Ranking 38th on the Global Peace Index, Vietnam has risen three places year-on-year and remains one of the highest-ranked countries in Southeast Asia. It also performed relatively well in the WPS compared to neighbouring counties, particularly for women’s perception of community safety.
“I found everyday interactions to be warm and welcoming here,” said Gagnon, who also visited Vietnam solo last year. “Simple moments, chatting with a café owner, joining a street food table or taking a sleeper bus create organic social opportunities. It’s a place where your ‘social cup’ gets filled naturally.”
She recommends joining one of the country’s many small-group tours, which focus around everything from cooking to food to riding motorbikes, as an easy entry point for solo travellers. But she also recommends reaping the rewards of spending time with locals.
Getty Images“I’ve returned to Vietnam multiple times, trekking in Sa Pa with a Hmong guide, staying in homestays in the Mekong Delta and spending Tet in the Central Highlands with a local family,” said Tracy Smith, author of The Purpose of Getting Lost: A Story of Finding Myself. “I was struck not only by the beauty of the country but by how safe and welcomed I felt travelling alone. I’m returning this spring to attend my former guide’s wedding.”
Her advice: move beyond checklist tourism. “Work with local guides, consider homestays and be open to slower, more relational travel,” she said. “Vietnam rewards curiosity and respect, it’s a country best experienced through connection.”
Uruguay has also climbed sharply in this year’s WPS Index, rising from 59th to 35th, driven by strong scores in justice and security, including low rates of violence against women. It is also ranked as the second most peaceful country in South America (just after Argentina) on the Global Peace Index.
“I immediately noticed the easy-going vibe,” said Claudia Tavani, who wrote about her experience at her blog. “Uruguay is incredibly chill with very welcoming people. I visited in mid-March when there weren’t many tourists around, so I got to meet many locals who were always ready to chat and share interesting stories about the country, its history and its culture.”
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Visiting Colonia del Sacramento in southwestern Uruguay is a particular highlight, particularly the Barrio Histórico where most of the country’s attractions can be found. “It’s a maze of cobbled alleys with whitewashed walls and colourful bougainvillea pouring over the streets, and the vintage cars add a unique touch,” said Tavani. She recommends stopping for sunset at Calle de los Suspiros (a well-preserved street that once featured the city’s historic brothels) or at the lighthouse of Colonia.
Getty ImagesFor beach vibes, she recommends Punta del Diablo, a fishing village on the eastern coast over the better-known and busier Punta del Este. “It’s much more easy-going and safer to explore alone,” she said. “The beach is a nice spot to hang out in the sun and swim.”
In Montevideo, renting a bike and cycling among the ramblas beside the Rio de la Plata is an easy way to explore. Tavani also highlights Carnival – which takes place mid-January to late February or early March – as a much more laid-back alternative to Rio’s celebrations.
Ranked third on the WPS Index (tied with Sweden), Norway scored highly for its welfare protections, equal pay and community safety. The country has consistently placed in the top three since the index began in 2017, and its strong social safety net (which includes universal healthcare, parental leave and state-funded childcare) underpins a culture where women actively participate in the workforce and government.
For solo women travellers, the appeal is as much about nature as safety. “Travelling solo here was effortless,” said Janice Lintz, who said her expedition cruise here was one of the most extraordinary trips she’s ever taken. “The wildlife [in Svalbard] was beyond anything I imagined. We saw polar bears, bearded seals, walruses, Arctic foxes and reindeer. We also saw pancake ice at around 82 degrees north, which was surreal.”
The comfort and sense of wellbeing persist even outdoors in the dark. “I always felt safe, even when photographing the night sky,” said Lisa Michele Burns, founder of travel photography club The Wandering Lens. Burns has visited Norway twice alone, once in winter to photograph the northern lights and once at the end of summer, spending much of her time in the northern region around Bodø and the Lofoten Islands. “The dramatic coastlines provide the perfect environment to wander, soak in the beauty and sounds and photograph slowly and watch the conditions unfold,” she said.
Getty ImagesEven though Burns loves the outdoors, she also appreciates the country’s cosy hotels. “The Rorbuer [traditional fisherman’s housing now converted into cabins] and Scandinavian interior design are other reasons I’ll always have Norway on my list of places I’d love to return to,” she said.
Burns recommends solo travellers hire a car and map out a journey through small villages and viewpoints in the Lofoten region, with plenty of unscheduled time built in. She highlights the pink sand shores of Mjelle, the beaches at Unstad and Haukland and the fishing village of Nusfjord.
