Hello all! I am looking for a bit of advice! I am looking to travel on my own, for the first time, sometime this June and need help deciding where to go. I haven't travelled all that much and haven't for a while and really, really want to go somewhere on my own! Can any wonderful women recommend any safe places to travel? I only want to go for a few days (five) and am open to anywhere in the world!

Connect With my GF Jaime Murphy who owns this Villa; www.villawanderlust.com She hosts tons of solo travelers and will help you choose & book all tours / activities !

I suggest a day Trip to Manuel Antonio National Park & Snorkeling with turtles for another day trip;)

I was also going to recommend Costa Rica

Following

Europe is a great place to start! I've traveled solo multiple times throughout the continent and found it to be safe and comfortable. Consider staying in hostels, where you can find other solo travelers and great trips (www.hostelworld.com is a site I frequently use to make bookings and read reviews).
Within Europe, there are a lot of great places to visit, and it really depends on what your preferences are. Germany is a great country - has lots going on, is beautiful, and is in my opinion one of the safest places to start. I really enjoyed traveling in Spain as well!
For spain, I recommend to fly into Barcelona because the low cost airline vueling can take you anywhere across Europe from Barcelona.

I went to Rome alone and it was pretty great. I recommend tours when you're travelling alone because it's easy to meet people and chat without much pressure.
If you're into hostels, you'll meet tonnes of people where ever you go. I travelled alone to Berlin, too, and I met so many interesting people. Have fun!

So many places! I have travelled on my own through Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I went to the Middle East on my own, but did an organized tour because I felt safer. I have also travelled through much of southeast Asia with friends, but if I was by myself I would do a tour.

She mention 5 days. A bit far for Asia and NZ. Even Europe

Monique That is true. For 5 days, factoring a day of travel there and back, I would recommend to stay in North America - Halifax or Vancouver, Montreal or Quebec City, or somewhere in the US - NYC or somewhere else relatively close.

I was a little weary of my first solo trip! I went to Phoenix, AZ. As I had already been with family previously so it was a comfortable place to start. It was a very awesome experience. Very humble parts of town and easy to get around. I found it was safe to out at night too. I also saw the grand canyon. Hiked a couple mountains. I felt it was a great venture for my first solo trip. And next I'll be going over seas now that I'm more comfortable travelling alone.

New Zealand is an excellent place to travel solo as a woman. Very friendly people with above average respect for both travellers and us ladies. Not to mention it is absolutely stunning and you can see and do a lot of amazing things in a small area/time! If you want further info please PM me - I went there alone at 18 years old and again at 31. Never a bad moment and always felt safe, and supported by the Kiwis I met!!

I have traveled the world alone. PM me if you like. You can go anywhere you want.

Five days isn't long and you don't want travel to eat into your time at your destination too much...I would recommend Costa Rica as well, went by myself, felt very safe. Maybe Cuba?

Check out Solo Travel Society for great tips and ideas!!

For a first solo trip and since you only have 5 days - you may want to stick to Canada, Montreal Halifax, Ottawa. Or the US. Maybe Vegas with side trip to Grand Canyon, Arizona - look on expedia for flight with hotel. You can book a bus trip to the Grand Canyon from any Vegas hotel. Also depends what you like. City? Nature? Beaches? You can do Cuba resort at a beach for 5 days. Cheap. Very safe. Look with redtag last minute deals.
https://www.expedia.ca

If you haven’t already, check out girls love travel! It’s a great group for women and solo travel too!
My first solo trip was Thailand. I high recommend it!!!!

I am going to Costa Rica for 10 days alone in May - you could do a few towns in your time frame

If you need a place in JACO, Connect with my GF Jaime Murphy @ www.villawanderlust.com

MY son and I went to Tonga to snorkel w the humpback whales. He has traveled all over the world and says it is one of the safest places he has been to. It is an amazing place w such kind people.

So many great places! I’ve done lots of solo travel and have only had a few minor issues. Portugal is amazing, great wine and beaches. People are very friendly. Ireland is also a good spot to try out and not too far from Toronto

Those are my favs too

I did the same thing a number of years ago. For starters you may want to check out contiki tours depending on your age.

Europe is a great place to start for solo traveling and it isn't too far away! I'd highly recommend Portugal for 5 days, specifically Porto. People are so friendly and warm and it's beautiful there

My Canadian GF Jaime Murphy owns & runs this Villa; www.villawanderlust.com She can also organize any trips/activities, transportation///etc. She also offers guided healing journeys if required. I suggest a day trip to Manuel Antonio National Park for sure!
www.villawanderlust.com

So many places to see! Since you're only looking to go for five days, a cruise is nice. Travelling overseas more then five days is better to account for travel time

Note that cruise are expensive solo - single supplement is about 50 % to 75% more then double occupancy rate

There is the odd cruise lines that have solo rooms

G Adventures . I know lots of single ladies that travel with them!

If youre looking for more female opinions try joining the "girls love travel" FB group. They also have good perspectives

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! I am incredibly thankful for all these suggestion and hope this helps out other people as well. I welcome all the extra tips! You guys are the best!

I travelled Italy by myself, and parts of Portugal as well. Both were amazing. I prefer small towns over major centres, but the upside of bigger cities is that there are more hostels, and they're usually nicer too. I had a mix of both, which was perfect.

I did Taiwan solo, and even with the language barrier I felt super safe and the locals were very friendly and helpful

Indeed, Taiwan is very safe... but 5 days are way too short for the trip. I love Taiwan and agree that it should be on the list in the future!

Traveling solo is the best. I have down Spain for two weeks, Japan for 5 days, all over Canada and the us solo, Netherlands, Belgium....Israel and Colombia are next on the list.

My first solo trip was 5 days in Paris ! Loved it !

For Solo backpacking, I would say Portugal and Japan. Very safe countries for Solo female travelers and the locals there are nice!

5 days cannot go overseas lol

smart you ladies. i have seen most of world n takes one day to arrive one day to settle n one day coming home dead. In 5 days oh dear stick to Canada or some US even an island is cutting close. No way i waste my money blow up for may be 2 or 3 days for fun.m

I went to Iceland for 4 days - got to see a lot. 5 hr flight arrive in the morning and start exploring. Lol I got a great deal so why not.

didn't think it was so near

I just did norway solo it was great. Message me if you want ideas

in 5 days in all inc travel to n from Canada?

Kamru from Canada 6 days not all inclusive

Teri Pope I'm curious as I want to go to Norway, did you drive or take local tours? Did you find it expensive? For food? Gas? Accomodation? ( I'm comparing to Iceland which is more then most of Europe).

Teri Pope i understand. wow u did a foreign trip in 6 days excluding travel times i hope.

Monique I planned my own tours. I rented a car, flew to arctic circle and took the train. The food was very expensive. But I saved by staying at airbnb

Teri Pope I guess you flew to Tromso? I plan my own too. From what I see everything seems expensive ( compared to Europe)

Monique I flew to Olso and then from there went to tromso to see the northern lights

That's what I want to do. I've been to Iceland twice and didn't see them so next winter. Norway

Cuba is safe!!

Spain and Portugal are great and more affordable than other places in Europe

but 5 days?

You could do the Azores if you're only looking to do 5 days. It's a part of Portugal but in the middle of the Atlantic. Direct flights out of Pearson on Azores Airlines (formerly sata).

As you only want to go for 5 days, do not travel too far as the cost of the airfare and the travel time will be an issue .......June would be a good time to taking a driving trip around Nova Scotia or PEI ....... or spend it in NYC, Chicago are do the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to LA ... or Montreal and Quebec City by train ...

I went to Dublin by myself in January for exactly 5 days. It was the perfect length of time to get a feel for the city and people are so friendly.

Dublin is awesome

So many to choose from: London, Lisbon, Paris...

France

i must say bold tireless folks here..

5 days is very short. Try NYC or Boston, there is lots to solo! If you can get a couple more days, try Hawaii, Ireland...the locals are super friendly.

I went to Tulum - Mexico by myself and it was amazing. I stayed in a hostel- did yoga on some days, went for a massage, rented a bike and biked around. Tulum has amazing bike paths! Also, you can attend some mayan ceremonies if you want, or get a clay bath. The hostel had a nice vibe too. The whole trip for 5 days cost me around 800$.

My first trip anywhere AND alone was to Ireland. Very friendly and welcoming country. Scotland as well

Tina Richardson specializes in single travelers and their destinations!

Barbados!! It’s super safe and the people there r sooo friendly! Let alone the gorgeous beaches! U won’t feel alone there trust me

Japan and Iceland (you may need to drive)

5 days New York

Check out Journeywoman FB page for solo female travellers. Great hints and tips.

Great newsletter written by a torontonian

I've travelled alone a lot..depends what you like. Paris, Amsterdam, London. Los Angeles or San Diego. Iceland, Ireland.

LA is good. AC has some direct flights for under 400 all in, return.

Madrid or Ireland

If you are on a budget I would start by looking for flight deals. I did Portugal for 6 days from Toronto for $500 from sata. Took around 6-7 hours to reach and we did a lot in 6 days. If you want to stay closer then NYC, Cuba or Costa Rica. Also decide if you are joining a tour (ex of costa rica) or going solo.

Dublin

Ive travelled a fair bit to different spots in Europe. Mostly short trips. If you’re thinking Europe, it depends on what you’re into. I’d highly recommend Ireland for that amount of time. You could check out Dublin & Galway & the cliffs of Moher I’d recommend. I found everyone super friendly, and they have hostels too which I’d recommend to meet people.
flights to Ireland are generally reasonable, and June wouldn’t be a bad time to go! They do have buses and trains betweens some cities so you wouldn’t have to rent a car if you didn’t want to either. Easy enough for a solo traveller, and Ireland is always a good time. Best of luck.

Many questions. What is your budget? Do you want to relax? Site see? Do you like water? If it’s 5 days you don’t want to spend lots of time travelling to get there because you’ll be there for 3 days and travelling for 2. Personally I’ve done DR, Cuba and Sint Maarten. No issues with safety.

Cuba

Bali!!!

Depends what you like. 5 days I'd go for costa rica (santa teresa) , Mexico (Tulum), San Francisco and do road trip along the Pacific Coast and stopping at awesome towns on the way and also to Yosemite. HAVE FUN!

Mexicooo playa and tulum. That place gets my vote. Especially for under a week or more actually. Resort to make friends. airbnb to be independently awesome!

India!

Check out the Women Who Travel podcast by Condé Nast Traveller. Very informative. Condé Nast also has an episode on solo travel and getting started.

Barcelona!!!!! The rest are BOOOORING

For something close, look into NYC. For sun, look into Cuba. You can stay in Veradero and do that all inclusive and just skip out of it and take the bus or split a taxi with someone and spend a night or two in Havana. Both of those options I did and loved. Otherwise, check out Amsterdam (now my home). It's safe, clean, beautiful in the Spring and Summer and there are a number of flight options.

Luang prabang Laos

Croatia

Amsterdam

Met some one said go to Vegas many deals out there. Take a bus etc to Grand canyon n many things about there! affordable doable n if you are about Ont Quebec there are promos inc hotels for 4 5 nights.

Ireland....very safe!

F

I've never been to Ireland but I hope it's great. I did Iceland in 9 days a few years ago. I felt like it was short but still doable. As a disclaimer Icelend is pricey though.

Vegas , easily to travel solo

The first time i travelled alone i went to Hong Kong. It was EVERYTHING! I felt safe the entire time. It was new, exciting, delicious, and truly memorable.

5 days? takes one day to come and one day to go? and 15 hrs flight! i go that way often n if one can do it in 5 days i think that's incredible lol.

For 5 days, I would recommend to visit one city and explore it! Don't loose time on traveling from one point to another. Which one, it will depend of your interests and budget. If I was in that situation, I would probably go for a trip in Northern Europe (Oslo, Copenhagen, etc.) or in Eastern Europe (Gdansk, Dubrovnik, etc.).

And for a 5 day trip, I would probably limit my travel time flight to direct flight or minimum layover, Max time for flight + layover maybe 10h to 12h. Hong Kong is a very nice city to visit, but 15h of flight to get there and 15 to come back, is it worth it for a 5 day trip?

Dont waste time traveling if you can help it. Dont overspend on flights or accommodation, you wont spend your time in the room. And honestly would not recommend cuba or vegas. U can do that anytime for cheap but i think ud prefer somewhere where people live not just get blackout drunk. I agree with iceland ireland amsterdam. Maybe brazil, italy or spain. Ive heard the best things. Have fun!

i have lived off and on in brasil for years. It can be very pricey!

It really depends what kind of trip/experience you are looking for. Costa Rica is so beautiful and very safe. I did a surf camp in Nicaragua recently and loved it ! Lots of solo travellers there. Croatia is also unbelievable but not worth it for 5 days. Nicaragua and Costa Rica aren’t that far

I've done Italy and New York on my own so far and both were great and safe!

Nashville or Ireland

London, Iceland, Thailand.

I did Greece alone - it was great!

I did parts of Spain on my own - Madrid, Segovia, Toledo. I was there 5 days and there are cheap trains from Madrid to Segovia and Toledo. You can go there for day trips. Beautiful locations!

Japan.

Iceland!

Japan

Mainland China! Did a solo trip in January and it’s safe and also cheap!

Copenhagen is super safe. I was just there by myself. You can take a train to Malmo, Sweden for a day trip, too (and Lund!). Very safe and great for solo female travelers

Considering the limited amount of time, I would suggest Chicago! Top recommendations: Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, architecture boat tour, and the Cloud Gate (aka the Bean)!
In terms of food, deep dish pizza is a must. I went straight to Giordano’s from the airport. The West Loop neighbourhood has some great spots too.
I stayed at the Freehand Hotel. Great location and price – surrounded by a ton of restaurants and shops (Magnificent Mile) & it was one of the cheapest accommodations around.
I usually walked to get around. If necessary, I would just hop on the L train. The subway/train routes cover a vast area, many of them overlap, and the major routes run 24/7. If you need to make multiple trips, I would suggest getting a day pass. However, a lot of attractions are within close proximity.

If you get a chance to take a longer solo trip, I would recommend visiting Budapest!

Port Douglas Australia. Great Barrier Reef etc.! Did it alone in 2013ish

Are you looking for a culture shock? Where do you currently live? Are you a city girl or want some adventure? 5 days isn't much time and you want to consider how long your flight will be.

Woops. Realized you're obviously located in Toronto. In that case, nowhere in Asia since the flights are 16+ hours. If you can drive, I'd suggest Vancouver for Canada. It's very scenic and you can do a ton of amazing hikes there. It's best if you have a full license and can rent a car , otherwise, Europe is great since it's fairly close. Or Hawaii? Its expensive but it's beautiful and lots of great nature and friendly people. Places in Europe... Barcelona is a beautiful city and it's quite safe, be mindful of pickpocketers. Switzerland is also gorgeous. It's postcard worthy on every level. But you need to go to the mountains and hike otherwise I'd skip Switzerland. Very transit friendly.

London England is a great starter place with tons of different things to do. That was the first place I went on my own

Well apparently Jordan is safe for women solo travellers and I will be there from June 20 to July 10 or 11. Korea is very safe. So is Canada if you come here, but not in June, I can help you. Canadians are in general helpful and kind

NYC! If you’re from Toronto you won’t have too much culture shock in New York. Similar subway and street layout. There are tons of great activities for solo travellers - museums etc. Even at the theatre you see many people there alone. A hotel in Manhattan is your best bet, but it will be pricey. Still, so much you can do there in five days and a very short flight!