Hi everyone!
I'm just starting to plan a couple of 2-3-month solo trips. Are you willing to share your inspiration and opinions?
What is your personal "must-go once in your life" recommendation for where to go and what to do there?
Or, if you could do a 4-5 destination tour, what would it be and what time of year?
I'm a solo female traveller (mid30's), active, adventurous, not a fan of snow.

Must go to Santorini, Greece. Germany. Paris. Florence.
September. Less expensive and less crowds, still great weather.

Croatia and Venice were my biggest disappointments

I've heard that about Venice
. Looks so pretty on screen though! Lol. Thanks Kate!

Loved loved Venice, don't think anyone should miss it! Croatia has also been in my top 3, just went to Split, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik with my sister in Sept. Hvar and Korcula were our favourites, super easy to see all by ferry flying into Split and out of Dubrovnik.

This has to be on my list!!

Dubrovnik was too touristy for me. Split was so so but Bol was stunning

Places I have been that I would label a must: Croatia, Slovenia, and Iceland.

Anywhere specific in Slovenia and Croatia?

Lake Bled & Dubrovnik are touristy but amazing, but the real magic is the small towns and driving the coast of Croatia and spending time on the islands etc etc... I drove from Spain to France to Italy to Slovenia to Bosnia to Croatia and back and those were highlights for sure. And driving the whole ring road in Iceland... in the summer obviously!

Giordana thank you!!

What kinds of things did you see and do in Slovenia?

Road tripped through, admiring the fairy tale-like castles & towns, and camped. I wish I could go back and hike and explore a lot more.

Sounds fantastic. I'll have to add it to my bucket list.

New Zealand, all of it! Cheers

Greece hands down, hundreds of islands each so different, the history, myths, architecture, ruins, food and people. The most beautiful place I've ever had the privilege to see and live part of my life. The best way though to see it all is by sailboat, private charter, so you can travel to some of the isolated, non touristy, hidden gems of islands. You have to experience Greece at least once in your life

big island of Hawaii...the people. the place.bliss..

I would love to go to Greece.

I also would love to go to Bermuda, Barbados, etc.

Something different other than Europe, Buenos Aries and Montevideo are soo nice too! The beaches along Montevideo
And Iguazu Falls are so beautiful. I was there in an October and the water was super high so the falls where just gushing it was so awesome!

Venice is my favourite place in the world (and I've visited 50 countries)! It's easy enough to get away from the tourists. I've never been in summer, and think that's perhaps the worst time to go. I'd suggest April or October. Be sure to stay in Venice, the evenings are magical; the sounds of church bells, footsteps, and cooking pots. I could say so much more! Also about other parts of Italy in the fall. Just ask.

Can confirm that Venice in the summer is an unbearably smelly experience.

So so so so so smelly

I think Angkor Wat in Cambodia is a real must do once in your life destination. Other than that I echo the posters who have said Croatia. Split (Emperor Diocletian's 2000yr old palace IS the city old town), Dubrovnik (former city state of Ragusa, very impressive walled city), Hvar island and the beautifully preserved Roman coliseum in Pula- looks better than most in Italy.
Bosnia is worth visiting if you make it to Croatia too! Stop in Mostar to see the famous Ottoman bridge that was destroyed in the war but now beautifully restored. Don't miss Sarajevo. So much history, so many religions represented in one city. It felt incredible just to be there. Tangible history. It's beautiful too.

Thank you! Great to have specific sites too!

Isle of Capri and almafi coast. Amazing!!! Love love love italy

South America. We have been twice but still need to go one more time. We hiked up Macho Purcu, toured wineries, drove over Andes, skied down sand dooms, flew over Nazca Lines.

Wow! Where were the sand dunes??

Wendi Ica part way between Lima & Nazca

thanks!!! Fun!

We were a group of 19 so booked a customized tour through Llamapath. They put together group tours if you were interested.

Sorry, group of 10.

South Africa,Namibia and Zanzibar. Safari wine history. Costa Rica and Belize for nature and adventure. Iceland for fresh air waterfalls and very cool culture. Haida Gwaii for nature first nations and amazing scenery.

2-3 months is the perfect amount of time for thailand cambodia vietnam and laos!!

Thanks! Any highlights for experiences in each?

cambodia- islands and angkor wat
vietnam- all along the coastline
laos- luang prabang
thailand-bangkok and chiang mai

I highly recommend south east Asia. Your money will go SO far and it has the best mix of everything you could want traveling: cultural experiences, relaxing beaches, jungle trekking, delicious food, boat touring, temples and shrines etc and did I mention CHEAP! Good luck in your travels

Thanks! Did you do any jungle trekking?

Wendi yes I did in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The tour was the highlight of my trip and the people I met I travelled around with for the rest of the month I spent there

Kelsey - that's perfect!! Thank you! Would you recommend the company that did the tour?

Wendi it was 2012 I can't remember the name!! I booked it through my hostel at the time! Sorry

Kelsey no worries thanks!!

I was also going to suggest south east Asia just for the fact that it is super easy to get around, full of travellers, cheap, and easy to hang out with other travellers... but if your 30 I would also look into countries that have Zika if your planning on children in the next couple of years... (just to keep that in mind)

Thanks! No worries for Zika!!

Namibia! and Botswana. Just returned from a solo self drive vacation. Amazing scenery and wildlife, wonderful people, lots of options for activities.

Wow! That sounds amazing! Did you organize the itinerary when you got there? Driving on your own?

Hi Wendy - I did all the research in advance and organized thrings through Cardboard Box Travel Shop in Windhoek. I drove on my own for 5 weeks with a rental car and camping equipment which I rented there - joined a few day tours like hot air ballooning and 4x4 jeep through the desert. Stayed at a few lodges - it can be inexpensive or very expensive depending on your choice of accomodation - I prebooked most of it but there are options for not doing so - and next time I'd be less structured. Happy to discuss if you decide to go there Cheers

Thank you so much! Saving this to contact you in future! Sounds amazing
.

I'd recommend Southeast Asia, Italy and Morocco. I did a solo 9 week trip in Southeast Asia last year, was an amazing trip. Did the typical countries Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali, Malaysia and Hong Kong. I'm actually planning to go back next year for 6 weeks but this time to Myanmar, Laos, Taiwan and Philippines. Our dollar goes a long way.

Be warned that Morocco, though lovely, is not easy for women, even dressed extremely conservatively, you will get lots of unwanted attention.

I'd stay that's pretty true, a lot of us at the hostel would go around together especially at night so it was never an issue. I found that tourists in general got quite a bit of attention. Even I got hassled quite a bit in the medina in Marrakech, but elsewhere in Morocco I never had any problems.

Thanks Alvin - did you stick mostly to the main cities or any excursions you really enjoyed?

I basically went to the main cities and wandered around but I did do some excursions. Didn't really prebook anything, except for paragliding off the coast of Bali. Everything else I did I arranged while I was there; ziplinning from island to island, see the Chu Chi tunnels, Full Moon Party, tuk tuk rides to the temples around Siem Reap, hike up the steps to the Batu Caves, Damnoen Saduk floating market, hiking Penang Hill and Victoria's Peak.

Alvin thanks! This is great

China, seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors was incredible as well as the great wall of china. So many things to see. You need a tour guide as they know all the history . worth the trip from the fast train, the overnight trains to the shopping( even if 99% of what they are selling is probably fake.

I joined an overland trip across Africa. Great way to be a solo traveler. The company I used was AfricanTrails and I joined the truck in Kenya and then got off in Johannesburg, amazing 3.5 months but could have stayed longer if time had allowed

Also travelled Morocco on my own, prepare for lots of attention but on the whole it was harmless. Flew into Marrakech and then used public buses to get around

That's incredible! Was the overland tour itself 3.5 months? What were the highlights for you about the experience? Thank you for sharing!

Yes I was on the tour for the whole 3.5 months, but the actual truck is sort of hop on hop off, in that you can join the truck at set dates and locations along the route. The highlights are too many to say but Ngorogoro Crater, Zanzibar Island, South Luanga National Park for safari, Victoria Falls and all the extreme activities you can (bungie, gorge swing, flying fox, white water rafting), Botswana and doing a float safari and walking safari, scuba diving in the worlds largest fresh water lake (Lake Malawi) and all the amazing people I met along the way.

We used Intrepid in Marrakech and very glad we were with a tour.

I'll throw in a recommendation for Iceland as well. It's expensive to visit but definitely worth the experience. I rented a car and traveled around the entire island. It was incredible how much the landscape would change, almost by the hour.
For Croatia, I actually loved Dubrovnik. I stayed in a hostel inside the city walls and I found it really relaxing. I spent a week there, hiking the hills and visiting the islands. Lokrum is a fun island to visit and I got to see baby peacocks/peahens there. I also arranged a tour to Mostar, in Bosnia-Hercegovina and learned more about the Balkan conflict.
I climbed Kilimanjaro and then visited South Africa this past March. I loved the challenge of hiking the mountain. I loved Cape Town for its natural beauty, the food and the people. Everyone I met was friendly and welcoming there. A buddy and I rented a car and did a roadtrip from Cape Town along the southern coast (the "Garden Route").
The Inca Trail is another once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I never knew how many ruins and small towns are located along the trail to Machu Picchu. I did the trek with G Adventures and found them to be professional and courteous. Peru in general is a place I'd love to return to.
Finally, Malaysia... some of the most amazing food I've ever eaten was found on the roadside and in the city markets. I love to hike and climbed Mt Kinabalu. Transitioning from tropical jungle to the freezing mountain top was challenging. The Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary is near the mountain and it was worth the visit to gain insight on how the country is trying to protect them.
Everywhere I've gone, I've always tried to stay at hostels or airbnb. I like hostels because you always meet interesting people and there is a wealth of local information that you don't always find in hotels or tourist offices.

I second everything about Iceland. Rent a car & drive the whole country.

Absolutely, so many amazing waterfalls! Volcanic sand beaches. The iceberg lagoon! Geysers, glaciers and hot springs! Oh my!

This is a great post Matt! Thank you so much! Did you do tours to climb or go on your own? Are you a seasoned climber? I am curious of how supported the climbs are.

All three hikes (Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail and Mt Kinabalu) require visitors to hire registered guides.
I arranged Kilimanjaro a few months in advance, but I met plenty of people who booked their guides within a week of their hike. I'm not a climber and none of these are "technical" climbs. All three I've mentioned are just long hikes of differing lengths. The biggest challenge was adjusting to, and coping with, the altitude.
If you want to do the Inca Trail, I'd recommend arranging it at least 6 months ahead because the daily number of hikers is limited (and I believe the number is being lowered). My G Adventures group had 8 hikers for the four days and each person had 2 porters (to carry gear, food and garbage). Our group also had a cook, his assistant, and two guides. So our group alone was made up of 20 people!! They took great care of us... it's far from luxury but you do feel pampered. fyi, the trail is closed each Feb, for maintenance.
Kilimanjaro was similar with the number of people on your team. There are multiple routes to the summit ranging from 4-12 days and the team size may be dictated by which route you choose... (some routes have little huts available while others are entirely in tents). I booked my six-day Machame Trail hike with Zara Tours and I'd recommend them.
I went up Kinabalu back in 2001. I was traveling with a Malaysian friend and she was able to hire a guide and arrange our overnight stay the morning we started the hike. Foreign visitors would probably need to make arrangements before arriving but there are lots of options available. Things may have changed since the trail was closed and re-opened following the earthquakes there.

This was our team for the Inca Trail...

For the Mt Kinabalu hike, you can get information on this site http://www.mountkinabalu.com/
MOUNTKINABALU.COM
Mount Kinabalu Climb Information & Booking Centre

Feel free to shoot me a msg if you want more details on the different trips and hikes.

Thank you so much! That is very helpful!