Destinations

Thailand is the most popular starting point for solo travel in Southeast Asia, and for good reason

Temples, rooftops, and 24-hour street food

The Old City walkable inside its moat, and cafes that expect a laptop

Limestone cliffs and island-hopping by longtail

Three hours north of Chiang Mai, and walkable end to end in 15 minutes

Srithanu fills with solo women on month-long yoga courses at Orion and Samma Karuna.

Big beaches, busy nightlife, and Thai boxing

Upscale island with spas and coconut groves

Quiet island with hammocks and long beaches

Four-day PADI courses put solo divers with the same group daily; Sairee Beach is the strip.

Hill tribes, white temple, and border culture

Indonesia is 17,000 islands, but the solo travel circuit is smaller than it sounds

Ninety minutes from the airport to Ubud, no trains, so most solo arrivals rent a scooter.

Java's cultural capital, and the base for Borobudur and Prambanan

Three islands with no cars. You walk, cycle or take a horse cart

Malaysia is where Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous cultures converge, and the food reflects all of them

LRT, MRT and monorail from KL Sentral, and Jalan Alor's hawker stalls run late.

Street art, heritage shophouses, and laksa

Duty-free island with jungle and beaches

Colonial port town with Peranakan heritage

Mount Kinabalu and Borneo rainforest access

Cambodia sits between Thailand and Vietnam on mainland Southeast Asia

Angkor Wat and sunrise over ancient stone

Royal Palace, a long riverfront, and more grit than Siem Reap

A few blocks of guesthouses along the Kampot River

Quiet island with long beaches and few crowds

South Korea is hyper-connected, compact, and built for solo exploration

Palaces, K-beauty, and 24-hour neighbourhoods

Beaches and seafood markets, with a subway between them

Taiwan is one of the most underrated solo travel destinations in Asia

Solo diners are standard at Shilin, Raohe and Ningxia night markets; MRT runs to midnight.

Over 200 temples in a flat, walkable old centre, with YouBike docks everywhere.

Portugal is one of the easiest countries in Europe for solo travel

Seven hills, tram 28, and the Alfama quiet before the crowds

Compact and hilly on the Douro, with the Ribeira waterfront stacked above the river.

South Africa packs in more variety than most continents

South Africa's food and wine capital in a valley of French Huguenot heritage

University town surrounded by South Africa's best wine estates

Walkable neighbourhoods under Table Mountain, ride apps in between

Cultural engine of South Africa with guided experiences worth seeking

Warm waters and curry mile on the Indian Ocean

Big Five safari without leaving South Africa

Zimbabwe is one of Southern Africa's most welcoming countries

Falls entrance is a 15-minute walk from the centre of a town of 35,000.

Taxis between suburbs; walkable within Avondale and Borrowdale, at 1,480m.

Home to Great Zimbabwe, southern Africa's ancient stone city

Mozambique runs 2,470 km down the Indian Ocean coast

Portuguese soul on the Indian Ocean with emerging nightlife

Whale sharks and barefoot beach bars on Mozambique's coast

Five islands reached by boat or charter flight from Vilankulo; lodges only.