare your itinerary and share it with friends or family back home!
3. Share Your Location with Someone Back Home
Staying in a new place can be strange. You can get lost pretty easily at a new destination that you’re unfamiliar with (or worse…). Make sure that you share your location with someone you trust back home… It’s also vital that you share the address of where you are staying with someone back home as well should anything happen to you.
4. Stay Safe: Mingle with the Locals & Be Fully Aware of Your Surroundings
One of the key pieces of advice to staying safe is getting to know the locals and local culture. Try talking to locals who can keep an eye out for you, but also remain fully aware of your surroundings and use your best judgment. Nonetheless, if you mingle with locals you can also find out all of the best local spots to eat and shops.
5. Prepare for Worst-Case Scenarios: Have An Emergency Stash of Cash & An Extra Copy of Your Passport
Of course, we want to imagine that nothing bad will ever happen as we venture onto our travel endeavors, but things happen. Keep an emergency stash of cash somewhere while you travel in case you get hurt, or happen to lose your phone or credit cards. Having an extra copy of your passport can be essential if anything gets stolen or lost as well.
Check out these other solo travel tips on Reddit
Methodology & Conclusion
First, we found the most commonly-mentioned solo travel destinations on the internet. From there, we researched the average cost of food, the average cost of the top 3 attractions, the average cost of accommodations for a week, and the average flight cost from major airports in both the U.S. and internationally.
We also researched each destination’s solo travel tours offered as well as each destination’s individual crime rates. From there, we ranked each destination based on the most affordable average total cost, along with the number of solo tours, and the lowest crime rate.
Crime rates and general crime information were gathered from Numbeo.
