Travelling on your own can, for the right person, be a fun and rewarding experience that will enable you to plan the perfect vacation without having to worry about anyone except yourself. It can also be a great way to meet new people, and build friendships that you might not have made if you were travelling with a partner.
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Stay in Hostels
Depending on your age, or how young at heart you are, staying in a hostel can be a fantastic way to meet new people whilst travelling. Modern hostels have become extremely luxurious with speedy wifi, lounge areas, and sometimes top notch bars. They are also typically more professionally run, and either fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view, have a lot more rules in place to ensure everyone is safe, and comfortable.
Regardless of how fancy hostels have become, the hostel environment is still a relaxed place where you can quickly make friendships, and gain inspiration for what to see or where to go from fellow travellers who are always happy to share.
Travel to ‘Safe’ Countries

I had to put the word safe in quotations as everyone’s definition of safe is a little bit different, and if I had followed the ‘safety’ advice of my erstwhile room mate I would never have met my husband. At the end of the day any country can be unsafe, for example I have personally had my bag stolen in Copenhagen when I was celebrating New Years, but I would still consider it to be a safe city.
With that being said, as a solo female traveller, I would recommend travelling to places where you will not stand out as a woman walking around on her own. Realistically in this day and age the vast majority of Western European countries fall into this category. You will definitely find examples of solo females taking on awesome challenges, such as overlanding in Africa on their own or riding a motorbike the whole length of the Pan-American highway. I have a huge amount of admiration for those women, but it is most definitely not easy travelling, and not something I would recommend as your first trip.
If you only speak English, and are looking for a destination that will be both interesting, and also easy as a first time solo female traveller, then I would definitely recommend visiting Scandinavia. Almost everyone in Scandinavia speaks perfect English, so you will not have any issues chatting with the locals. All the Scandinavian countries are also safe, with the normal precautions, and they are all very female friendly which means you will not stand out at all as a solo female traveller.
Use Public Transit

If you plan on travelling around Europe, you will quickly discover that most countries have excellent public transit networks, especially compared to North America. Instead of going through the hassle of renting a car, and trying to navigate tiny streets, and limited parking on your own, I would recommend taking advantage of the public transit network, especially if you plan on visiting a lot of cities. Even if you want to veer off the main path, and perhaps book an airbnb in a hiking area, you will be pleasantly surprised at how often there is a bus connection, even in rural areas. You will definitely need to do some pre-planning, but if you are planning on just staying in one place for a week, then it can make more sense to use public transit rather than renting a car.
With that in mind, for a solo female trip, I would look for countries that have a good public transit system that will enable you to get around easily, not just inside the city but also to explore other towns or cities in that country. France, Switzerland, and Germany all have excellent rail networks that will allow you to travel to almost any town that you want either by train or bus. Switzerland is especially well connected in rural areas through the Post Bus network, and even remote mountain towns will often have a bus service that runs once an hour from the local train station.
Stay Connected With a Travel Sim Card

As a solo female traveller it is important to have a way to communicate in an emergency, but also just to keep your friends and family updated on where in the world you are. Beyond the safety aspect, having an internet connection will make your life a lot easier when travelling. I know we all dream of being tech free, and ‘going off grid’ but the reality is that the world is increasingly set up around smartphones. Even a simple task such as buying a bus ticket will be made much easier if you can download the public transit app for the country or the region, as a lot of bus stops will not have any ticket machines, and increasingly you cannot pay with cash on board. Downloading the local public transit app will also help you plan the route, and often do a better job at finding the best connections compared to Apple or Google maps.
Depending on the phone plan you have at home international roaming may be included, but even when it is included your carrier might reduce your speeds when abroad. If you are planning on travelling for an extended period of time in one country, it probably makes the most sense to buy a local prepaid sim card. If you are travelling for a shorter period of time, you can also look at buying an e-sim card that you can easily purchase, and activate online without needing to install a new physical sim card. Even in a country like Sweden that is known for being expensive, you can get a 100 GB prepaid sim card for less than $35. The one exception to the rule is Germany, which holds the dubious title of having the most expensive, and worst value phone plans, in all of Europe.
Follow Basic Safety Advice

If you are travelling in a female friendly country, then you really just need to follow basic safety advice. For example when talking to strangers outside of your hostel, do not say you are travelling on your own, instead say that you are meeting up with your husband, boyfriend or brother. If someone does try to harass you, or keeps asking you questions, feel free to be assertive, and just say no. If they try to follow you, just walk into a shop and ask the staff for help. If you plan on enjoying the nightlife then you should follow the same basic tips you would at home. Always keep an eye on your drink, and do not accept a drink from strangers unless you have seen it poured at the bar. This is another benefit of hostels, as there’s a good chance you can find a group of people to go out with.
All the above points are important, but the best safety advice I can give is to follow your gut, and trust in your intuition. If a street or person gives you a bad feeling, then just cross the road, or enter a busy shop. You do not need to justify these feelings to yourself, and to a certain degree it is always better to be safe than sorry.
Last but not least, when travelling in Europe you should memorise the number 112, it is the European equivalent of 911, and will get you through to an emergency operator when you dial it in any European country.
Although most European countries have national healthcare, it does not mean that it is free for tourists. Although an emergency hospital visit in Europe is unlikely to set you back the obscene amounts it would in the US, you should still buy travel insurance for your trip, as it will always be cheaper than the medical bills.
Europe is an incredible place to travel, and is also the perfect place to travel as a novice or experienced solo female traveller. If you follow my tips above, I am confident that you will have a fun trip that will leave you with a lot of fantastic memories.
More Travel Guides, Tips & Hacks
Check out these posts on planning an epic trip around Europe. Get helpful travel tips for the best places to visit, top things to do, budget tips to save money, and learn what to avoid, to have an incredible vacation:
- Best Places & Tips for Visiting Europe in the Fall
- 5 Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Slovenia
- 5 Best Tips to Save Money and Travel Switzerland on a Budget
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