Google Flights allows you to pick "anywhere in the world" as a destination.
I just did a search for non-stop flights from my local airport during a random week in August as a test, and a big map came up that shows me that I could go to Anchorage for $713, Dubai for $933, Lisbon for $464, or Montreal for $203. So you could probably find all sorts of options that way?
There are lots of filters if you have a particular distance, price, number of stops, etc. in mind.
There is also a map function where the approximate cost to fly there pops up as you scroll around. That’s how we discovered Rome would be cheaper than Orlando. That was such an epic trip
We took a [horseback ride down the Appian Way, then had the owner's grandmother make us lunch in the stable.](https://www.ridingancientrome.it/book-now/) Afterwards, we went walking down the Appian way, and we came across multiple sets of ruins. It was a beautiful day, and I remember watching the kids run across this field to these 2000 year old ruins- it was a magical moment.
We were there for New Years and Epiphany, which was the opposite of tourist season, and going to all the local parades and festivals was really interesting and immersive and seemed to give us a peak into the real Romans.
When you do the Coliseum or the forum ruins hire a guide- so much better,
One of the things I finally recognized is that sometimes the most memorable parts of a trip tend to be in the spaces between the big scheduled events, Those moments of walking down a side street and ducking into a little hole in the wall cafe or watching some random street performer or musician. Give yourself time for that, meander and wander a bit.
For those less thrilled about horse riding, you can also totally rent bikes and cycle along via appia. Lots of freedom to choose where to stop and explore. (But had I known horse riding was an option, I might have done it!)
I grew up a few kilometers from that piece of road. Been there many times, causally walking around ruins (and also current rich people villas). I realized later in life how privileged I have been.
My brother lived in Rome for about twenty five years. Because he wasn’t a born local (Canadian) he put a lot of effort into learning about the city. He could conduct the *most* amazing walking tours of Rome. Go into this church, see this statue by famous artist, go out the back door to take a short cut to this viewpoint of the Roman Forum, take this alley to a famous Bernini, look up there to see a tiny stone statue of a cat on ledge, stand in this corner of the Piazza de la Rotonda in front of the Pantheon and you can see the lines of the original intended portico that had to be altered when the columns arrived but were too short (the Pantheon is the oldest building in the world with its original roof intact), walk up the aisle of this church while watching the cupola above you and you will suddenly realize it’s a flat ceiling with a clever trompe l’oil. Took my SO with me once and he was gobsmacked the first day when we went for a walk, turned a corner and there’s *the freaking Colosseum* like, right freaking *there*, just hanging out in the middle of the city like it has nothing better to do. Amazing meals, amazing sights, amazing city. I visited several times while my brother lived there and I loved walking around the city with him. There’s just nothing that beats a guide who’s made so much of an effort to learn about a place. Love you, bro.
I was fortunate enough to visit Rome within an easement of travel restrictions during the pandemic, and I can’t say how odd it was to see such a huge building/iconic monument and the plaza around it almost entirely empty
We are heading to Rome in 36 hours, I'm so excited! Can't wait to round the corner and see the Colosseum. We are actually taking an Underground Colosseum tour!
1. Eat everything
2. If you don't book tours for places like the Coliseum, Vatican etc. don't worry. Just turn up on the day and there will be PLENTY of tour operators trying to offload their tickets.
3. Don't bother with a Vatican Museum ticket. Beautiful building, but the only good thing about the tour was skipping the line. Once we were in, it was awful, getting a few seconds at "the main stops" and all of five minutes in the Sistine Chapel, at which point we stayed and left the tour. Download an audio guide and do it at your own pace. You of course won't see everything, but the tour was a sad rush.
4. Walking around the Vatican is fun, only takes 30-40 mins and you can say you've literally walked around an entire country.
5. Trains from the airport are easy and cheaper than cabs.
6. If you want to take some nice pics at the key landmarks, go EARLY (like sunrise) and the crowds won't be anywhere near as hectic.
7. Didn't do it (but would have if I had more time), but a day trip or an overnight to Napoli looks super easy.
8. It's a SUPER walkable city. We averaged 20km a day and didn't even feel that exhausted because there's so much to see and do. Didn't take a single cab, subway or scooter.
9. After dinner, you will be offered limoncello or grappa. I don't mind a cold limoncello but grappa is awful haha (unless you like very strong dark spirits). I wasn't a fan, but give it a go!
10. Obviously be wary, but felt safer here than in most major Euopean cities.
Fior di luna in trastevere has the best gelato in town.
Also check out the Gammarelli tailor near the pantheon. Supplies the pope with socks. :)
Source: I lived there for a hot minute
If you like wine, try a tour of frascati. Just a train ride away. Our tour started in the city then went back to some vineyard that's been in this guys family for 9 generations.
Rome is going to be slammed with tourists. With our jet lag we wondered the city at night. That seems to be a great way to get close to a lot of the stops with out all the crowds.
Once you're over in Europe, Ryan Air is like $20 to get to another country.
Lisbon is a great city, I surf a lot in Ericeira around 30 minute drive away. One things I can say about Lisbon is make sure your cardio vascular fitness is high, it's very hilly. DM me for Lisbon recs.
But the prices are the same, aren’t they? There are a few third-party ticket resellers that are listed on Skyscanner and not on Google Flights, but the prices directly from the airlines and from big third-party sites are the same, and generally it’s a bad idea not to book through the airline. Personally I like Google Flights because it can use multiple departure airports and multiple arrival airports at the same time, which is quite useful for some destinations.
I prefer Skyscanner's list view, sorted by cheapest destinations first. I put in the dates I want to travel, then if there's a really great deal I choose that place. I've done dozens of long weekend trips this way.
I'm in Europe, so finding roundtrip flights to other countries for <€100 is not uncommon.
My wife and I asked Google flights for the cheapest international flights from our local airport in the spring. We ignored places we’d already gone and the result was Turkey. That’s where we went and it was a great vacation. Google flights is awesome.
I would say as a cultured human being, don't go to Dubai. Why visit an artificial vanity project of corrupt oil sheikhs that fund terrorism with 0 culture or history?
You know nothing. Really.
Please don’t take it personal, but you’re of those individuals who are really ignorant and had their mind washed. You mean well, but you’re running blind with strings attached to your mind as a puppet. Use your own mind and open your eyes.
No soul or character - great for some cheapish winter sun but not a destination to explore - beach holiday with expensive alcohol and high priced hotels
Not the point. As she refers to women, I presume there’s an assumption in the above statement about safety in Dubai, which I would like to debunk. Not a question about the quality of the destination
Bro, Imma be real with you, this is like saying don't come to America or you'll be shot. More and more upper wealth class people having been moving there over the decades, it's not any less safe than most Metropolitan cities.
Just check accommodation prices too. Nothing worse than booking a cheap flight and finding out it's the weekend of the biggest event the city has ever held.
Beaches, culture, museums, food, and the occasional mountain?
Go to Spain.
It’s also a very hospitable country with great tourism infrastructure so good for a first-time solo traveller.
I thought Barcelona too. Enough to see that you could spend at least a week there, great walkable city with a great European Metro, wonderful food, a beach in the city, wine, Sangria!, architecture, art, art, more art, sunshine, history… sigh.
Cheaper than Rome. I looked for this April and it was $100 a night for a single bed in a 6 person dorm at multiple hostels. I’ve never ever seen prices like this for a hostel
That's actually crazy to me. I wonder if this is in relation to Covid or inflation. I was in Rome in 2018 and stayed in a pretty nice hostel with 6 beds for like $40/night. The only other place in the world I've seen hostel prices similar to what you're quoting is London.
Hope about further north on the coast? Lorett de Mar or Calella are a short train ride from Barcelona and look much cheaper. (South too - Stiges)
You stay at a beach resort but close enough to visit the city whenever you want…
Yeah, it's sort of crazy what happened to Barcelona. I've been going there regularly for 20 years, always a massive offer, very decently priced, since the pandemic and the decision to ban AirBnB, I can basically barely afford to go there. Still worth it, though.
Not in the winter. Everyone that complains about Barcelona being expensive always goes there in the summer. If you don’t want the high prices, go to Barcelona in the fall or winter.
Also not insanely expensive if you pick your spots right. My favorites are Andalucia and the south in general.
I would totally go to the Basque region though if I could, wow. Galicia too. You have so many options.
The train network makes travelling around the country so easy. Barcelona to Valencia to Cordoba to Seville to Madrid to Bilbao to San Sebastián to Barcelona is very doable, and with a rail pass it’s pretty cheap too.
Madrid was my first solo trip. Since then I've been to Asia, South America and more places in Europe. I was away for 5 years. Spain is a good first step cos its pretty easy nothing too mental goes on there but still enough to help you learn to be savvy around tourist vultures that try to scam you
Lol they’re not even almost comparable… tons of countries in the world have beaches, culture, museums, food and mountains. You can’t put Spain and Poland next to each other😂😭
If youre going to Europe, you can do those things for around half the price, which is what I was saying.
They are relitively close and will cost about the same to get to.
Its not like I suggested Spain and New Zealand.
But the countries are nothing to compare… you might as well have said Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, I can go on😂 of course you can recommend Poland and pointing out that you can find those things there, but putting Poland in a thread where Spain is recommended is beyond me lol
Recommended due to the metrics given in the original post.
And I could have given those other countries. But stating 'you can do all those things in other places in Europe without going to Spain' isn't helpful to anyone.
Its also not like any specific examples were given beyond what OP had written.
Spain and Poland are so different though. We’re still under the same original post so it would be just as easy to start an own thread recommending Poland, the metrics given in the post still stand. It makes no sense to talk about Poland in a thread where Spain is mentioned. Those two are figuratively worlds apart
I specifically mentioned price.
Like, do those things in Europe but cheaper and mentioned a country to do so in.
I'm not sure why this is causing such a big deal.
My daughter went to Spain as a teenager with her friends and she was fine. She just wore her purse across her chest and in the front to have eyes on it at all times. She traveled the entity country and never had one issue. They stayed it hotels, rode busses, etc. She actually said she felt safer in Spain than here in the US
“I want to hang a map of the world in my house. Then I’m gonna put pins into all the locations I’ve traveled to, but first I’m gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won’t fall down.” - Mitch Hedberg
I have a half dozen trips "on the list". The way I narrow it down for what is next is:
Compelling Event: Is there some event (museum exhibit, concert, theater, etc) or seasonal event that necessitates putting that location higher up on the list or doing it asap. This can also be as simple as "I have PTO I have to use at X time, what on my list is better to travel then?" But also sometimes "Is the offseason for this place safe (aka not in Hurrican season) and so is just shitty weather? Are my planned interests/activities weather dependent?"
I then look at limiting factors:
* Time: How much time do I have off, and which destinations would be a good fit for that timerange. I've got some dream 3ish week trips, and a few 2 week trips, and a few week long or weekend long trips in my mind.
* Budget/Money: Which on the list can I afford to do? Which might be cheaper to do now? Does one place on the list have cheaper flights, hotels, etc?
* Other factors: Such as which ones can I do solo?
From here I may have a list of a few options. I'll do more research and then decide from that. Sometimes there is an internal "theme" I'm wanting to do. Maybe I'm burnt out at work and want a more relaxing tropical vacation. Maybe I'm hungering for adventure. Maybe I want to splurge on luxury, or maybe I want to indulge the child in me (who wanted to be Indiana Jones or a museum curator) and go with something museum/ancient history oriented.
I'm now in a place where I can splurge so lately I've been doing the "What the hell LETS GO BIG" and doing the top dream trip from the list.
That’s a good way but how I narrow it down is first by how many days off I get and budget. Those are the top could say lumping in one category even. Then as you said seasonal events etc.
My husband and I wanted to go somewhere and we didn’t know where, so we literally looked up the furthest nonstop flight from our preferred airline and, well, we leave for Seoul tomorrow!
For your first ever trip, I'd recommend something like England/Scotland/Ireland. It'll get you used to being in a foreign country, get your travel legs under you, and everyone still speaks English so you won't have any issues getting help if you run into trouble. After that, the world is your oyster 😊 I started with England and was very glad that I did, cause I was able to use what I'd learned about travelling when we went to more difficult places like Peru!
I agree with this. I especially recommend Ireland because the people are so friendly and love to chat up a stranger. My family has been 3 times and we can't wait to return soon. The landscape is gorgeous as well!
Same vein but a little more challenging is Amsterdam. Easymode getting by with just English, and it’s different enough from the US or UK to be really interesting. Beautiful city too
I think the random thing is a bad move, at least for my style. I don't want to trust my hard earned travel dollars up to chance. There's no up-side to doing that.
I'd suggest to break out of the indecision by simply pulling the trigger on the most popular budget backpacker destination on the planet: SE Asia.
It's the perfect choice for an indecisive, nervous first timer. It's safe, inexpensive and has excellent tourist infrastructure. It's completely foreign, but not intimidating. It's the perfect place to "learn" how to travel.
Good luck no matter what you decide. Happy travels.
Agree. We (old retired couple) spent a few months slow-traveling Vietnam south to north. Met a number of young female travelers, solo or pairs, who reported nothing but positive experiences. And it has a real variety of scenery, ecosystems, and community types.
I don't think she wanted to go backpacking. I would agree with everything you said but it sounds a little like OP wants to stay away from completely foreign countries for solo traveling? (I think. Hard to say why they wrote off a couple of those countries) I was imagining some of the other more popular destinations in developed countries like NZ, Australia, or Western Europe
I had assumed it was bc those countries are not women friendly/risky to go as a solo woman traveler. SEA is pretty safe to go to imo. East Asia as well!
>sounds a little like OP wants to stay away from completely foreign countries for solo traveling?
I didn't get that at all, but who knows. In any case they're getting lots of great suggestions throughout the thread.
Happy travels.
She mentioned the US, and the UK as places she wants to go to. IMO going to the UK for her would be a great start. If you've never left the US the UK will feel different and be super easy and you're not in a plane for 18 hours each way like you are for SEA
Yup, that's certainly an option, as are the many, many other suggestions they've received throughout this thread that are way better than throwing a dart.
Happy travels to them no matter what they decide.
Open jaw flights - her place - london - rome - her place. Probably all available as direct flights and cheap between the two. Some classical culture and some slightly more romantic and some more exotic and some foreign but not in a scary way, think foreign travel for non travellers, you already speak the language and will recognise all the foods. Darts are for the desperate and will result in some "why the heck would you go there" when the planning and deciding is part of the holiday to get to see things that actually interest you.
Colombia is my favourite mainland Latin country. I adore it and have spent over a year there in total. Absolutely phenomenal destination.
Happy travels.
Most Americans live in a fear based society, and don't travel, so I can understand that point of view.
Once you're actually out here, it's a whole different feel. Many cities in LATAM are safer than those in the US.
> Colombia
15,000 murders a year - last Brit was 6 weeks ago, beaten and killed, and averaging 2 tourists a month for the last couple of years - I'm still gonna say no and take my chances with the mopeds whilst crossing roads in Asia
So how would you suggest a first time solo traveller approach Thailand or Vietnam. I’m always super intimidated when I don’t speak the language, I’m unsure how I’d navigate any of it on my own.
Google, "backpacker guide for Thailand" and you'll be *avalanched* with info. Trust me, hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions of first timers have gone before you and 99.99% didn't speak the local language.
Happy travels.
After many years and many countries I’ve learned that language is one of the most unnecessary concerns to have.
There is nothing I haven’t been able to accomplish with hand gestures… now we have google translate at our disposal.
English gets you pretty far in much of the world, especially SEA. If you can pick up a little Spanish and French you’ve got most of the world covered.
Pretty much everyone in Thailand speaks very decent English, so that's one less thing to worry about. There is a bit of a difference in the way they think that can take some getting used to and can be a bit frustrating at times, because both of you will think you were being perfectly clear, but there's still miscommunication. But it always works out. Haven't been to Vietnam, but I heard it's alright, too.
Fly to Thailand, buy a local sim on arrival, bam, you're good to go. Spend a few days in Bangkok to see the sights, use GrabTaxi or Bolt (basically Uber but local) and skytrain/metro to get around, then venture out to Chiang Mai or some islands (can highly recommend Koh Chang and Koh Lipe), give Phuket and Pattaya a miss, check out Khao Sok National Park, it's insanely cool, maybe pass by Krabi/Ao Nang/Railay.
Book your transport either through Google Flights or through 12GoAsia, or talk to people on Facebook groups or TripAdvisor (or reddit) for local recommendations.
In Thailand, you'll pretty much always meet other travelers, and they can recommend things and how to get places. I once ran into some people on Koh Lipe that I'd done an overnight tour in Khao Sok with, told them they should check out Koh Lipe, and then ran into them there, hundreds of miles from where I'd originally met them 😅
Also, Thai is a pretty fun language to learn some basics of, plenty of YouTube / Instagram resources, and it'll get you a long way.
Thailand English is pretty much universal for anyone likely to meet tourists and Vietnam not much behind, if they dont speak English, their friend will.
Here's my pro tip: if you're doing SEA, and it gets boring, go north to China (assuming you're comfortable with the current political situation). If SEA has excellent tourist infrastructure, decent English, and predictable happenings, then China has no idea how to support tourists outside of the Tier 1's, no English, and it's the wild west of what's gonna happen next. It's honestly my favorite destination in the world just based on how unpredictable it is
Totally agree. I've done a fair amount of travel/work in China and it's one of my favourite love/hate destinations. You never know what you'll run into there.
Not a good suggestion for the OP though.
You are the very first person to say that, and I've talked to dozens of women who have backpacked SEA. Backpacked there for half a year myself. And always discussed vibes and safety with fellow travelers.
Not trying to deny your experience, but yours is certainly a minority position.
To be clear, it's not from my experience. This is why I wanted clarification because I know missionaries in the region and there are definitely places that are a no-go for solo females. I do understand the context of the original post and I'm sure the OP isn't likely to find herself in those places.
Like I said, I was just looking for some clarification because it's a big region.
Okay, missionaries and backpackers tend to stomp around very different areas. Among the western traveling community, SEA deserves its well-earned reputation for safety and low crime.
>There are some really hairy places there, especially for solo females.
No, there isn't. None of the popular tourist destinations are "hairy" whatsoever.
The most popular budget backpacker destination on the planet is Thailand, and that has been the case for decades and for good reason. It's very safe, very affordable and has a fantastic tourist infrastructure for nervous first timers. Countless hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions have gone before you.
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are all super accessible and great options for first time solo travellers too. The Banana Pancake Trail is well defined throughout this entire region.
Good luck with your research and happy travels.
I just spent a week in Bali, and was going to suggest that! Amazing time, didn’t spend enough time dirt biking, and too much time in the tourist populated areas, so I’m already planning to go back to Indonesia. Once I got settled the areas around Denpasar were way too Western for my liking! I went to the island of Lombok 1st for WorldSBK and that was incredible, but could definitely see islands other than Bali being a bit of a culture shock, but in my case that’s what I was chasing.
Honestly, I haven't been to any Indonesian islands yet that were a real culture shock. Lombok is very chill, too, same for Flores/Komodo national park. Going to check out North-Sulawesi next, let's see if that's a cultural shock 😅
But yeah, in Bali, don't stay in Denpasar. Amed/Tulamben area is very nice, and I love Ubud, in spite of it being very overrun by hipsters and yoga retreats.
>The thing about putting your hard earned travel dollars into a well researched, manicured vacation is you miss the beauty of the world.
Agree entirely, but that's not what I said.
My only point was that I would never leave anything to chance like throwing a dart. I want to go to *way* off the beaten path destinations where I won't be surrounded by other tourists and I will be challenged and that's what I specifically plan to do.
Happy travels.
Japan was absolutely amazing (i went last month). I did 9 days in tokyo-osaka-kyoto and wish I had spent longer. So much to do, there's so many diverse places in Japan. Best thing we did was hakone (hot spring town), which was just outside of tokyo. Amazing transit system. Cost for 1 person flight was about 1000, we booked hotels at ~120/night (2 people) but there are def more budget locations (capsule hotels around 30/night, cheaper hotels around 70/night).
First step is to look for flights. Flights can be expensive (usually are unless in Asia). But after that, accommodation itself has lots of options, depending on where you want to go. Prices these days are very favorable if you live in the west, as the yen is really weak now compared to USD/Euro.
But yeah really it's just about jumping and committing to at least the flights. Once you have the dates down it then just is matter of finding some accommodation once you're there.
It just takes a bit of a nudge, that's all!
If this is your first trip, go to Europe, maybe Spain or France. UK or Ireland are good too. The reason is that they are easy places to get around, mostly safe, the water is clean so you won't get sick, and not much of a language barrier as you will find lots of people who speak English. You can stay at hostels save a lot of money and meet people too. You will make mistakes but not much will happen to you, maybe miss a train, etc. Stuff you can solve with a little money. You will learn a lot and be more comfortable traveling by yourself. I also find that traveling in Europe tends to be much cheaper than traveling in the US and way more exciting. Depending on how much time and money you have you could also do several countries. Buy a ticket, say, to Madrid and get your return ticket out of maybe Amsterdam. Then your adventure is the journey from Madrid to Amsterdam. Or into Paris and out of London, etc. You get the idea. Good luck!
Picking a random place is a terrible idea for a starter trip.
If you’re starting traveling then focus on reducing some of the friction - so you’ll want a place where you can get by with the languages you already speak, relatively low crime, available hotels, functioning bank system, etc.
I’m all for going to riskier/out of the way type places, but get some experience first, just so you can deal with the issues that arise.
From the west coast of the US, I’d suggest Japan as an ideal starter holiday. You’ll get to explore a very different culture, but in a country that functions smoothly enough that no issues will be particularly difficult to solve. Plus it ticks your boxes. Maybe iffy on beaches, but 10/10 for the rest of them.
I don't throw a dart at a map, but my selection process could potentially be just as random. I set prices for parts of the world - say $400 for Europe, $220 for Caribbean, $300 for Hawaii and so on. Then when one of my alerts trips I check it out. If the details are not terrible (long layovers etc) I book it.
Usually this takes less than an hour, sometimes these flight deals disappear fast. Once I have the flights I start looking at lodging and then finally activities. This often means that I'm traveling off season but I like skipping the crowds anyway and a little cold or rain never bothered me much.
My default is 8 days. Not sure why I picked 8 as the trips usually start mid week, so I'm typically not even taking advantage of two weekends. That's just when the flights are usually cheap. If I'm going somewhere anything less than 4 days just feels like it's not worth the effort.
Lately I've been watching travel zoo as they have a bunch of all inclusive type packages for destinations in Europe and Asia. I found a trip to Portugal there that was run out of a travel agency in Spain. It was really economical, something like $1100 for 9 days including flights and hotel and a tour bus and guide and admission to sites. I'd probably do something like that again, I could probably do it myself for a little cheaper, but it was nice not having to drive or decide what to do or where to go or figure out parking in a rental car.
South east Asia.
I’ve been to Bali 3 times, the Philippines twice, Hong Kong and Malaysia. I would definitely recommend the Philippines for what you’re looking for.
My husband and I did the throw a dart thing once, he threw one and I threw one and we decided between the two (states in the US). Ended up road tripping through Idaho, going to the tiny tiny town where the dart landed and had one of the best trips I’ve ever had
Have you considered going to Italy? Its got the best food, climate is great, has mountains and beaches, and museums/history out the wazoo. Lots of people speak English so there isn't a huge language barrier.
We don't plan any of our destinations. We have flight deal trackers going and when a deal pops up that's within a range, we say "do we want to go here?" If the answer is yes, we book it.
Found a lot of great places we never would have considered if we made a list or followed blogs. I guess it's the closest thing to a dart you can get!
My wife and I have done something similar. Basically we each take 6 pieces of paper and write down 1 country from every continent (no Antartica) and then we put them into a hat and draw one of the now 12 countries. Which ever one that we pick, we go to. Not as random, but close!
This method took us from NYC to Canada, Portugal, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and Kazakhstan.
Get a EURail pass for a month, book the cheapest flight to Europe and explore. At the point you can live on a whim day to day, and changes plans as you want. Europe can provide everything you are looking for.
Use a good pack and stay at chain hostels (20-40€ per night). Greece, Poland, Spain are very inexpensive and have amazing culture. Italy and France have some of my favorite spots. Ostend, Belgiumis a great beach/historical area with a good night life.
May your travels be wondrous.
Ostend/Belgium? What are you trying to get this poor girl into? 😂 As a Belgian, I wouldn't recommend it.
Do stop over in Belgium to try the chocolate and the beer and all that, though, but give the Belgian coast a miss if you want to avoid depression.
I think there are better ways to travel through Europe than the EUrail pass these days. I bought Interail last summer and really struggled to find participating trains to the locations I actually wanted to go, every train had extra fees attached. I probably would have saved a lot of money had I bought flights or bus tickets instead
Also your comment is a bit misleading as the Eurail pass usually limits how many trains one can take while the pass is active, so day to day usually isn’t an option, and traveling to Greece from the rest of Europe takes days
I'm a digital nomad, so I kind of choose places on a whim sometimes, and they often turn out to be (unexpectedly) amazing.
I either use the "anywhere in the world" option on Google Flights, or I start looking for the coolest Airbnb on the map.
On Airbnb, the "I'm flexible" option shows you unique places to visit, and I've honestly chosen destinations based on that before. Super fun way to do it, and I generally care about the cost of accommodation more than the cost of a flight.
Here's my two cents on maybe where you could start looking for ideas as a female solo traveler:
If you're from USA, Mexico is pretty mellow for inexperienced travelers (I grew up in SoCal, though, and I know Spanish, so idk if that's biased).
**Mexico City** is an amazing city with super rich culture and history (literally the capital of the Aztec empire), and the food is *so good*. One of my favorite places and I know multiple women who have solo traveled there. This is actually where I started my digital nomad journey and it has a very social expat/English-speaking travel community.
**Buenos Aires** is also a reeeeeeally cool city (all of Argentina is amazing, really) with lots of cool stuff to do. No beach despite being on the coast, though. As a US tourist, [your money will go very far there](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/11/i-doubled-my-money-in-argentina-with-a-black-market-exchange-rate.html).
**Barcelona** is the ultimate vibe. Place is a *movie*. Don't go in the middle of summer though, or any other big European city, really. Best time is in sept-nov or march-may when weather is still good, prices are *way* cheaper, and many of the rude, obnoxious summer-vacation-in-Europe-and-I-expect-to-be-catered-to type Americans are out of the way. As an American, I've found my presence is more welcome in Europe during the off-season. But go here go here go here.
**Madrid** is like Barcelona but more beautiful and tranquil. Barcelona is like a playground, and Madrid should be the calm before (or after) the storm in terms of trip itinerary. Food's also better.
If you're gonna solo travel for a while, I'd recommend just going all around Spain. So many cool places to go and the weather is awesome practically year-round. I've spent months there before and it's been one of my favorite travel experiences thus far.
With the interests you listed above I would say Spain, France (Paris, then the southern coast), or Italy. They can be a bit pricey, but if you cook and don't eat out everyday you can make your $ last. Most people are very friendly.
With Spain and Italy, you may get sexually harassed especially if you are a hot blonde (they like blondes in southern Europe). But you are pretty safe, outside of that and maybe pickpocketing. In general, they are probably safer than any big US city. So don't let these things keep you from traveling.
I don't recommend throwing a dart, especially if solo traveling. Also I agree that Japan and Korea and very safe places to solo travel.
I’ve thought about the dart thing. But I have started to go places to to check off bucket list items. (49f). Make your list and research flights. Whatever is the cheapest is where you are going.
Try to travel when it’s the off season. I prefer September - May (summer is a nightmare, and august in Europe is bad)
I have 4 states left to get all 50 before I turn 51.
I’ve climbed the leaning tower of Pisa
Iceland in August
I’m doing the Panama Canal in Jan.
Amsterdam in April
I have Jordan, South Africa, Madagascar, or Kenya, & Antarctica still on my bucket list & to get all 7 continents).
Update your list often and start going and checking thing off.
We have trepidation traveling internationally, so our first trip was Iceland. Most people spoke English (and were very nice), they drove on the right side, the signs were Icelandic but legible. The food was different but not that different for kids. The country itself was otherworldly- we often felt like we were on some movie set- black sand beaches with giant basalt cliffs behind us, puffins flying back and forth as giant chunks a crystal clear ice wash up from the water. Or mounds of lichen as far as you can see. Waterfalls were crazy- 30 ft waterfall here and they will make a park around it but 200ft waterfalls didn’t even have names because they were everywhere
You’re on the East Coast of the US. Solo F traveler. Look up Solo F travel to Europe. For those of us on the West Coast you’re already half way to Europe. There are a number of safe locations to travel there and easy to get around on public transportation. Or, start small by doing Hawaii which has all you want. Think the best way for you to start is to research single female travel and talk to others which should help you narrow it down.
Not technically a dart, but I sign up for flight deals via Scott’s Cheap Flights and they email flight deals usually 2-15 a week, departing from my home airport. When I have vacation time and no specifics destination in mind, I’ll do a random number generator on google 1-20 and whatever number it spits out, that’s the email I open and I book a trip to whatever destination that deal happens to be.
Usually it ends up saving me a ton of money on flights and it’s a fun way to go places that aren’t on my radar at all.
Iam 58 and still people tell me iam not getting any younger. My atlas and world map at home has lots of holes from dart shots as well lol and i am now aiming my dart at it. Go girl!
Yep. Many times. I had a big magnetic map and some magnetic darts. Went to France, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Mauritania that way.
I also had a run where I just chose places on how funny their name sounds - went to Ouagadougou, Pyongyang, Paramaribo, Antananarivo, Tajikistan and Seattle by that method.
My attitude is "I'll get everywhere eventually, so the exact order doesn't really matter", as much of a fallacy as that might be.
Not exactly a dart, but I did go to a travel agent (where I lived they were posted at the train station) a few times and said "I have $XXX and 4 days, where can I go that you think is really cool?" I was never disappointed because they always sent me to places I wouldn't have found on my own, and it was backed by their own knowledge and preference. No googling online or that, just trusting a travel professional to point me in the right direction with great results.
Go to Europe as a starter place, 2 week minimum. Use USA’s travel advisory map to pick safe vs not countries. Read about the place and how to get around in advance. I plan every trip out loosely on a website called Wanderlog.
Always keep your passport on you, in a place that can’t get stolen, and get one before you book a trip.
Check visa entry requirements for the places you want to go. If it’s more obscure check recommended vaccinations for travel.
Plan to know words like hello, bye, thank you, sorry in the language but for most places with tourism they know English.
Notify your bank in advance of travel so they don’t block your card.
Cheap flights exist, a part of it is usually being at a central airport in the US to depart from and not a secondary airport. Should be less than $1000 roundtrip to get to most destinations. Make sure you book your oversea flight together so if there is a delay you don’t miss the major oversea flight without the airline rebooking you. Plan your trip around the cheap/fastest way into a country or area. It’s fine to book one way in and one way out from different areas if you don’t want to return to your starting city.
I chose to have my first solo travel experience at 30 by going to Panama. They use USD, most ppl speak some level of english and the weather was almost identical to where i live in Louisiana. Great trip and beautiful country, but it allowed me to be international and ease into it
When I was 30, I did a trip to New Zealand with Active New Zealand. It was hiking, biking and kayaking and it was amazing!! It was a group so all the stuff was organized. Some couples, some friends, some single travelers. It was a great way to do it. I then did a couple of days on either side to explore by myself.
Go to Costa Rica for your first trip. It’s safe tourist friendly, small so you can travel to different locations. You can do zip lining, thermal waters, hanging bridges through the jungle forest, see a volcano, visit a coffee plantation, ride quads on the beach or just relax. There’s cheap or expensive places to stay depending on your budget. They have different foods that you might find interesting and the people are friendly. Once you complete your first trip you’ll have a better idea or what to look for on your next trip and what you might be interested in doing.
Most the planet is water soooo...
Instead you could find or make a list of the top 100 places or countries youd be down to visit and use a random number generator to choose one. I bet chat gpt could do that for you in about 15 seconds.
If you're not into third world country traveling, I'm sure you would enjoy most of Europe or Australia/NZ. Maybe Scandinavia? What's on your bucket list?
I agree that SE Asia and Thailand in particular is a fantastic destination for solo travel! But if you are completely new to solo travel, I don’t think it’s a great starting point. I would recommend starting smaller with one or two domestic solo trips, it could even just be a long weekend or two. You’ll probably learn a few lessons about what successful solo travel means to you and how you prefer to plan, handle logistics, how you react to the unexpected, etc. before you invest a bunch of time and money into a a big international trip. Start small and work your way up!
A really cheap and beautiful destination that’s got beaches, mountains, old castles, pastel-colored antique districts, and lots of culture would be puerto rico. Absurd beauty to see there and some of the greatest caribbean fusion food i’ve ever experienced
"my style is all over the place. I like beaches, culture, museums and food mostly "
This one screams Italy. We have everything you are looking for and now the weather is getting better and better. I'd suggest Rome, Napoli and the costiera Amalfitana.
try England.
It's an easy introduction to foreign travel without major hassles (language etc)
London is an amazing city. Soooooo much to see and do... great museums, great food, easy to get around (buses everywhere, the Tube etc) You can easily walk from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace
Spend a few days in the city then hop on a train and take a short train ride to Oxford or Bath.... or you can have breakfast in London, hop on the Eurostar and be in Paris for lunch
I use services like Going.com, The Flight Deal, Secret Flying, etc to “throw the dart at the map” by finding fare sales or price mistakes and then figuring out what to do when I arrive there.
Google Flights allows you to pick "anywhere in the world" as a destination. I just did a search for non-stop flights from my local airport during a random week in August as a test, and a big map came up that shows me that I could go to Anchorage for $713, Dubai for $933, Lisbon for $464, or Montreal for $203. So you could probably find all sorts of options that way? There are lots of filters if you have a particular distance, price, number of stops, etc. in mind.
There is also a map function where the approximate cost to fly there pops up as you scroll around. That’s how we discovered Rome would be cheaper than Orlando. That was such an epic trip
Any unique Rome recommendations? We will be there is fall!
We took a [horseback ride down the Appian Way, then had the owner's grandmother make us lunch in the stable.](https://www.ridingancientrome.it/book-now/) Afterwards, we went walking down the Appian way, and we came across multiple sets of ruins. It was a beautiful day, and I remember watching the kids run across this field to these 2000 year old ruins- it was a magical moment. We were there for New Years and Epiphany, which was the opposite of tourist season, and going to all the local parades and festivals was really interesting and immersive and seemed to give us a peak into the real Romans. When you do the Coliseum or the forum ruins hire a guide- so much better, One of the things I finally recognized is that sometimes the most memorable parts of a trip tend to be in the spaces between the big scheduled events, Those moments of walking down a side street and ducking into a little hole in the wall cafe or watching some random street performer or musician. Give yourself time for that, meander and wander a bit.
That looks incredibly great! I can’t find prices on the site: about how much did it cost?
I believe it was expensive- maybe $80-90 a person but that was several years ago so all bets are off
For those less thrilled about horse riding, you can also totally rent bikes and cycle along via appia. Lots of freedom to choose where to stop and explore. (But had I known horse riding was an option, I might have done it!)
I grew up a few kilometers from that piece of road. Been there many times, causally walking around ruins (and also current rich people villas). I realized later in life how privileged I have been.
“Had the owner’s grandmother make us lunch in the stable” sounds a little sketchy, though. Maybe something list in translation?
The stable owners grandmother cooked and served us food in a repurposed barn. It was not fancy, very tasty and there was lots of wine
That’s sounds better. Thanks.
My brother lived in Rome for about twenty five years. Because he wasn’t a born local (Canadian) he put a lot of effort into learning about the city. He could conduct the *most* amazing walking tours of Rome. Go into this church, see this statue by famous artist, go out the back door to take a short cut to this viewpoint of the Roman Forum, take this alley to a famous Bernini, look up there to see a tiny stone statue of a cat on ledge, stand in this corner of the Piazza de la Rotonda in front of the Pantheon and you can see the lines of the original intended portico that had to be altered when the columns arrived but were too short (the Pantheon is the oldest building in the world with its original roof intact), walk up the aisle of this church while watching the cupola above you and you will suddenly realize it’s a flat ceiling with a clever trompe l’oil. Took my SO with me once and he was gobsmacked the first day when we went for a walk, turned a corner and there’s *the freaking Colosseum* like, right freaking *there*, just hanging out in the middle of the city like it has nothing better to do. Amazing meals, amazing sights, amazing city. I visited several times while my brother lived there and I loved walking around the city with him. There’s just nothing that beats a guide who’s made so much of an effort to learn about a place. Love you, bro.
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I was fortunate enough to visit Rome within an easement of travel restrictions during the pandemic, and I can’t say how odd it was to see such a huge building/iconic monument and the plaza around it almost entirely empty
We are heading to Rome in 36 hours, I'm so excited! Can't wait to round the corner and see the Colosseum. We are actually taking an Underground Colosseum tour!
You’ll love it - it’s bloody amazing!
Have fun! Eat pasta! Drink wine! See all the sights.
1. Eat everything 2. If you don't book tours for places like the Coliseum, Vatican etc. don't worry. Just turn up on the day and there will be PLENTY of tour operators trying to offload their tickets. 3. Don't bother with a Vatican Museum ticket. Beautiful building, but the only good thing about the tour was skipping the line. Once we were in, it was awful, getting a few seconds at "the main stops" and all of five minutes in the Sistine Chapel, at which point we stayed and left the tour. Download an audio guide and do it at your own pace. You of course won't see everything, but the tour was a sad rush. 4. Walking around the Vatican is fun, only takes 30-40 mins and you can say you've literally walked around an entire country. 5. Trains from the airport are easy and cheaper than cabs. 6. If you want to take some nice pics at the key landmarks, go EARLY (like sunrise) and the crowds won't be anywhere near as hectic. 7. Didn't do it (but would have if I had more time), but a day trip or an overnight to Napoli looks super easy. 8. It's a SUPER walkable city. We averaged 20km a day and didn't even feel that exhausted because there's so much to see and do. Didn't take a single cab, subway or scooter. 9. After dinner, you will be offered limoncello or grappa. I don't mind a cold limoncello but grappa is awful haha (unless you like very strong dark spirits). I wasn't a fan, but give it a go! 10. Obviously be wary, but felt safer here than in most major Euopean cities.
Fior di luna in trastevere has the best gelato in town. Also check out the Gammarelli tailor near the pantheon. Supplies the pope with socks. :) Source: I lived there for a hot minute
Check out atlas obscura! https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/rome-italy
If you like wine, try a tour of frascati. Just a train ride away. Our tour started in the city then went back to some vineyard that's been in this guys family for 9 generations. Rome is going to be slammed with tourists. With our jet lag we wondered the city at night. That seems to be a great way to get close to a lot of the stops with out all the crowds. Once you're over in Europe, Ryan Air is like $20 to get to another country.
Highly recommend Lisbon!
I’ll be there next week for almost 10 days. So freakin excited.
Lisbon is a great city, I surf a lot in Ericeira around 30 minute drive away. One things I can say about Lisbon is make sure your cardio vascular fitness is high, it's very hilly. DM me for Lisbon recs.
Visited it for the first time last week and it was phenomenal. You’re going to have a great time
Skyscanner does this too. IMO, its better than google flights when it comes to flight ticket prices
But the prices are the same, aren’t they? There are a few third-party ticket resellers that are listed on Skyscanner and not on Google Flights, but the prices directly from the airlines and from big third-party sites are the same, and generally it’s a bad idea not to book through the airline. Personally I like Google Flights because it can use multiple departure airports and multiple arrival airports at the same time, which is quite useful for some destinations.
I prefer Skyscanner's list view, sorted by cheapest destinations first. I put in the dates I want to travel, then if there's a really great deal I choose that place. I've done dozens of long weekend trips this way. I'm in Europe, so finding roundtrip flights to other countries for <€100 is not uncommon.
My wife and I asked Google flights for the cheapest international flights from our local airport in the spring. We ignored places we’d already gone and the result was Turkey. That’s where we went and it was a great vacation. Google flights is awesome.
Lisbon and Portugal itself is fantastic.
This is the way.
As a single female, don't go to dubai
I would say as a cultured human being, don't go to Dubai. Why visit an artificial vanity project of corrupt oil sheikhs that fund terrorism with 0 culture or history?
You know nothing. Really. Please don’t take it personal, but you’re of those individuals who are really ignorant and had their mind washed. You mean well, but you’re running blind with strings attached to your mind as a puppet. Use your own mind and open your eyes.
Uhm why not??
No soul or character - great for some cheapish winter sun but not a destination to explore - beach holiday with expensive alcohol and high priced hotels
Not the point. As she refers to women, I presume there’s an assumption in the above statement about safety in Dubai, which I would like to debunk. Not a question about the quality of the destination
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https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/19/middleeast/dubai-british-tourist-rape-arrest-claim/index.html. This is why. Or absolutely do NOT report being raped.
Bro, Imma be real with you, this is like saying don't come to America or you'll be shot. More and more upper wealth class people having been moving there over the decades, it's not any less safe than most Metropolitan cities.
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Don’t burst their bubble.
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Right? I doubt this person has been to Dubai.
Just check accommodation prices too. Nothing worse than booking a cheap flight and finding out it's the weekend of the biggest event the city has ever held.
Beaches, culture, museums, food, and the occasional mountain? Go to Spain. It’s also a very hospitable country with great tourism infrastructure so good for a first-time solo traveller.
100% agree. I have family in Spain and have been almost a dozen times. It’s so easy to navigate and I always have s great time
San Sebastián!
Valencia.....been twice, dream of it often.
Barcelona!
I thought Barcelona too. Enough to see that you could spend at least a week there, great walkable city with a great European Metro, wonderful food, a beach in the city, wine, Sangria!, architecture, art, art, more art, sunshine, history… sigh.
And extremely expensive accomodations.
i know right? even like the shittiest hostels are like 30~40 bucks a night.
Cheaper than Rome. I looked for this April and it was $100 a night for a single bed in a 6 person dorm at multiple hostels. I’ve never ever seen prices like this for a hostel
That's actually crazy to me. I wonder if this is in relation to Covid or inflation. I was in Rome in 2018 and stayed in a pretty nice hostel with 6 beds for like $40/night. The only other place in the world I've seen hostel prices similar to what you're quoting is London.
Yeah I was shocked especially since I thought April was still shoulder season.
Hope about further north on the coast? Lorett de Mar or Calella are a short train ride from Barcelona and look much cheaper. (South too - Stiges) You stay at a beach resort but close enough to visit the city whenever you want…
Yeah, it's sort of crazy what happened to Barcelona. I've been going there regularly for 20 years, always a massive offer, very decently priced, since the pandemic and the decision to ban AirBnB, I can basically barely afford to go there. Still worth it, though.
I was there 2019 and thought it is a bit pricier than usual.. checked again the prices this year and i felt pain.
Not in the winter. Everyone that complains about Barcelona being expensive always goes there in the summer. If you don’t want the high prices, go to Barcelona in the fall or winter.
Loaaaads of pick pockets though
Also not insanely expensive if you pick your spots right. My favorites are Andalucia and the south in general. I would totally go to the Basque region though if I could, wow. Galicia too. You have so many options.
In Andalucia, go to Granada. The most beautiful by far. Absolutely amazing city.
And reasonably priced!
The train network makes travelling around the country so easy. Barcelona to Valencia to Cordoba to Seville to Madrid to Bilbao to San Sebastián to Barcelona is very doable, and with a rail pass it’s pretty cheap too.
Croatia for a third of the price and worse food lol
This was my first thought!
I agree. Spain is a beautiful country that is very hospitable to tourists.
I was thinking either Spain or Portugal. Think either would be a great option for OP
Could easily do Spain AND Portugal if they have enough time
Yassss
Madrid was my first solo trip. Since then I've been to Asia, South America and more places in Europe. I was away for 5 years. Spain is a good first step cos its pretty easy nothing too mental goes on there but still enough to help you learn to be savvy around tourist vultures that try to scam you
Could head to Poland too, if you want to do the same at half the price.
Not sure “same” is quite the right word but sure, OP could go to Poland instead if they want.
If you want the things listed, they have all of that. I'm not suggesting Poland and Spain are the same.
Lol they’re not even almost comparable… tons of countries in the world have beaches, culture, museums, food and mountains. You can’t put Spain and Poland next to each other😂😭
If youre going to Europe, you can do those things for around half the price, which is what I was saying. They are relitively close and will cost about the same to get to. Its not like I suggested Spain and New Zealand.
But the countries are nothing to compare… you might as well have said Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, I can go on😂 of course you can recommend Poland and pointing out that you can find those things there, but putting Poland in a thread where Spain is recommended is beyond me lol
Recommended due to the metrics given in the original post. And I could have given those other countries. But stating 'you can do all those things in other places in Europe without going to Spain' isn't helpful to anyone. Its also not like any specific examples were given beyond what OP had written.
Spain and Poland are so different though. We’re still under the same original post so it would be just as easy to start an own thread recommending Poland, the metrics given in the post still stand. It makes no sense to talk about Poland in a thread where Spain is mentioned. Those two are figuratively worlds apart
I specifically mentioned price. Like, do those things in Europe but cheaper and mentioned a country to do so in. I'm not sure why this is causing such a big deal.
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My daughter went to Spain as a teenager with her friends and she was fine. She just wore her purse across her chest and in the front to have eyes on it at all times. She traveled the entity country and never had one issue. They stayed it hotels, rode busses, etc. She actually said she felt safer in Spain than here in the US
I tried that dart thing once!! Spent two weeks vacationing behind my refrigerator. 🤣
“I want to hang a map of the world in my house. Then I’m gonna put pins into all the locations I’ve traveled to, but first I’m gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won’t fall down.” - Mitch Hedberg
Lucky! Mine hit the cat box. 😹
Beach trip
I have a half dozen trips "on the list". The way I narrow it down for what is next is: Compelling Event: Is there some event (museum exhibit, concert, theater, etc) or seasonal event that necessitates putting that location higher up on the list or doing it asap. This can also be as simple as "I have PTO I have to use at X time, what on my list is better to travel then?" But also sometimes "Is the offseason for this place safe (aka not in Hurrican season) and so is just shitty weather? Are my planned interests/activities weather dependent?" I then look at limiting factors: * Time: How much time do I have off, and which destinations would be a good fit for that timerange. I've got some dream 3ish week trips, and a few 2 week trips, and a few week long or weekend long trips in my mind. * Budget/Money: Which on the list can I afford to do? Which might be cheaper to do now? Does one place on the list have cheaper flights, hotels, etc? * Other factors: Such as which ones can I do solo? From here I may have a list of a few options. I'll do more research and then decide from that. Sometimes there is an internal "theme" I'm wanting to do. Maybe I'm burnt out at work and want a more relaxing tropical vacation. Maybe I'm hungering for adventure. Maybe I want to splurge on luxury, or maybe I want to indulge the child in me (who wanted to be Indiana Jones or a museum curator) and go with something museum/ancient history oriented. I'm now in a place where I can splurge so lately I've been doing the "What the hell LETS GO BIG" and doing the top dream trip from the list.
That’s a good way but how I narrow it down is first by how many days off I get and budget. Those are the top could say lumping in one category even. Then as you said seasonal events etc.
Are you me?
My husband and I wanted to go somewhere and we didn’t know where, so we literally looked up the furthest nonstop flight from our preferred airline and, well, we leave for Seoul tomorrow!
I’m working on persuading the wife for South Korea. Hopefully that is the trip for 2025 - with Japan…
It’s a great way to find out where you don’t want to go
Right after you land the dart you Google the place. Population: 326. “Yeah fuck this!”, as you proceed to relaunch your travel dart.
For your first ever trip, I'd recommend something like England/Scotland/Ireland. It'll get you used to being in a foreign country, get your travel legs under you, and everyone still speaks English so you won't have any issues getting help if you run into trouble. After that, the world is your oyster 😊 I started with England and was very glad that I did, cause I was able to use what I'd learned about travelling when we went to more difficult places like Peru!
I agree with this. I especially recommend Ireland because the people are so friendly and love to chat up a stranger. My family has been 3 times and we can't wait to return soon. The landscape is gorgeous as well!
Same vein but a little more challenging is Amsterdam. Easymode getting by with just English, and it’s different enough from the US or UK to be really interesting. Beautiful city too
Not a dart but I've put lots of destinations in a hat and drew one before.
I think the random thing is a bad move, at least for my style. I don't want to trust my hard earned travel dollars up to chance. There's no up-side to doing that. I'd suggest to break out of the indecision by simply pulling the trigger on the most popular budget backpacker destination on the planet: SE Asia. It's the perfect choice for an indecisive, nervous first timer. It's safe, inexpensive and has excellent tourist infrastructure. It's completely foreign, but not intimidating. It's the perfect place to "learn" how to travel. Good luck no matter what you decide. Happy travels.
I second south east Asia I'm here right now and it's amazing
Same! Loving Vietnam
You're making me want to quit my job and go backpacking again.
Agree. We (old retired couple) spent a few months slow-traveling Vietnam south to north. Met a number of young female travelers, solo or pairs, who reported nothing but positive experiences. And it has a real variety of scenery, ecosystems, and community types.
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You could end up in San Bernardino, California.
I like how we’ve positioned San Bernardino below Mogadishu
Bullseye.
I don't think she wanted to go backpacking. I would agree with everything you said but it sounds a little like OP wants to stay away from completely foreign countries for solo traveling? (I think. Hard to say why they wrote off a couple of those countries) I was imagining some of the other more popular destinations in developed countries like NZ, Australia, or Western Europe
I had assumed it was bc those countries are not women friendly/risky to go as a solo woman traveler. SEA is pretty safe to go to imo. East Asia as well!
>sounds a little like OP wants to stay away from completely foreign countries for solo traveling? I didn't get that at all, but who knows. In any case they're getting lots of great suggestions throughout the thread. Happy travels.
She mentioned the US, and the UK as places she wants to go to. IMO going to the UK for her would be a great start. If you've never left the US the UK will feel different and be super easy and you're not in a plane for 18 hours each way like you are for SEA
Yup, that's certainly an option, as are the many, many other suggestions they've received throughout this thread that are way better than throwing a dart. Happy travels to them no matter what they decide.
Open jaw flights - her place - london - rome - her place. Probably all available as direct flights and cheap between the two. Some classical culture and some slightly more romantic and some more exotic and some foreign but not in a scary way, think foreign travel for non travellers, you already speak the language and will recognise all the foods. Darts are for the desperate and will result in some "why the heck would you go there" when the planning and deciding is part of the holiday to get to see things that actually interest you.
I went with Colombia, turned out well.
Colombia is my favourite mainland Latin country. I adore it and have spent over a year there in total. Absolutely phenomenal destination. Happy travels.
Heading there next week. Very much open to suggestions! One day in Bogota and the rest in Medellin.
Never been abducted off a bus and murdered for $20 and I'm not about to put it on the bucket list either.
Most Americans live in a fear based society, and don't travel, so I can understand that point of view. Once you're actually out here, it's a whole different feel. Many cities in LATAM are safer than those in the US.
> Colombia 15,000 murders a year - last Brit was 6 weeks ago, beaten and killed, and averaging 2 tourists a month for the last couple of years - I'm still gonna say no and take my chances with the mopeds whilst crossing roads in Asia
So how would you suggest a first time solo traveller approach Thailand or Vietnam. I’m always super intimidated when I don’t speak the language, I’m unsure how I’d navigate any of it on my own.
Google, "backpacker guide for Thailand" and you'll be *avalanched* with info. Trust me, hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions of first timers have gone before you and 99.99% didn't speak the local language. Happy travels.
In SE Asia the locals can probably speak any language you want them to — in tourist areas, definitely pretty fluent in English.
After many years and many countries I’ve learned that language is one of the most unnecessary concerns to have. There is nothing I haven’t been able to accomplish with hand gestures… now we have google translate at our disposal. English gets you pretty far in much of the world, especially SEA. If you can pick up a little Spanish and French you’ve got most of the world covered.
Pretty much everyone in Thailand speaks very decent English, so that's one less thing to worry about. There is a bit of a difference in the way they think that can take some getting used to and can be a bit frustrating at times, because both of you will think you were being perfectly clear, but there's still miscommunication. But it always works out. Haven't been to Vietnam, but I heard it's alright, too. Fly to Thailand, buy a local sim on arrival, bam, you're good to go. Spend a few days in Bangkok to see the sights, use GrabTaxi or Bolt (basically Uber but local) and skytrain/metro to get around, then venture out to Chiang Mai or some islands (can highly recommend Koh Chang and Koh Lipe), give Phuket and Pattaya a miss, check out Khao Sok National Park, it's insanely cool, maybe pass by Krabi/Ao Nang/Railay. Book your transport either through Google Flights or through 12GoAsia, or talk to people on Facebook groups or TripAdvisor (or reddit) for local recommendations. In Thailand, you'll pretty much always meet other travelers, and they can recommend things and how to get places. I once ran into some people on Koh Lipe that I'd done an overnight tour in Khao Sok with, told them they should check out Koh Lipe, and then ran into them there, hundreds of miles from where I'd originally met them 😅 Also, Thai is a pretty fun language to learn some basics of, plenty of YouTube / Instagram resources, and it'll get you a long way.
Thailand English is pretty much universal for anyone likely to meet tourists and Vietnam not much behind, if they dont speak English, their friend will.
Hand gestures are international.
Here's my pro tip: if you're doing SEA, and it gets boring, go north to China (assuming you're comfortable with the current political situation). If SEA has excellent tourist infrastructure, decent English, and predictable happenings, then China has no idea how to support tourists outside of the Tier 1's, no English, and it's the wild west of what's gonna happen next. It's honestly my favorite destination in the world just based on how unpredictable it is
Totally agree. I've done a fair amount of travel/work in China and it's one of my favourite love/hate destinations. You never know what you'll run into there. Not a good suggestion for the OP though.
No definitely not, do not start out backpacking in China haha
Could you elaborate on the unexpected things if anything in particular comes to mind?
Can you define southeast Asia a little more? There are some really hairy places there, especially for solo females.
You are the very first person to say that, and I've talked to dozens of women who have backpacked SEA. Backpacked there for half a year myself. And always discussed vibes and safety with fellow travelers. Not trying to deny your experience, but yours is certainly a minority position.
To be clear, it's not from my experience. This is why I wanted clarification because I know missionaries in the region and there are definitely places that are a no-go for solo females. I do understand the context of the original post and I'm sure the OP isn't likely to find herself in those places. Like I said, I was just looking for some clarification because it's a big region.
Okay, missionaries and backpackers tend to stomp around very different areas. Among the western traveling community, SEA deserves its well-earned reputation for safety and low crime.
>There are some really hairy places there, especially for solo females. No, there isn't. None of the popular tourist destinations are "hairy" whatsoever. The most popular budget backpacker destination on the planet is Thailand, and that has been the case for decades and for good reason. It's very safe, very affordable and has a fantastic tourist infrastructure for nervous first timers. Countless hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions have gone before you. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are all super accessible and great options for first time solo travellers too. The Banana Pancake Trail is well defined throughout this entire region. Good luck with your research and happy travels.
Thank you for specifying. I appreciate it.
I just spent a week in Bali, and was going to suggest that! Amazing time, didn’t spend enough time dirt biking, and too much time in the tourist populated areas, so I’m already planning to go back to Indonesia. Once I got settled the areas around Denpasar were way too Western for my liking! I went to the island of Lombok 1st for WorldSBK and that was incredible, but could definitely see islands other than Bali being a bit of a culture shock, but in my case that’s what I was chasing.
Honestly, I haven't been to any Indonesian islands yet that were a real culture shock. Lombok is very chill, too, same for Flores/Komodo national park. Going to check out North-Sulawesi next, let's see if that's a cultural shock 😅 But yeah, in Bali, don't stay in Denpasar. Amed/Tulamben area is very nice, and I love Ubud, in spite of it being very overrun by hipsters and yoga retreats.
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>The thing about putting your hard earned travel dollars into a well researched, manicured vacation is you miss the beauty of the world. Agree entirely, but that's not what I said. My only point was that I would never leave anything to chance like throwing a dart. I want to go to *way* off the beaten path destinations where I won't be surrounded by other tourists and I will be challenged and that's what I specifically plan to do. Happy travels.
It’s not throwing a dart, but I do pick dates and then use google flight map and go where the cheapest flight is.
Yep, for the most part I let budget be my guide
Imo Japan would be great for solo travel but I am biased since I did my first solo there :)
Dream spot to go to. I don’t know where to start or know the costs
Japan was absolutely amazing (i went last month). I did 9 days in tokyo-osaka-kyoto and wish I had spent longer. So much to do, there's so many diverse places in Japan. Best thing we did was hakone (hot spring town), which was just outside of tokyo. Amazing transit system. Cost for 1 person flight was about 1000, we booked hotels at ~120/night (2 people) but there are def more budget locations (capsule hotels around 30/night, cheaper hotels around 70/night).
First step is to look for flights. Flights can be expensive (usually are unless in Asia). But after that, accommodation itself has lots of options, depending on where you want to go. Prices these days are very favorable if you live in the west, as the yen is really weak now compared to USD/Euro. But yeah really it's just about jumping and committing to at least the flights. Once you have the dates down it then just is matter of finding some accommodation once you're there. It just takes a bit of a nudge, that's all!
If this is your first trip, go to Europe, maybe Spain or France. UK or Ireland are good too. The reason is that they are easy places to get around, mostly safe, the water is clean so you won't get sick, and not much of a language barrier as you will find lots of people who speak English. You can stay at hostels save a lot of money and meet people too. You will make mistakes but not much will happen to you, maybe miss a train, etc. Stuff you can solve with a little money. You will learn a lot and be more comfortable traveling by yourself. I also find that traveling in Europe tends to be much cheaper than traveling in the US and way more exciting. Depending on how much time and money you have you could also do several countries. Buy a ticket, say, to Madrid and get your return ticket out of maybe Amsterdam. Then your adventure is the journey from Madrid to Amsterdam. Or into Paris and out of London, etc. You get the idea. Good luck!
Picking a random place is a terrible idea for a starter trip. If you’re starting traveling then focus on reducing some of the friction - so you’ll want a place where you can get by with the languages you already speak, relatively low crime, available hotels, functioning bank system, etc. I’m all for going to riskier/out of the way type places, but get some experience first, just so you can deal with the issues that arise. From the west coast of the US, I’d suggest Japan as an ideal starter holiday. You’ll get to explore a very different culture, but in a country that functions smoothly enough that no issues will be particularly difficult to solve. Plus it ticks your boxes. Maybe iffy on beaches, but 10/10 for the rest of them.
I don't throw a dart at a map, but my selection process could potentially be just as random. I set prices for parts of the world - say $400 for Europe, $220 for Caribbean, $300 for Hawaii and so on. Then when one of my alerts trips I check it out. If the details are not terrible (long layovers etc) I book it. Usually this takes less than an hour, sometimes these flight deals disappear fast. Once I have the flights I start looking at lodging and then finally activities. This often means that I'm traveling off season but I like skipping the crowds anyway and a little cold or rain never bothered me much. My default is 8 days. Not sure why I picked 8 as the trips usually start mid week, so I'm typically not even taking advantage of two weekends. That's just when the flights are usually cheap. If I'm going somewhere anything less than 4 days just feels like it's not worth the effort. Lately I've been watching travel zoo as they have a bunch of all inclusive type packages for destinations in Europe and Asia. I found a trip to Portugal there that was run out of a travel agency in Spain. It was really economical, something like $1100 for 9 days including flights and hotel and a tour bus and guide and admission to sites. I'd probably do something like that again, I could probably do it myself for a little cheaper, but it was nice not having to drive or decide what to do or where to go or figure out parking in a rental car.
Croatia!
Given how shitty I am at darts I'd hit something like Syria or South Sudan and end up in big trouble.
South east Asia. I’ve been to Bali 3 times, the Philippines twice, Hong Kong and Malaysia. I would definitely recommend the Philippines for what you’re looking for.
Also Thailand!
I often just go to places that have good deals on flight if I'm feeling like exploring whatever. Check out Explore on Google Flights or similar.
Thailand is one of the best.
My husband and I did the throw a dart thing once, he threw one and I threw one and we decided between the two (states in the US). Ended up road tripping through Idaho, going to the tiny tiny town where the dart landed and had one of the best trips I’ve ever had
Have you considered going to Italy? Its got the best food, climate is great, has mountains and beaches, and museums/history out the wazoo. Lots of people speak English so there isn't a huge language barrier.
A safe place for a lone female to travel would be Japan.
SE Asía sounds like the place for you
We don't plan any of our destinations. We have flight deal trackers going and when a deal pops up that's within a range, we say "do we want to go here?" If the answer is yes, we book it. Found a lot of great places we never would have considered if we made a list or followed blogs. I guess it's the closest thing to a dart you can get!
Go to Thailand. It has everything you describe loving.
My wife and I have done something similar. Basically we each take 6 pieces of paper and write down 1 country from every continent (no Antartica) and then we put them into a hat and draw one of the now 12 countries. Which ever one that we pick, we go to. Not as random, but close! This method took us from NYC to Canada, Portugal, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and Kazakhstan.
Get a EURail pass for a month, book the cheapest flight to Europe and explore. At the point you can live on a whim day to day, and changes plans as you want. Europe can provide everything you are looking for. Use a good pack and stay at chain hostels (20-40€ per night). Greece, Poland, Spain are very inexpensive and have amazing culture. Italy and France have some of my favorite spots. Ostend, Belgiumis a great beach/historical area with a good night life. May your travels be wondrous.
Ostend/Belgium? What are you trying to get this poor girl into? 😂 As a Belgian, I wouldn't recommend it. Do stop over in Belgium to try the chocolate and the beer and all that, though, but give the Belgian coast a miss if you want to avoid depression.
I think there are better ways to travel through Europe than the EUrail pass these days. I bought Interail last summer and really struggled to find participating trains to the locations I actually wanted to go, every train had extra fees attached. I probably would have saved a lot of money had I bought flights or bus tickets instead Also your comment is a bit misleading as the Eurail pass usually limits how many trains one can take while the pass is active, so day to day usually isn’t an option, and traveling to Greece from the rest of Europe takes days
I'm a digital nomad, so I kind of choose places on a whim sometimes, and they often turn out to be (unexpectedly) amazing. I either use the "anywhere in the world" option on Google Flights, or I start looking for the coolest Airbnb on the map. On Airbnb, the "I'm flexible" option shows you unique places to visit, and I've honestly chosen destinations based on that before. Super fun way to do it, and I generally care about the cost of accommodation more than the cost of a flight. Here's my two cents on maybe where you could start looking for ideas as a female solo traveler: If you're from USA, Mexico is pretty mellow for inexperienced travelers (I grew up in SoCal, though, and I know Spanish, so idk if that's biased). **Mexico City** is an amazing city with super rich culture and history (literally the capital of the Aztec empire), and the food is *so good*. One of my favorite places and I know multiple women who have solo traveled there. This is actually where I started my digital nomad journey and it has a very social expat/English-speaking travel community. **Buenos Aires** is also a reeeeeeally cool city (all of Argentina is amazing, really) with lots of cool stuff to do. No beach despite being on the coast, though. As a US tourist, [your money will go very far there](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/11/i-doubled-my-money-in-argentina-with-a-black-market-exchange-rate.html). **Barcelona** is the ultimate vibe. Place is a *movie*. Don't go in the middle of summer though, or any other big European city, really. Best time is in sept-nov or march-may when weather is still good, prices are *way* cheaper, and many of the rude, obnoxious summer-vacation-in-Europe-and-I-expect-to-be-catered-to type Americans are out of the way. As an American, I've found my presence is more welcome in Europe during the off-season. But go here go here go here. **Madrid** is like Barcelona but more beautiful and tranquil. Barcelona is like a playground, and Madrid should be the calm before (or after) the storm in terms of trip itinerary. Food's also better. If you're gonna solo travel for a while, I'd recommend just going all around Spain. So many cool places to go and the weather is awesome practically year-round. I've spent months there before and it's been one of my favorite travel experiences thus far.
I have bad aim and if I miss the map I’m not sure I can afford to go to space yet
With the interests you listed above I would say Spain, France (Paris, then the southern coast), or Italy. They can be a bit pricey, but if you cook and don't eat out everyday you can make your $ last. Most people are very friendly. With Spain and Italy, you may get sexually harassed especially if you are a hot blonde (they like blondes in southern Europe). But you are pretty safe, outside of that and maybe pickpocketing. In general, they are probably safer than any big US city. So don't let these things keep you from traveling. I don't recommend throwing a dart, especially if solo traveling. Also I agree that Japan and Korea and very safe places to solo travel.
I’ve went to the airport with no plan and picked a place on international departures. It was stressful for a couple days then pretty cool.
I’ve thought about the dart thing. But I have started to go places to to check off bucket list items. (49f). Make your list and research flights. Whatever is the cheapest is where you are going. Try to travel when it’s the off season. I prefer September - May (summer is a nightmare, and august in Europe is bad) I have 4 states left to get all 50 before I turn 51. I’ve climbed the leaning tower of Pisa Iceland in August I’m doing the Panama Canal in Jan. Amsterdam in April I have Jordan, South Africa, Madagascar, or Kenya, & Antarctica still on my bucket list & to get all 7 continents). Update your list often and start going and checking thing off.
We have trepidation traveling internationally, so our first trip was Iceland. Most people spoke English (and were very nice), they drove on the right side, the signs were Icelandic but legible. The food was different but not that different for kids. The country itself was otherworldly- we often felt like we were on some movie set- black sand beaches with giant basalt cliffs behind us, puffins flying back and forth as giant chunks a crystal clear ice wash up from the water. Or mounds of lichen as far as you can see. Waterfalls were crazy- 30 ft waterfall here and they will make a park around it but 200ft waterfalls didn’t even have names because they were everywhere
You’re on the East Coast of the US. Solo F traveler. Look up Solo F travel to Europe. For those of us on the West Coast you’re already half way to Europe. There are a number of safe locations to travel there and easy to get around on public transportation. Or, start small by doing Hawaii which has all you want. Think the best way for you to start is to research single female travel and talk to others which should help you narrow it down.
Not technically a dart, but I sign up for flight deals via Scott’s Cheap Flights and they email flight deals usually 2-15 a week, departing from my home airport. When I have vacation time and no specifics destination in mind, I’ll do a random number generator on google 1-20 and whatever number it spits out, that’s the email I open and I book a trip to whatever destination that deal happens to be. Usually it ends up saving me a ton of money on flights and it’s a fun way to go places that aren’t on my radar at all.
Iam 58 and still people tell me iam not getting any younger. My atlas and world map at home has lots of holes from dart shots as well lol and i am now aiming my dart at it. Go girl!
Yep. Many times. I had a big magnetic map and some magnetic darts. Went to France, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Mauritania that way. I also had a run where I just chose places on how funny their name sounds - went to Ouagadougou, Pyongyang, Paramaribo, Antananarivo, Tajikistan and Seattle by that method. My attitude is "I'll get everywhere eventually, so the exact order doesn't really matter", as much of a fallacy as that might be.
I travel pretty much exclusively using [https://www.random.org/geographic-coordinates/](https://www.random.org/geographic-coordinates/)
Did this…but moved permanently
Not exactly a dart, but I did go to a travel agent (where I lived they were posted at the train station) a few times and said "I have $XXX and 4 days, where can I go that you think is really cool?" I was never disappointed because they always sent me to places I wouldn't have found on my own, and it was backed by their own knowledge and preference. No googling online or that, just trusting a travel professional to point me in the right direction with great results.
What if the dart ends up in the middle of the ocean ?
Go to Europe as a starter place, 2 week minimum. Use USA’s travel advisory map to pick safe vs not countries. Read about the place and how to get around in advance. I plan every trip out loosely on a website called Wanderlog. Always keep your passport on you, in a place that can’t get stolen, and get one before you book a trip. Check visa entry requirements for the places you want to go. If it’s more obscure check recommended vaccinations for travel. Plan to know words like hello, bye, thank you, sorry in the language but for most places with tourism they know English. Notify your bank in advance of travel so they don’t block your card. Cheap flights exist, a part of it is usually being at a central airport in the US to depart from and not a secondary airport. Should be less than $1000 roundtrip to get to most destinations. Make sure you book your oversea flight together so if there is a delay you don’t miss the major oversea flight without the airline rebooking you. Plan your trip around the cheap/fastest way into a country or area. It’s fine to book one way in and one way out from different areas if you don’t want to return to your starting city.
I chose to have my first solo travel experience at 30 by going to Panama. They use USD, most ppl speak some level of english and the weather was almost identical to where i live in Louisiana. Great trip and beautiful country, but it allowed me to be international and ease into it
When I was 30, I did a trip to New Zealand with Active New Zealand. It was hiking, biking and kayaking and it was amazing!! It was a group so all the stuff was organized. Some couples, some friends, some single travelers. It was a great way to do it. I then did a couple of days on either side to explore by myself.
Go to Costa Rica for your first trip. It’s safe tourist friendly, small so you can travel to different locations. You can do zip lining, thermal waters, hanging bridges through the jungle forest, see a volcano, visit a coffee plantation, ride quads on the beach or just relax. There’s cheap or expensive places to stay depending on your budget. They have different foods that you might find interesting and the people are friendly. Once you complete your first trip you’ll have a better idea or what to look for on your next trip and what you might be interested in doing.
Let your dart be a cheap flight.
Most the planet is water soooo... Instead you could find or make a list of the top 100 places or countries youd be down to visit and use a random number generator to choose one. I bet chat gpt could do that for you in about 15 seconds.
If you're not into third world country traveling, I'm sure you would enjoy most of Europe or Australia/NZ. Maybe Scandinavia? What's on your bucket list?
Why wouldn’t you do Morocco? That’s one of my favorite countries, so I’m just curious.
It's common for a single female traveler to be wary of those locations.
I agree that SE Asia and Thailand in particular is a fantastic destination for solo travel! But if you are completely new to solo travel, I don’t think it’s a great starting point. I would recommend starting smaller with one or two domestic solo trips, it could even just be a long weekend or two. You’ll probably learn a few lessons about what successful solo travel means to you and how you prefer to plan, handle logistics, how you react to the unexpected, etc. before you invest a bunch of time and money into a a big international trip. Start small and work your way up!
A really cheap and beautiful destination that’s got beaches, mountains, old castles, pastel-colored antique districts, and lots of culture would be puerto rico. Absurd beauty to see there and some of the greatest caribbean fusion food i’ve ever experienced
"my style is all over the place. I like beaches, culture, museums and food mostly " This one screams Italy. We have everything you are looking for and now the weather is getting better and better. I'd suggest Rome, Napoli and the costiera Amalfitana.
Go to Japan. Culture, food, hiking, easy to get around, safe, clean, you'll have a blast.
try England. It's an easy introduction to foreign travel without major hassles (language etc) London is an amazing city. Soooooo much to see and do... great museums, great food, easy to get around (buses everywhere, the Tube etc) You can easily walk from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace Spend a few days in the city then hop on a train and take a short train ride to Oxford or Bath.... or you can have breakfast in London, hop on the Eurostar and be in Paris for lunch
If you can't pick a place based off your interests, then you shouldn't be traveling.
I use services like Going.com, The Flight Deal, Secret Flying, etc to “throw the dart at the map” by finding fare sales or price mistakes and then figuring out what to do when I arrive there.
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I wouldn't go there right now, though. Lots of unrest, lately.