There’s a particular kind of joy in landing somewhere new with nobody to please but yourself. You eat when you’re hungry, linger in the gallery as long as you like, and say yes to the sunset boat trip without checking with anyone. More women than ever are doing exactly that, and solo holidays for women now range from a long weekend in Lisbon to a trek in the Himalayas with a female guide. It’s easier than you’d think, and you’ll be in very good company!
This guide covers both sides: the best destinations for going it alone, and the tours that do the organising for you.
Why are solo holidays for women so popular?
Because women are the ones booking them. Intrepid says women now make up over half of its travellers, its Women’s Expeditions range grew by 32% in 2025, and 77% of the women on those trips joined solo. Just You, the UK solo specialist, says about three-quarters of any of its groups is female.
The reasons are simple enough. Friends can’t get the same dates, partners don’t fancy the trip, or you’d simply rather travel solo and do it your way. There’s the independence too, and the confidence that comes from finding your own way round a new city, ordering in a language you don’t speak and realising you can handle it.
A small group gives you instant company and someone else to sort the transfers, while travelling solo and independently gives you complete freedom. Neither is better.
Women-only tours or a mixed solo group?
An all-female tour suits you if you’d feel more relaxed in a group of women, or if you’re heading somewhere where it helps to have a female leader, as on Intrepid’s trips to Morocco or India. A mixed solo group, where everyone is travelling alone, is just as sociable and has far more departures to choose from.
| Company | All-female | Own room included | Group size | Example trip (checked October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intrepid Women’s Expeditions | Yes | No | Up to 12 | Morocco, 8 days, from £915 |
| Solos women-only tours | Yes | Yes | Small group | Puglia and Greece, 2027 |
| Just You | No | Yes | Up to 20 | Walking in Tuscany, 8 days, from £1,999 |
| Solos | No | Yes | Average 15 | 250+ trips in 60+ countries |
Intrepid Women’s Expeditions
Intrepid’s Women’s Expeditions are “led exclusively by female leaders” and capped at 12 travellers. There are nine to pick from: India, Nepal, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan, Turkey, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Peru. When we checked, Morocco started from £915 for eight days and Sri Lanka from £2,395 for 12, with last-minute reductions on some departures.
Rooms are shared with another woman unless you pay for a single, which keeps the cost down.
Solos women-only tours
Solos, which has been running trips for single travellers for over 40 years, now has women-only tours “led by a female Solos Tour Leader”. Unlike Intrepid, it gives you your own room with no single supplement. Its 2027 programme includes Puglia Uncovered in Italy and Ancient Wonders and Island Hopping in Greece.
Mixed groups that are mostly women anyway
If you don’t mind a man or two in the group, the UK solo specialists open up hundreds more dates. Just You’s small group tours have a maximum of 20 solo travellers, from eight days on Italy’s Cilento Coast (from £2,299) to Morocco’s Imperial Cities and Desert Kasbahs (10 days, from £3,249). Read our Just You review for what’s included, or our Friendship Travel review if a hosted beach or house party holiday sounds more like you.
Over 50? Our guide to singles holidays over 50 compares the companies that suit that age group best.
The best destinations for solo female travellers
A good first destination is safe, easy to get around, and friendly to someone eating alone. The 2026 Global Peace Index, which ranks 163 countries, is a useful starting point: Iceland came top again, followed by New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Singapore, Finland and Japan. Here’s how some favourites compare from the UK.
| Destination | Why it works alone | Flying time from London | Good first trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | Walkable cities, trams and trains, easy beaches on the Algarve | About 2.5 to 3 hours | Yes |
| Iceland | Top of the Global Peace Index; day tours from Reykjavik | About 3 hours | Yes |
| Slovenia | Small, green and easy by bus and train | About 2 hours | Yes |
| Ireland and Scotland | English spoken, welcoming pubs, rail and coach tours | About 1 to 1.5 hours, or train | Yes |
| Italy | Florence and Rome are compact; trains link everything | About 2 to 2.5 hours | Yes |
| Japan | Very low crime and superb public transport | About 14 hours | No |
| New Zealand | Second in the Global Peace Index; great hiking | 24 hours or more with a stop | No |
| Costa Rica | Wildlife, beaches and plenty of small group tours | About 11 hours | No |
Flying times are typical for direct or one-stop flights and vary by airline and route.
Portugal: the easy first trip
Lisbon is made for wandering. Ride the old yellow trams up towards the castle, stop for a custard tart, then take the train out to Sintra or along the coast to Cascais for the afternoon. Porto is smaller and just as walkable, with a riverside full of cafés, and the Algarve has long sandy beaches if you want to switch off. Food is good value, the trains are cheap, and a solo female traveller won’t stand out at all.
Iceland and Slovenia: nature without the nerves
Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world according to the Global Peace Index, and Reykjavik is small enough to learn in an afternoon. Day tours run out to the waterfalls, glaciers and hot springs, so you don’t need to hire a car.
Slovenia gives you lakes, mountains and a pretty capital in Ljubljana, all within easy reach of each other by bus.
Spain, France and Croatia: sun, food and islands
Spain is the place to master dining alone as a solo female traveller, because nobody blinks at a woman on her own at a tapas bar. Paris is just over two hours from London on the Eurostar, with museums, markets and walkable neighbourhoods. Croatia is perfect for island hopping, and Just You’s eight-day Croatian Island Explorer on a small motor yacht, for no more than 20 guests, starts from £3,599.
City breaks for a first time alone
Short on time? A city break is the gentlest first trip of all.
- Prague: a compact old town that’s easy on foot, and One Traveller suggests its six-day Prague trip as a first solo holiday.
- Paris: just over two hours from London on the Eurostar, with markets, galleries and cafés made for people-watching.
- Edinburgh: no flight needed, a friendly, walkable city and plenty of tours for a solo traveller.
- Copenhagen: safe, flat and bike-friendly, with welcoming food halls where nobody minds you sitting alone.
Japan, Thailand and Bali: further afield
Save these for your second or third trip, or join a tour. Japan’s trains run like clockwork and dining alone is completely normal, with counter seats in ramen bars made for one. Thailand and Bali have been on the backpacker trail for decades, with friendly hostels for the solo traveller on a budget, island beaches, cheap street food and wellness retreats where most guests arrive on their own.
New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Costa Rica
English-speaking New Zealand, Australia and Canada take the language worry away for a long haul adventure, with superb hiking and road trips. Costa Rica is a natural fit for a small group, with rainforest lodges and turtle beaches that are easier to reach with a guide.
For something more active, our pick of exciting solo adventure holidays has more ideas.
How do you stay safe travelling alone as a woman?
Staying safe as a solo female traveller is mostly common sense you already use at home. The government’s advice for women travelling abroad is worth ten minutes before any trip, and every country page in the FCDO’s travel advice has a safety and security section.
- Research the local rules and customs, including how women are expected to dress in religious sites.
- Book your first night’s accommodation before you leave and try to arrive in daylight.
- Share your itinerary and hotel details with someone at home.
- Keep an eye on your drink. The FCDO warns drugs can be added without you noticing, even to soft drinks.
- Carry a charged phone, a little local cash and an offline map.
- Trust your gut. If a place or a person feels wrong, leave.
- Buy travel insurance as soon as you book, not the week before.
Nervous on a first time abroad alone? A small group tour takes most of these worries away, because the hotels, transfers and late-night arrivals are all handled for you. You’ll still have free time to explore on your own.
Going out at night? Ask your hotel which areas are best for nightlife and how to get back, and book the taxi through the hotel or an app rather than hailing one in the street.
How much does a solo trip cost?
Less than you might fear, if you pick the right style. Intrepid’s eight-day Women’s Expedition in Morocco started from £915 when we checked, with a shared room, while Just You’s small group tours start from around £2,000 for eight days with your own room and many meals included. Travelling solo and independently, the biggest cost is usually accommodation, because hotels often price a single room close to a double. Hostels with private rooms, guesthouses and apartments keep it down, and the cost of food is far lower if you eat at markets and cafés at lunchtime.
The single supplement is the hidden cost to watch.
Your solo trip checklist
- Read the FCDO travel advice for your destination
- Buy travel insurance that covers solo travel and activities
- Book the first night’s accommodation and the airport transfer
- Share your itinerary with a friend or family member
- Save copies of your passport and insurance to your phone
- Download offline maps and a translation app
- Pack a scarf or cover-up for religious sites
- Get a local SIM or travel eSIM so you’re always online
- Carry a small amount of local cash
- Pack a portable phone charger
Dining alone and meeting people
Eating on your own is the part many women dread most, and it’s usually the part they end up loving. Sit at the bar or the counter rather than a table for two, where it’s easy to chat to the staff or the person next to you. Take a book if it helps.
Want company? Book a food tour, a cooking class or a walking tour on your first day, and you’ll have new friends to share dinner with by the evening. Solo travel Facebook groups and the Reddit solo travel community are full of solo women swapping tips and arranging meet-ups too.
Lunch is the easy win on a budget.
Make it your main meal and you’ll eat well, spend less, and never feel conspicuous.
Solo female travel questions
Is it safe for a woman to travel alone?
In most popular destinations, yes, with the same common sense you’d use at home. Check the FCDO advice for your destination, and consider a small group tour for places that are harder to travel independently.
What’s the best country for a first solo trip?
Portugal, Iceland, Ireland and Italy are all easy, short flights from the UK, with good public transport and plenty of other female travellers on their own.
Do women-only tours cost more?
Not necessarily. Intrepid’s Women’s Expeditions start from under £1,000 for eight days in Morocco, with shared rooms. Solos charges more but includes your own room with no single supplement.
Will I have to share a room?
On adventure tours like Intrepid’s you’ll share with another woman unless you pay for a single. Specialists like Just You and Solos give you your own room as standard.
How do I avoid the single supplement?
Book with a solo specialist that includes your own room, share a twin on an adventure tour, or look for cruise lines with dedicated single cabins. Our guide to singles cruises has the details.
What age are women on solo group tours?
It varies by company. Adventure operators attract all ages, while Just You’s guests are typically in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
Whether it’s a long weekend in Lisbon or a trek in Nepal, your first trip alone is the hardest to book and the easiest to love. Pick a destination that excites you, sort the first night, and go. For more ideas, browse Holiday Alone, where every trip is chosen for people travelling on their own.
