A recent study by Places to Travel ranks the most pleasant countries in which to travel alone.

At Travelguys, we’re more than used to the idea of solo travel, and we have to admit that we’ve never really questioned our choice of destinations or activities. A solo trip is like a group trip, but without the others.

There are, of course, destinations we don’t consider for safety reasons, but that’s more to do with the local geopolitical context than anything else. For example, Lebanon doesn’t really seem appropriate at the moment, but on the other hand, any destination in Europe, North America, Asia or Oceania is by definition “ok”. We’d be much more vigilant about certain countries in Africa or Central or South America, but as these are not destinations that attract us first and foremost, the question hardly arises.

Language is not a major issue: our English allows us to survive anywhere.

As for the ability to organize on the spot, mobile phones work miracles, and if the trip requires it, we’re pretty good at preparing and planning.

Then maybe it’s a question of habit or the fact of living in big cities: we know how to adapt our level of vigilance and in a given city we not only get information but we also “feel” what to avoid, and we’ve been confronted with so many different ways of doing things that we quickly understand the specificities of a destination and adapt.

Solo travel is a source of anxiety for many

But we shouldn’t generalize: for many people, traveling can be anxiety-provoking and, above all, traveling alone is a real source of stress and worry. I wasn’t really aware of this until the last few months, when I came across a host of publications and videos on Tiktok that showed solo travel to be a serious subject of debate and discussion. Frankly, I’d never have thought that the subject was so stressful, not only for people new to travel, but also for people in their 30s and 40s, for whom finding themselves alone on a plane or in an unfamiliar city was a source of great nervousness.

There are many factors to worry about. Safety comes to mind first, but there is also the lack of knowledge of the local language, unfamiliarity with the place, the question of what can happen if you have a health problem, the cost of public transport if you don’t want to walk down the street alone, etc.

To that I would say that part of the answer lies in your pocket. If I were to compare it with my first solo experiences, I didn’t have in my pocket a phone capable of translating a text or even my voice, equipped with a GPS, allowing me to book a driver, guiding me on public transport, giving me information on the city, the things to know, to do and to avoid etc. A comfort and reassurance factor so obvious that we tend to forget how much it has changed our travel habits

Choosing your solo destination rationally

But to be totally reassured, some people need rationality, and that’s what this study provides. It takes into account a number of figures and indices to assess which are the best countries to travel alone.

Namely:

• Crime Index – Numbeo surveys gathered these scores based on the residents of each country’s perception of crime levels and overall concerns about different crimes, from a strongly negative perception to a strong positive one.
• Safety Index – Numbeo surveys gathered these scores based on residents’ perceived safety in each country.
• Healthcare Index – Numbeo surveys gathered these scores on residents’ perceptions of the quality of healthcare systems in each country based on infrastructure, services, and resources.
• Quality of life Index – This is a collation of several different Numbeo survey results, such as quality of life, pollution, purchasing power, rent-to-income ratios and climates.
• English Proficiency Score – This was based on the English test results of 2.2 million adults in 113 countries regions.
• One-way ticket cost – This was also Numbeo data, based on the average price of public transport surveyed by residents for each country.
• Global Peace Index – These scores came from a Vision of Humanity study, which scored countries based on factors like perceived criminality, conflict history, relations with neighbouring countries, military power, and political status.
• Average hotel costs – Taken from BudgetYourTrip.com, which collected the average costs for each country from other past travelers.
  
  

The result is hardly surprising.

The best countries for solo travel

Austria is the best country for solo travel, thanks to its excellent scores for crime, safety, quality of life and healthcare, as well as its relatively affordable public transport, with a one-way ticket costing an average of $2.68. While the hosts are not the cheapest, with accommodation at $160 per night, the other factors that earn them high marks put them at the top of the list, such as the best English proficiency score (616).

Denmark comes second, with the highest score for quality of life, 193.6, and high scores for safety and crime. The country also scores highest in the healthcare index (78), but misses out on first place due to the slightly higher cost of public transport ($3.45 one-way) and a lower ranking in the global peace index (1.382).

Third place goes to Switzerland, which scores well for quality of life and safety, with 186.7 and 74.7 respectively. However, it does not occupy first place due to a lower score for fluency in English (553) and a higher average cost per night in a hotel (191 dollars).

Singapore takes fourth place on the list. The country has the cheapest transport, with an average one-way fare of just $1.48, the best command of English (631) and the highest safety index (76.5). However, it falls short on account of the high cost of hotels ($196 on average per night) and a lower quality of life index (160.9).

Finland completes the top 5, with a good overall peace index and good scores for healthcare and quality of life, at 77.3 and 190.4 respectively. Compared to the rest of the top 5, Finland has a lower hotel cost of $125 per night, which is reduced by a lower English proficiency score of 597.

Rank	Country	Global Peace Index Score	One-way ticket price	Crime Index score	Safety Index score	Quality of life Index score	Healthcare Index score	English proficiency score	Average hotel cost (one night)	Overall score /10
1	Austria	1.313	$2.68	29.3	70.7	181.5	76.6	616	$160	7.33
2	Denmark	1.382	$3.45	26.3	73.7	193.6	78.0	615	$133	7.27
3	Switzerland	1.35	$3.91	25.3	74.7	186.7	72.6	553	$191	7.23
4	Singapore	1.339	$1.48	23.5	76.5	160.9	70.6	631	$196	7.21
5	Finland	1.474	$3.21	26.3	73.7	190.4	77.3	597	$125	7.10
6	Norway	1.638	$3.86	32.6	67.4	184.2	75.7	614	$124	6.96
7	Portugal	1.372	$2.14	31.2	68.8	164.1	72.7	607	$98	6.86
8	Belgium	1.51	$2.68	49.2	50.8	156.5	75.3	608	$118	6.84
9	Germany	1.542	$3.21	38.9	61.1	176.5	71.7	604	$106	6.83
10	Sweden	1.782	$3.33	48.4	51.6	175.0	68.6	609	$120	6.70

However, there are a few things that surprise me. I was expecting to see destinations such as Dubai well placed, notably because of the level of security there, and if certain factors make the destination problematic for some travellers, I don’t think they’re taken into account in the figures given. Surprising not to see Japan either, perhaps penalized by the low level of locals in English.

As for the inferior quality of life in Singapore… that leaves me pensive.

In addition to the price of hotels and transport, an index of the local cost of living would also have been interesting, as many of the countries on the list are among the most expensive we know.

Then it might have been a good idea to include a parameter that would take into account the variety of activities on offer, opening hours, in short the “lively” character of a destination. After all, if it’s not pleasant for several people to find themselves in a dreary destination, it’s even worse solo.

Otherwise, all this is totally consistent with our own experiences.

Bottom line

Austria, Denmark and Switzerland are the best countries for solo travel, as they combine many facilities for travelers with a high level of safety.

What about you? Do you prefer solo travel? Does it scare you? What are your favorite destinations and which ones scare you? Share your experiences in the comments.

Image : solo travel via Prostock-studio via Shutterstock.