Best Places for Solo Travel in 2027

There’s never been a better time to book a trip for one. Hostelworld’s 2026 State of Solo Travel report tracked 4.5 million solo trips booked between July 2025 and June 2026, and surveyed 3,309 solo travellers about where they go, why they go, and who they meet along the way. The headline finding? Half of all solo travellers (50.5%) go alone simply because they’re done waiting around for someone else’s schedule.

So where are they actually going? The answer mixes old favourites with some real surprises. Thailand still sits at the top, but Vietnam is closing the gap fast. Sri Lanka is up 21% in a single year, and the Balkans and Central America are quietly pulling travellers away from the usual routes.

This guide rounds up the best places for solo travel in 2027, based on real booking data rather than guesswork. For each destination, you’ll find out why it works for travelling alone, where to stay, and how to meet people once you land. That could be in a hostel common room or through the Hostelworld app. And if it’s your first time, our step-by-step guide to planning a solo trip is a good place to start.

What makes a destination good for travelling alone?

A great solo destination is about how easy it is to meet people, find your feet and feel confident getting around on your own. The data shows that people matter as much as places. 37.3% of solo travellers go specifically to meet new people, and 46.8% go to challenge or reconnect with themselves.

Here’s what makes the difference for them:

That’s why every pick on this list has an established backpacker route, a strong hostel scene and plenty of easy ways to connect, like Linkups hosted by hostels, city chats with other travellers, and the Hostelworld Social Pass, which lets you join the social side of the app before you’ve even booked.

💡 Quick tip: The first day alone is usually the hardest. If it hits, our guide on what to do if you’re travelling solo and feel lonely has practical fixes, and these solo travel tips help you settle in faster.

Why is Thailand still the most popular place to travel alone?

Because it makes solo travel almost effortless. Thailand has 7.6% of all solo bookings on Hostelworld, the biggest share of any country, and it’s also the top pick for solo travellers from Europe. The whole country is set up for backpackers: overnight trains, cheap island ferries, and hostels where the common room fills up by sunset.

Bookings did dip 5.3% this year, the first drop since tracking began. That says less about Thailand than about how many travellers are now adding neighbours like Vietnam and Laos to their trip. For anyone going solo, the upside is fewer crowds on a route that’s still incredibly easy to navigate.

Where to start:

• Bangkok for street food, rooftop bars and a packed events calendar, including the Bangkok Art Biennale, which opens in late October
• Chiang Mai for slower days, cooking classes and temple-hopping in the hills
• Koh Phangan and Koh Tao for beaches, diving and island-hopping with people you met two stops ago

Plan your route with our complete guide to backpacking Thailand, work out costs with this realistic Thailand budget breakdown, or go straight to our guide to solo travel in Thailand.

Is Spain good for solo travel?

Very good, and solo travellers clearly agree. Spain is number one on the solo travel wish list (15.3%) and second for actual bookings, with a 6.4% share that grew 3.7% this year. It’s also the most-booked destination for solo travellers from Latin America and Africa.

The country’s social rhythm helps. Dinner starts late, tapas are made for sharing, and high-speed trains connect the major cities in just a few hours, so it’s easy to cover a lot of ground on one trip.

Start with our essential guide to solo travel in Spain, plan the full trip with the Spain backpacking guide, and if you want company after dark, see the best Spanish cities for nightlife and meeting people.

Why is everyone heading to Vietnam solo?

Vietnam is the breakout star of this year’s solo travel data. It climbed to third place with 5.6% of solo bookings, up 9.6% this year and 22.3% over two years. It’s now a top-three destination for solo travellers from England, Germany, France and Ireland, and bookings from Mexican travellers jumped 41%.

The appeal is easy to see. The country is long and narrow, so most people follow the same route, which means you keep bumping into familiar faces from one town to the next. Plenty of solo travellers end up as a group without ever planning it.

The classic route, north to south:
Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Phong Nha → Hoi An → Da Lat → Ho Chi Minh City

Got extra days? The Ha Giang Loop in the far north has become a backpacker rite of passage, especially riding pillion with a local driver.

🧭 Solo tip: Filter for Hanoi hostels popular with solo travellers, then join the city chat in the app before you land.

Everything else is in our essential guide to solo travel in Vietnam, the full Vietnam backpacking guide and 3 days in Hoi An for solo travellers.

What makes Italy one of the best places to travel alone?

Italy is a true solo classic. It holds 5.2% of solo bookings, fourth overall, and sits second on the wish list with 13.9%, just behind Spain. It’s also the most-booked destination for solo travellers from Asia. Growth has been steady rather than explosive (up 0.6% this year), and that consistency says a lot. People keep coming back because eating alone at a trattoria, wandering Rome at golden hour or catching a train to the coast feels completely natural here.

Why it works solo:

• Regional trains are cheap and frequent, so day trips take almost no planning
• Aperitivo often comes with free snacks, and usually a crowd to share them with
• Cities like Florence and Bologna are compact and easy to explore on foot

Worth knowing:

• Summer means crowds and higher prices. 28.6% of regular solo travellers already travel off-season to save, and Italy rewards that more than most places
• Many restaurants add a small coperto (cover charge) per person

See what’s on with Rome’s events page, then plan with our guide to solo travel in Italy, 3 days in Rome for solo travellers and our tips for backpacking Italy on a budget.

Is Australia a good place to travel alone?

It’s one of the easiest. Australia has 5.1% of solo bookings (fifth overall), up 3.2% this year, and it’s the third most-booked destination for solo travellers from Europe. With no language barrier for English speakers, a huge hostel network and a long-established backpacker culture, it’s a confident choice for a first solo trip.

Most people stick to the East Coast, where you move from one hostel, beach and group of friends to the next:

1. Sydney for the harbour, the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk and a busy events calendar
2. Byron Bay for surf lessons and sunrise at the lighthouse
3. Noosa and the Sunshine Coast for national parks and slower days
4. K’gari (Fraser Island) for 4WD tours, usually done in a group
5. The Whitsundays and Cairns for sailing trips and the Great Barrier Reef

💼 Staying longer? Australia’s Working Holiday visa lets eligible travellers aged 18 to 30 (or 35 for some nationalities) work while they travel. That’s how plenty of solo trips turn into a whole year away.

Get the full picture in our guide to solo travel in Australia, the East Coast guide and the complete guide to backpacking Australia.

Why do solo travellers love Portugal?

Portugal punches well above its size. It holds 3.0% of solo bookings, tenth overall, comes eighth on the wish list at 8.6%, and is a top-five destination for solo travellers from North America. It’s compact, good value for Western Europe and easy to cross by train, which suits your first solo trip as well as your tenth.

Most trips start with the same question: Lisbon or Porto?

Lisbon

Hilly, sunny and social. Spend your days hopping between viewpoints and pastel de nata stops, and your nights in Bairro Alto, where the bar crowd spills onto the street. The Lisbon events page covers concerts, food festivals and open-air cinema, and you can filter for Lisbon hostels popular with solo travellers.

Porto

Smaller, moodier and often a little cheaper. Expect sunsets along the Ribeira, port cellars just across the bridge in Gaia, and plenty of highly rated hostels.

Why not both? The two cities are about three hours apart by train. More ideas in our Portugal backpacking guide and best places to visit in Portugal if you’re young and broke.

Is Sri Lanka the next big solo destination?

The numbers suggest it already is.

+21.2% solo bookings this year.
+103% over two years.
Up four places, to 15th overall.

No destination in the top 20 for solo travel grew faster. Growth did cool in early 2026, dropping from 44% in late 2025 to 7.2%, but over two years solo bookings have more than doubled.

Sri Lanka is small enough to loop in two or three weeks, and the route almost plans itself. Take the famous train ride through tea country to Ella, where a sunrise hike up Little Adam’s Peak is a must and plenty of solo-friendly hostels make it easy to find company. From there, head east to surf in Arugam Bay or south to Weligama, where beginner waves and beach hostels go hand in hand.

🌴 Timing matters: The south and west coasts are at their best from roughly December to April. The east coast, including Arugam Bay, is better from around May to September.

Read our ultimate guide to backpacking Sri Lanka before you go.

Why is Guatemala having a moment?

Central America is where solo travellers are heading next, and Guatemala is leading the way. Solo bookings are up 17.9% this year and 37.1% over two years, which keeps it in the top 20. Its neighbours are rising too, with El Salvador up 47.6% and Panama up 18.3%, while Mexico (−10.1%) and Colombia (−4.7%) have cooled off.

Guatemala packs a lot into a small country, and shuttle buses link the classic loop:

🌋 Antigua. Cobbled streets, rooftop bars and the overnight Acatenango hike, where you camp opposite the often-erupting Volcán de Fuego. It’s done in groups, so friendships form fast.

🛶 Lake Atitlán. A ring of lakeside villages, from party hostels to yoga retreats. Our guide to hostels near Lake Atitlán helps you pick a village.

💧 Semuc Champey. Turquoise jungle pools and candlelit cave swims.

🏛️ Flores and Tikal. Mayan temples rising above the rainforest.

Start with our guide to backpacking Guatemala for first-timers and the best hostels in Guatemala, then see how it fits into a wider Central America backpacking route.

Where should you go solo if you want to skip the crowds?

Albania. Almost a quarter of solo travellers (23.4%) actively avoid trending spots, and 35.6% look for alternatives to viral places because they feel more real. Nowhere shows that shift more clearly than the Balkans:

Albania leads the pack, with solo bookings up 39% over two years. Prices are still low compared with most of the Mediterranean, the hostel scene keeps growing, and the scenery switches from turquoise coastline to serious mountains in a few hours.

Start in Tirana, where the events page covers everything from concerts to Independence Day celebrations on 28 November. Then head to the Ottoman-era towns of Berat and Gjirokastër. Summer is for the beaches of the Albanian Riviera, while spring and autumn are ideal for the Theth to Valbona hike in the Accursed Mountains.

Still deciding? Here are 14 reasons to travel to Albania ASAP, plus more of the best backpacking destinations in Europe for solo budget travellers.

Is Japan worth it for solo travellers?

Absolutely, and plenty of people are dreaming about it. Japan was number one on last year’s solo travel wish list, and it’s still fifth this year at 11.6%. Bookings tell a quieter story, though. Japan sits 17th with 1.9% of solo trips, down 2.2%. It’s a place far more people want to visit than currently go.

If it’s on your list, the good news is that Japan might be one of the easiest countries in the world to explore alone. Eating solo is completely normal, from ramen counters to restaurants with individual booths designed for one. The trains are famously punctual, the cities feel safe late at night, and convenience stores (konbini) are a budget lifesaver, with cheap, fresh meals around the clock.

🎐 Plan around the seasons: Tokyo’s events page lists highlights like the Chrysanthemum Exhibition in November and Hatsumode, the New Year shrine visits.

When you’re ready to book, browse Tokyo hostels popular with solo travellers, read our guide on where to stay in Japan on a backpacker budget, and use the Japan backpacking guide to plan routes beyond Tokyo and Kyoto.

How do you choose the right hostel when travelling alone?

Start with the reviews, especially ones written by other solo travellers. 58.8% of solo travellers say reviews from solo stayers would influence their booking, rising to 63.3% among first-timers. Room type matters too. 54.5% of women say same-gender dorms make them more likely to book, compared with just 3.3% of men, and the figure rises to 43.0% among LGBTQIA+ travellers. Our guide to female solo travel in hostels covers this in more detail.

Before you book, run through this quick checklist:

✅ Read recent reviews from people who stayed alone, not just the overall rating

✅ Check the room options, including female-only or same-gender dorms. Our guide to hostel room types explains the differences.

✅ Look for 24-hour reception, a priority for 20.4% of solo travellers

✅ Look for Linkups, the social activities hosted by hostels themselves, which you’ll find on hostel pages and in the app

✅ See who else is staying and join the city chat in the Hostelworld app before you arrive

Then pack smart with our hostel packing list, and you’re ready to go.

So, where will you go first?

The best places for solo travel in 2027 range from long-time favourites to destinations that were barely on the backpacker map a few years ago. According to our 2026 State of Solo Travel report, Thailand, Spain and Vietnam lead on bookings. Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Albania are growing fastest. And Japan is still the trip so many people are saving up for.

Whichever you pick, you won’t be alone for long. Book your bed on Hostelworld, download the Hostelworld app to join city chats and Linkups, and use Social Pass to start meeting travellers before you’ve even booked. Once you land, check the local events pages for concerts, markets and festivals happening while you’re in town.

Going alone for the very first time? Our guide to first-time solo travel covers everything else you need to know.