11 Solo Trip Locations Around The World Where Women Feel Really Safe

When it comes to wanderlust, women seem more keen to grab their passports and follow it.

Women travel more often than their male peers, making up 56% of leisure travelers, according to travel media brand AFAR. And increasingly, those trips are solo trips, with nary a spouse, friend or family member in sight. 

But traveling alone, especially as a woman, can be intimidating. Seventy percent of women worry about their personal safety while traveling alone, according to a recent poll from the popular travel site Solo Female Travelers.

Those concerns are heightened for women who are minorities. If you’re a queer woman, for instance, you might wonder how likely you are to get weird stares or harassed, especially if you’re with your partner.

When you visit a location that makes you feel safe, you want to share it, not gatekeep it. With that in mind, we asked travel writers to share the international travel destinations that made them feel extra safe as women solo travelers. See what they had to say below. (And, of course, still make sure you do your own research about the safety of places you want to travel to — whether they’re mentioned here or not.)

Ecuador

“As an older woman, one country I loved traveling on my own to is Ecuador. I stayed in small towns in both of these places for several months and found the people welcoming, and after a while, I just became a part of the community. I don’t think it’s the place that makes you feel secure — I think it’s the way you approach and view the world. When you trust yourself and have faith in others, safety becomes less destination-specific and more about being aware of where you are and the potential risks. When you treat others as you would want to be treated, the world is a welcoming place.” ― Carolyn Ray, CEO and editor at JourneyWoman 

“I have spent a lot of time in Latin America, and while some of the countries left me feeling on edge, Ecuador ― specifically Quito, Ecuador ― was the complete opposite. This is one of the warmest countries I have been to, and it’s so easy to make friends and build a community. For me, after a long time traveling through the Amazon, I was finally able to feel secure again in Quito.” ― Amy Aed, a travel writer from Swansea, Wales, who runs the blog Wandering Everywhere

Thailand

“Knowing the U.S.’s history with Vietnam, I wasn’t sure how I’d be received. It was a bucket list destination, and I had read about mixed experiences. I found that the people are incredible, and they went out of their way making me feel welcomed in their city. It began my first night and ended my last afternoon. I usually keep my head on a swivel and am skeptical of people’s intentions, but I accept there needs to be some trust when engaging with others I don’t know.

I had read about the ‘Saigon shuffle,’ the act of safely crossing the street in a city with millions of motorbikes that don’t stop. In an act of trust, the way to cross the street is just step out into motorbike traffic and walk steadily across, and the motorbikes will maneuver around you, as if you’re a log floating across a river and the water moves around you. (Sidebar: This does NOT work with cars/trucks, you need to wait for them to stop at lights, etc.) I had also read that if a local notices a Westerner looking nervous about crossing the street, they’ll jump in between the Westerner and oncoming traffic to escort them across.

During my first night, this is exactly what happened. After settling in my Vietnamese hotel, I walked to find dinner and was nervous crossing the main thoroughfare, it was a stream of endless motorbikes. I took a breath, stepped into traffic and prayed I wouldn’t get hit. My panic must have been evident because as I stepped off the curb, a local, young woman jumped to my side, guarding me from oncoming traffic, and when we reached the double yellow line in the road, she jumped to my other side, shielding me from traffic coming in the other direction. When we safely crossed, I said, ‘cảm ơn’ (‘thank you’ in Vietnamese), and we parted ways.

As I explored by foot, locals approached wanting to practice English. At first, this was intimidating, but I embraced the opportunities and viewed them as mini cultural exchanges.” ―  Jennifer Huber, a travel writer from North Port, Florida, who runs the travel site SoloTravelGirl.com 

The Greek Islands