Travelling Alone in 2026: The Best Solo Destinations, and How to Make a Trip on Your Own Unforgettable

If this is your first time flying alone, Budapest is one of the easiest cities to start with.

It is beautiful without being intimidating, interesting without demanding a packed itinerary, and it combines neighbourhoods you can explore on foot with cafés, food, viewpoints, nightlife and day trips out of the city.

One of the most surprising things about Tokyo is how easy it is to be there alone.

Eating alone?

Completely ordinary.

Sitting at a restaurant counter?

Part of the culture.

Spending a whole day wandering between neighbourhoods barely speaking to anyone?

That works too.

For people whose main worry is the awkwardness of “being alone”, Tokyo can be enormously freeing.

Helsinki is the kind of city where you can simply head out in the morning with no plan.

Walk.

Cycle.

Stop.

Drink a coffee.

Carry on.

The city is built on a very human scale, so a traveller who is there alone never feels they have to “conquer” a list of attractions.

Bangkok is the opposite of Helsinki.

Noise.

Traffic.

Markets.

Smells.

Food on every corner.

Temples.

Skyscrapers.

Rooftop bars.

Boats.

Malls.

But it is precisely all that chaos that makes it such an interesting destination for solo travellers.

Because it is hard to be bored in Bangkok.

Barcelona is especially good for anyone who wants a combination.

City.

Beach.

Food.

Architecture.

Shopping.

Nightlife.

If one day you feel like a museum and the next you want to lie by the sea, you do not have to change destination.

If your worry about travelling alone is:

“how will I manage?”

Singapore is an excellent candidate.

Transport is simple, English is widely spoken, the city is orderly, and moving between areas is easy.

Amsterdam is relatively compact, and its centre is very well suited to wandering.

You can start the day in a museum, carry on along the canals, sit in a café, get on a boat and end with dinner, all without travelling long distances.

A solo trip does not have to be urban.

Iceland draws solo travellers with landscapes that are hard to find anywhere else: waterfalls, glaciers, black beaches, hot springs and lava fields.

Reykjavík can serve as a base, and from there you can join organised tours.

That is an excellent solution for a solo traveller.

By day you join a group for the trip.

In the evening you come back to your own room.

You get both independence and company.

Prague can be an excellent solution for anyone who wants to try travelling alone without setting out on a two-week journey.

The historic centre is compact, a large share of the sights are within walking distance, and the city suits 3-4 days very well.

New York is one of the best cities in the world for anyone nervous about eating, drinking or going out alone.

Because everyone is busy.

Someone sitting alone in a restaurant?

Ordinary.

Someone going to a museum alone?

Ordinary.

Someone buying a single Broadway ticket?

Also ordinary.

If this is your first time, do not choose a destination just because it looks incredible on Instagram.

Look for a destination where you find it easy to function.

If you are worried about being alone:

Budapest or Barcelona.

If you want somewhere orderly and easy:

Singapore.

If you enjoy doing things alone:

Tokyo.

If you want food and adventure:

Bangkok.

If you want nature:

Iceland.

If you want to start small:

Prague.

If you want a city you can disappear into:

New York.

Travelling alone does not feel wonderful every single moment.

There can be an evening when you see a couple beside you and think:

“I wish somebody were here with me.”

There can be a moment when you get lost.

You might order a dish and wish someone could taste it.

And that is fine.

The point of a solo trip is not to prove you need nobody.

The advantage is realising you can enjoy yourself even when every choice is yours to make.

This is one of the questions that troubles new solo travellers most.

The truth?

After the second time you almost stop thinking about it.

But at the start you can make it easier on yourself:

Take a seat at the bar.

Go to a food market.

Ask for a table by the window.

Bring a book.

Or just watch what is going on around you.

In much of the world, nobody even notices that you are alone.

There is no single answer.

Travelling alone does not mean being alone for the whole trip.

You can meet people through:

Food tours

Walking tours

Cooking classes

Day trips

Cycling tours

Diving

Traveller groups

Shared spaces in hotels and hostels

Small bars

Local workshops

The advantage is that you decide when you want company, and when you want to go back to being on your own.

More and more women are choosing to travel alone, but the practical side deserves to be taken seriously too.

Not because the world should be feared, but because a good trip starts with good planning.

Check the hotel's area in advance.

Read reviews that talk specifically about the location.

Check transport at night.

Prefer a place with a staffed reception and available service.

And do not choose an isolated hotel just because it is cheaper.

The “right” destination is not necessarily the one at the top of somebody's list.

It is the one where you feel you can move around with confidence and ease.

You do not have to start with a month in Thailand.

In fact, for a first trip I would choose:

3-5 nights.

Long enough to experience the independence.

Not so long that it feels heavy if you discover solo travel suits you less than you hoped.

After the first trip you will already know whether next time you want four days, or four weeks.

Freedom.

Not the dramatic freedom of the movies.

The small freedom.

Walking into the restaurant you feel like.

Sleeping until 10:00.

Getting up at 06:00.

Standing an hour in front of a painting.

Skipping a museum.

Ordering another dessert.

Changing hotel.

Changing destination.

Going back to the room.

Or suddenly deciding to go out again.

No vote.

No compromise.

No “what do you feel like doing?”

You simply do it.

Probably not.

Some people enjoy an experience mainly when they share it with someone.

And that is fine.

But if for years you have been saying:

“I want to go there, but I have nobody to go with”

perhaps the right question is not when you will find somebody.

But:

do you really have to wait?

A trip alone is not a substitute for a trip with a partner, a family or friends.

It is a completely different experience.

And sometimes the holiday you took alone is the one where you discovered the most, about the place, and about yourself.

The best solo trip is not necessarily the furthest destination.

Nor the most exotic one.

It is the place where you feel comfortable enough to stop thinking about the fact that you are alone, and simply start travelling.

On SherryStay you can choose a hotel by location, budget and travel style, and find a base that works for a solo holiday too.

Because when you travel alone, the hotel is a little more than somewhere to sleep.

It is the place you come back to at the end of the day.

Which is why it is worth choosing well.

Do not book before you have asked Sherry.