The study by the travel and luggage experts at Bounce analysed countries across the globe on factors such as crime and safety, hostel availability, weather conditions and affordability to reveal the best countries for solo travellers.
You can find the full research here: https://usebounce.com/blog/the-2023-solo-travel-index
The Top 10 Countries for Solo Travel – 2023
| Rank | Country | Attractions (per 100,000 people) | Restaurants (per 100,000 people) | One-way public transport ticket ($) | Food affordability ($) | Nightly hostel stay ($) | Hostels (per 100,000 people) | Hotels (per 100,000 people) | Crime index score /100 | Safety index score / 100 | Average temp (°F) | Annual rainfall (mm) | Solo travel score /10 |
| 1 | Croatia | 208 | 17 | $1.47 | $8.88 | $14.31 | 19.44 | 75.12 | 24.6 | 75.4 | 53 | 1,092 | 7.58 |
| 2 | Malta | 353 | 15 | $1.79 | $16.53 | $15.66 | 10.66 | 353.19 | 42.5 | 57.5 | 67 | 414 | 7.05 |
| 3 | Slovenia | 157 | 14 | $1.43 | $11.02 | $23.40 | 3.96 | 103.18 | 24.2 | 75.8 | 50 | 1,388 | 6.66 |
| 4 | Portugal | 171 | 10 | $1.87 | $9.92 | $17.76 | 5.62 | 34.36 | 31.5 | 68.5 | 61 | 810 | 6.52 |
| 5 | Iceland | 583 | 28 | $3.67 | $18.76 | $35.10 | 6.94 | 474.38 | 24.9 | 75.1 | 35 | 1,141 | 6.36 |
| 6 | Greece | 185 | 25 | $1.32 | $13.23 | $12.77 | 4.35 | 37.27 | 47.0 | 53.0 | 57 | 652 | 6.10 |
| 7 | Hungary | 46 | 6 | $1.03 | $8.83 | $11.93 | 3.52 | 35.29 | 33.9 | 66.1 | 53 | 605 | 6.01 |
| 7 | Spain | 127 | 14 | $1.65 | $13.23 | $21.28 | 2.01 | 16.77 | 35.7 | 64.3 | 57 | 596 | 6.01 |
| 9 | Singapore | 54 | 212 | $1.42 | $8.90 | $35.57 | 0.87 | 13.70 | 29.2 | 70.8 | 82 | 2,254 | 5.74 |
| 10 | Israel | 49 | 3 | $1.62 | $19.20 | $27.14 | 1.31 | 28.89 | 32.6 | 67.4 | 68 | 262 | 5.67 |
Croatia ranks as the best destination for solo travel in 2023. Croatia is home to absolutely stunning natural beauty, from its crystal-clear waters, and scenic national parks, to its beautiful coastal towns – so you will never be short of things to see. The country also boasts 17 restaurants, 208 attractions, 19 hostels and 75 hotels per 100,000 people, while maintaining one of the highest safety scores on our list (75.4/100).
Ranking in second place is Malta. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has exceptional weather, with a high average temperature of 67.3°F and low average rainfall of 414mm per year. Solo adventurers can also take as much time as they like to soak up the fantastic history and culture of the island, with a whopping 353 attractions per 100,000 people.
Rounding off our top three is Slovenia. Slovenia has the beauty of Austria and Switzerland without the tourists and it is also much more affordable, coming in at around $23.40 per night for a hostel. This destination also has a strong safety index score of 75.8, paired with a crime index score of 24.2, making it one of the safest destinations on our list.
Further Study Insights:
- For solo adventurers on a budget, Nepal is your best choice. You can find cheap hostel stays in Nepal for around $3.60 per night.
- Japan has the highest safety rating of the countries we analyzed at 76.9/100.
- Iceland ranks as the country with the most attractions per 100,000 people on our list, so you’ll know you will never be bored traveling solo in this country.
