Where to Travel Solo in 2020

There’s something refreshing about being in the Pacific Northwest on your own. PNW beauty is honestly the kind of beauty you’d think was oceans away. No matter your preferred indulgence, Portland is the kind of place where you’ll feel totally comfortable doing a coffee, tea, craft beer, or whiskey tasting solo. You can hike and bike the city on your own or immerse yourself in the aura of the PNW forests at The Hotel Zags Portland. The Hotel Zags even curates Forest Therapy as a guided nature program that immerses guests in the wilderness to boost health, wellness, and overall happiness.

Heading to Patagonia to hike in Torres del Paine National Park is a popular solo trip for good reason. For the solo travelers roughing it a bit more, who want to experience the natural beauty of the South American fjords, the Navimag is a popular four-night ferry bringing passengers from Porto Montt to Puerto Natales. From Puerto Natales, it takes about two hours by bus to get into Torres del Paine National Park, where you can opt to hike The Full Circuit, the Full W, or parts of the W. For a luxury respite after a full day of hiking, stay at Las Torres Hotel.

While the allure of the Cape Town coastline draws solo travelers toward South Africa, there’s no doubt that Malawi, considered the “warm heart of Africa” is one of the most welcoming places on the continent. Malawi is a scuba-diving destination, partially because of the record number of freshwater fish residing in Lake Malawi. Cape Maclear is on the southern side of the lake, and solo travelers should be sure to see the lake after nightfall to experience “the lake of stars” with illuminated fishing boats dotting the harbor. Stay at Mgoza Lodge, right on the lake—their outdoor garden is shaded and makes for an excellent solo reading nook.

Todos Santos has been coming up on the Baja California travel scene since the mid 2010s, and is now a thriving destination an hour outside Los Cabos. While we love Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, outside of Cabo, Los Barriles, La Paz, and Todos Santos have all been working to bring more tourism to Baja over the last few years. Todos Santos is one of the most conducive to solo travel—as a laid-back surf town, there are great places to eat and drink with the locals, you can spend your days by the pool, and you might sign up to take a couple surfing lessons. Stay at Hotel San Cristóbal, a boutique hotel right on the water of Punta Lobos. They partner with Mario Surf School and can help you set up lessons, whether you want a couple-hour intro course or a two-day bootcamp.

Finding a local meet up is especially doable in Buenos Aires because of the large expat community. Digital nomads venture to Buenos Aires frequently, so if you’re traveling on business, there’s plenty of coworking spots (like URBAN STATION) where you can meet other professionals on the road. Transportation is also easy to understand and continues to improve in Buenos Aires. Finally, as the biggest city in South America’s second largest country, it’s a convenient gateway to the lower half of the continent. Home Hotel Buenos Aires is perfect for young professionals traveling on their own. It’s right in Palermo SoHo/Palermo Hollywood, which is a foodie neighborhood with some of the city’s best bars and eateries, including Tegui, a top-ranked restaurant in Latin America.

India has long-since been a place where solo travelers take refuge primarily because of their hospitality and access to some of the most sought-after sights in the world. Goa welcomes a lot of individual travelers because it’s largely considered to be a safe area. It’s also a lively city—there’s plenty of nightlife for young travelers out and about. In a beach town like Goa, you can take up water sports by day or even find a local volunteer program to meet new people and participate in the large-scale initiative to keep India’s beaches clean. For solo travelers after a more cultural experience, Goan architecture is distinctive in that has a fusion of Portugese, Mughal, and Indian influence—it has all the makings of an Instagram destination. Stay at the Grand Hyatt Goa to enjoy a terrace of one’s own and club access, which gets you daily breakfast and a place to relax and read or catch up on emails—a nice perk for the upscale solo traveler.

Being such a liveable city, Amsterdam makes an intuitive choice for solo travel; the transportation system is easy to use, and there’s good lodging, a vibrant community of young professionals (transplants and locals) open to meeting new people, and a surplus of cultural activities. The artistically inclined solo traveler can spend the day at Rijksmuseum where European art primarily sourced from the Golden Age is housed in a striking 19th-century structure. They can also visit Bartolotti Huis, built in the 1600s and known for their rococo hall. Stay canal-side at The Hoxton, Amsterdam, which was the boutique hotel brand’s first property outside London. Perfect for solo travelers, The Hoxton, Amsterdam has three types of rooms: Shoebox, Cozy, and Roomy, the first of which allows you to cut costs without sacrificing quality.

Near the base of Mount Fuji, you’ll find the five famous lakes of Fuji—the two most popular being Lake Kawaguchi or Lake Yamanaka, where you’ll get the best vantage point and photos of not just the mountain but, conditions permitting, the mountain’s reflection in the water. Fuji isn’t just a mini break for the athletic traveler, but a trip for the photography inclined, especially if you can make it to Fuji for cherry blossom season in late March or early April. Of course, those looking for some athleticism have come to the right place, too. Cycle around Lake Yamanaka—taking part of the same path the Olympic cyclists will follow in 2020—and join a group to hike through the Aokigahara Forest to the Fugaku Wind Cave. For seclusion and serenity, stay at Hoshinoya Fuji, where every room overlooks Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji. The property is one of the most calming, balance-inspiring venues you’ll experience during your travels. Glamp in full view of Mount Fuji and in the evenings, unwind by a crackling bonfire on the lantern-lined Cloud Terrace where they serve a stunning collection of Japanese whiskey.