Best Places to Solo Travel – All 193 Countries Ranked (2024)
[1-19] | [20-39] | [40-59] | [60-79] | [80-99] | [100-119] | [120-139] | [140-159] | [160-193]
How I Created the Ultimate List of the Best Solo Travel Destinations
Here are the 15 factors I’ve used to order all 193 countries (as recognised by the UN) and determine the best places for solo travel in the world:
- Accommodation availability: The number of properties listed on Booking.com in each country. The higher the amount of accommodation available, the higher the country scored.
- Average accommodation rating: The average rating of the top 20 properties (if available) on Booking.com in each country. Properties were sorted on Booking.com by the filter “Top Picks for Solo Travellers”. The higher the average accommodation rating, the higher the country scored.
- Average accommodation price: The average price of the top 20 properties (if available) on Booking.com in each country. Properties were sorted on Booking.com by the filter “Top Picks for Solo Travellers”. The lower the price, the higher the country scored.
- Number of attractions: The number of attractions listed on TripAdvisor in each country. The higher the number of attractions, the higher the country scored.
- Average rating of top attractions: The average rating of the top 15 attractions in each country as per Google reviews. The higher the average rating, the higher the country scored.
- Average number of attraction reviews: The number of Google reviews for each of the top 15 attractions in each country. The higher the number of reviews, the higher the country scored.
- Average price of paid attractions: The average price of the top 15 attractions in each country as per Google reviews. The lower the average price, the higher the country scored.
- Number of day trips available: The number of day trips listed on TripAdvisor in each country. The higher the number of day trips available, the higher the country scored.
- Average cost of a day trip: The average price of the top 10 day trips in each country as per TripAdvisor. The lower the average cost, the higher the country scored.
- Number of multi-day group tours available: The number of group tours listed on Tour Radar in each country. The higher the number of group tours available, the higher the country scored.
- Average number of days for a group tour: The average number of days that the top 10 group tours on Tour Radar last. This had no effect on the score the country received.
- Average cost of a group tour for solo traveller (and average cost per day): The average cost of the top 10 group tours on Tour Radar. The lower the average cost per day, the higher the country scored.
- Cost of transport: The average cost of public transport (buses, planes, ferries, taxis) in each country as per the World Bank (2017). The lower the average cost, the higher the country scored.
- Number of national parks and protected lands: The percentage of the terrestrial landmass designated as a national park or protected as per the WDPA. The more protected land, the higher a country scored.
- Safety index score: The safety index score for tourists as provided by Travel Safe Abroad (where a score directly was not available, a score was adapted from Travel-Advisory.info). The higher the safety score, the higher the country scored.
Each of the 15 data points above was designated a score out of 10. Accordingly, each country has been designated a score out of 100 (using the appropriate mathematical formula).
The “Best Overall” score does not take into account the cost of accommodation, attractions and transport. It is a good score to sort by if you are not overly concerned about the cost of your solo trip.
The “Best Value” score does take into account the cost of accommodation, attractions and transport. It is a good score to sort by if you are wanting to minimise the costs of your solo trip.
The Best (and Worst) Solo Holiday Ideas
There you have it – the ultimate list of the best countries in the world to travel alone!
If you are not concerned about cost, the ten best solo holiday ideas are Croatia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Spain, Japan, Cambodia, Greece, Romania and Australia.
But if you want to minimise your travel expenses, the ten best solo holiday ideas are Vietnam, Romania, Spain, Cambodia, Egypt, India, Nepal, Germany, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
The 10 worst places to travel alone are Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Yemen, Kiribati, Sudan, Syria, Libya, North Korea and Somalia.
Find More Solo Travel Tips on Nomadic Yak
Find more first-time solo travel tips on Nomadic Yak!
Nomadic Yak helps solo travellers to plan journeys that are adventurous and authentic.
Every article is written by me, Harry Dale. I’ve travelled to 40+ countries over the last 5 years – alone.
You’ll find 100s of solo travel tips on how to save money, make more friends, build a social media following and much more.
Plus, you can use my solo travel destination guides to discover international sights and attractions that few other travellers get to witness.
