Looking for other ideas for travel destinations? Be sure to check out the cheapest European travel destinations and the 9 best destinations for your first solo trip!
Another factor that makes picking a “safe” solo travel destination hard is the many unsolicited opinions that friends, family, and the media are committed to pushing on you, however well-meaning.
For example, I felt safer in Cappadocia, Turkey than I feel at home walking around Chinatown in Washington DC, but when I told people I was going to Turkey solo, they freaked out about my decision to go to the Middle East alone. Everyone warned me that locals in Vietnam are vehemently anti-American, but I found every person we met friendly and excited to share their culture and stories with a genuine and curious listener.
The problem with generalizing dangerous and risky travel destinations is that if you look hard enough, you’ll find reasons to be afraid of every destination in the world— in fact, some lists of “dangerous” destinations that I’ve seen have included:
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Destin, Florida (sharks)
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Death Valley National Park CA (heat)
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Atlanta, Georgia (car accidents)
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Cliffs of Moher, Ireland (danger of falling)
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Rome, Italy (travel scams and pickpocketing)
The list goes on and on— the bottom line is that there’s some kind of risk everywhere. Just like with getting too many opinions on your wedding dress or on the house you want to buy, paralysis by analysis can happen all too easily. You’ll never actually end up going, finding the ‘perfect’ house, dress, or destination.
That said, some travel destinations are generally safer and more tolerant than others and can offer a greater sense of psychological safety for new solo travelers just getting their feet wet. This list has special focus on places that are great for women solo traveling— places with advanced gender equality, low rates of violent crime, and other factors that women simply have to think about more than men do.
Here are the 10 safest countries for women traveling solo in 2023.
10 safest countries in the world for women to travel to alone
1. Iceland
2. Singapore
3. Finland
4. Norway
5. Switzerland
6. Denmark
7. Japan
8. Canada
9. Australia
10. New Zealand
Looking for more? Don’t miss out on the best-of-the-best travel hacks, travel products, and itineraries!
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My Amazon storefront! I’ve tried & tested an embarrassing amount of travel products for comfort, durability, & style and rounded up the best-of-the-best travel must-haves just for you!
Sarah is the passionate solo female travel blogger behind Wait, Where is She? She’s a full time traveler, scuba diver, foodie, and adventure seeker with a deep love for sharing the special places and bucket list destinations that she’s found herself in.
She LIVES for tasty street food market grills, quiet ocean sunrises, pour over coffee, long train rides with a Taylor Swift album, that feeling when you shower after a salty beach day, and living with an insatiable curiosity for the wonders of the natural world and all of its vibrant cultures.
Wait, Where is She? serves people with the information and inspiration to confidently seek out their own adventures and make the joys of travel easier, more accessible, and budget-friendly. Come along for the laughs while she makes all the mistakes (so you don’t have to). Let’s go!
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