What up, guys? I'm Kristin with Be My Travel Muse and welcome to another fantastic video
about solo travel. So, this video is all about the best places in the world that I have found
to travel alone. And I'm a bit of an expert on this topic because I've been traveling
mostly alone for the last seven years, and I've been to every continent except for Antarctica,
which is probably not a great place to travel alone. So, out of all of those places, I have
quite a few places that I think are fantastic for solo travelers, but the 10 on this list
all have either ease, nice price, attraction of other solo travelers, or it's a really
safe place to go. So, without further ado, these are my top 10 best places in the world
to travel by yourself, especially if you're a solo female traveler, beginning with number
10 and ending with my number 1 pick. So, let's start with number 10 and that is Japan.
Why do I love Japan so much for solo travelers? Well, first of all, it's a very well organized,
clean, safe place to travel. So, when you go there, you're going to find that people
are very kind and friendly, will often go out of their way to be helpful to you. At
least that's been my experience there. And the wonderful thing about traveling in Japan
is the culture, it is so unique and so interesting. I remember heading to Harajuku in Tokyo and
just being amazed by the fashion, by the food. I mean, I went to this place called Robot
Cafe and it was just kind of absolutely crazy. And it's not just places like Harajuku, all
over Japan, you're going to see a super unique culture from the shrines that you'll come
across to the amazing, amazing Japanese food. And there's also museums there like the teamLab
Borderless in Tokyo, which I can just stay in all day. I mean, I basically did actually
my first day there. So, if you want to go somewhere that is artsy, interesting and delicious,
Japan fits the bill. The only downsides of Japan, it's not very cheap. And I will say
the Tokyo Metro is like pretty hard to navigate, but don't worry because there's really friendly
people there to help you if you get lost. So, that's number 10. Let's go all the way
over to South America for number 9. So, my number nine pick is Peru.
So, in terms of something that is just going to wow you, Machu Picchu is one of the most
incredible, I think it's an ancient citadel. No one really knows the whole history of it,
but in terms of ancient ruins, it's just so spectacular. And the great thing about it
is if you choose to hike there on the Salkantay Trail or on the Inca Trail, which is what
I did, you can join a group and they're very well organized. The food is really good on
these things, you guys. And so if you know early enough when you're going to go, because
these do tend to book out a year in advance during high season, you can join a group,
trek to this beautiful place and have an amazing time. So, I actually went on a four-day backpacking
trip by myself in Peru, which I don't recommend if it's your first time, but it's just such
a stunning place with so many glaciers, amazing mountains, and blues that I have never seen
in the water before. So, in terms of wonderful places in South America, Peru is awesome.
You can also bus around very easily and there may be some language issues if you don't speak
any Spanish, but I didn't go there speaking very well español. So, I did pick it up and
you can, too. Next on my list is the USA where I'm shooting this video right now.
There's so many places in the USA that are amazing for solo travelers. People might be
surprised that Hawaii, New Orleans, I mean, really any major city in the U.S. can be so
much fun to travel around if you're alone. But in particular for me, I really love the
American Southwest. You've got Utah, Arizona, the amazing deserts and mountains of California,
and if you really want a truly solo adventure going out there, camping and hiking, seeing
the stars, it's just one of the most amazing solo trips I've ever taken. Now, I did sometimes
meet people when I was camping, but for the most part, that is a trip that you will be
doing on your own unless you're going to the really popular national parks like Zion in
Utah or Arches or the Grand Canyon, of course. But when it comes to an amazing adventure
where you can truly come back to yourself and spend some time alone in just endless
expanses without anyone else around, I think the American Southwest is one of the only
places in the world where you can truly do that. Next is Germany.
I admit I'm biased because I did live in Berlin for about four and a half years, but when
it comes to funky, awesome, friendly, once you get to know people, and interesting, Germany
has so much to offer. I mean, you've got the Alps, you've got Oktoberfest, obviously, if
you're into that, you have beautiful and amazing Christmas markets. The nature out there is
just absolutely stunning. And then, of course, I'm a big fan of the capital city of Berlin.
There is always something going on. I mean, this is truly the city that never sleeps.
It's pretty safe for the most part, just watch for pickpockets and that goes for all of Europe.
They're really good. I know, they got me. So...
New Zealand is held by many as one of the most beautiful countries on planet Earth and
I can attest to that. Traveling around New Zealand is easy, very friendly. If you're
an outdoorsy type, there is so much hiking there that is just next-level beautiful. And
if you've got time, definitely explore the South Island and the North Island and get
a camper van and you'll meet so many people that way or if you don't want to do that,
staying in hostels is a great way to meet people. I probably wouldn't do that if I were
in my 30s because it's a younger crowd. I am in my 30s so I wouldn't do that. But you
can always meet people on meetup groups or Couchsurfing. There's a lot of different ways.
Only downside is it's not exactly a cheap place to travel. That's the only thing that
I would say about it, but otherwise, it's very safe and a fantastic place for solo travelers,
especially solo female travelers. So, my next pick is French Polynesia.
Some of you may have never even really thought about going to French Polynesia before, but
it is one of the friendliest places I have ever been. I went for the first time just
a few months ago and I was just amazed by how friendly and sweet and welcoming the locals
were. On my first day there, the guest house owner where I was staying invited me to eat
a meal with his family and I just thought that was so sweet and that just really set
the tone for the trip. People are always saying [foreign language 00:07:01.280], which means
hello and there are plenty of other solo travelers there and they may be there to surf, scuba
dive or swim with all of the amazing sea life. But I find that when there's a shared interest,
like a sport or something like that that brings people to the country, you're in a really
good position to meet other solo female travelers like yourself. It is a really good place to
go if you want to feel truly welcomed. I mean, there is something to be said for Polynesian
culture. Next on my list is Indonesia. So, we're moving into Southeast Asia now because
I believe that this part of the world is truly the best for people who are traveling on their own.
Indonesia is a big country but a lot of people will go to Bali or right next to Bali are
the Gilis and Lombok and the Nusa Islands and these are all great places to travel alone
and to meet other people. You can do amazing scuba diving there, you can do surfing, you
can just enjoy the beaches and it's just a friendly place, especially if you are on your
own and looking to meet other people because tons of people go to Bali. Actually, Bali
welcomed over 7 million visitors last year, so it's not my favorite place to be honest
with you because it doesn't feel that authentic to me anymore. But I do love Lombok. I do
love the Gilis. There's a lot on this channel that can show you how amazing those places
are. The other great thing about Indonesia is it's super cheap. Once you get there, food,
accommodation, a motorbike if you feel like driving yourself around, and activities are
all really affordable. So, I do love that about Southeast Asia. They are definitely
a tourist-friendly part of the world and it's easy enough to communicate because most of
the locals do speak at least a little bit of English if they work in tourism, and I
find it's pretty easy to navigate as well. So, when it comes to solo traveler friendliness,
Indonesia is easy and awesome. Okay, next is the Philippines.
I love the Philippines because the people there make it an amazing place. A lot of them
speak English and they're very, very friendly and welcoming people. I mean, you are hard-pressed
to find people who are more proud of their own country than Filipinos. And whenever I'm
there, I just get so many suggestions on great places to go. People want to take pictures
together, in the more remote places at least, and it is just so stunningly beautiful. It's
also very affordable and I have found that you can find accommodation options, really,
to suit any range, but even when you go higher-end, it's not that expensive. And one of my favorite
things about it is that you almost can't run out of islands to visit. So, I have gone back
three times now because there's just so much to see there and because I just feel so welcomed
every time. The only downside of traveling in the Philippines is logistics. It can be
hard to get around because there are so many islands. So, just keep in mind that you should
pack a lot of patience if you're going to go. All right. We can't talk about awesome
places to travel solo without my number two spot, Iceland.
Iceland is a fantastic place to travel solo because it is regularly ranked the safest
country in the world. I mean, people seriously leave their car running when they go in to
go grocery shopping. Now, that I think about it, that's not the greenest thing to do. But
anyway, that just, I think, illustrates how safe of a country it is and how much people
really trust each other there. And it's really hard to top Iceland in terms of amazing beauty.
I mean, it is just stunning. You've got insane waterfalls, you've got amazing hiking, you've
got the Northern Lights for half of the year and it's just really hard to come up with
a place that is more stunningly beautiful than Iceland. I mean, I was just pulling over,
it felt like, every five minutes in order to take another photo or, like, pet a horse
or to just experience the beauty of Iceland. And it is definitely a very touristy place
to go in the summer, but if you go in a shorter season, you're going to get so much of it
all to yourself and it's truly spectacular. Now, if that scares you, meet up with some
people in Reykjavik, hatch a plan to travel together, rent a car together, a camper van
and go have an adventure. I've got a ton of information on my blog about how you can prep
for a trip to Iceland and the best itineraries as well, so you can hit that in the show notes
below. Okay. So, are you ready for my number one best place in the world to travel solo?
It is... Drum roll. It's Thailand.
In terms of the best places to travel solo because it attracts other solo travelers,
is super affordable, is very tourist-friendly, is easy and has, like, seriously probably
the best food in the world. It's just, you can't beat Thailand. I realized that some
parts of Thailand are very touristy, but you don't have to visit those places. There are
amazing spots up North and also in some of the islands that just don't even get that
much tourism. So, you can go to places like Koh Tao and Ko Pha Ngan if you want to meet
a bunch of people. But if you want to be on your own, you can go to Koh Yao Noi or Koh
Yao Yai and these are just beautiful, stunning places. And if you want to get some action,
you can go to Bangkok. And Chiang Mai is a wonderful place. It's so full of ex-pats,
you're going to meet tons of people.
And then my personal favorite part of Thailand is the northern areas where very few tourists
go. So, I actually rented a car and drove around and saw a bunch of stuff up there so
you could always meet some people in Chiang Mai, share a car with them and go on a road
trip. So, I've got a video of some really amazing hidden places in Thailand on this
channel as well for you to check out.
So, I hope this video helps you to pick some places to travel solo. I hope it helps you
to think about some attributes a place can have that make it wonderful for a solo traveler
and if it's your first time or whatever, your 50th time traveling solo, I have so much information
on my blog for you and I've got a free solo female traveler checklist that you can get
when you sign up for the email list. So, that is also in the show notes below. I hope that
you found this video helpful. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for being here. Thank
you for traveling the world because I think it makes us all better human beings.