The Best Place For Your First Solo Travel - Not Kidding

My favorite region for solo travel is Europe. The infrastructure makes it easy, with plenty of shared hostels, budget hotels, and Airbnbs to choose from. But some of the best solo-travel cities in the world sit outside Europe too, so this list covers five places that consistently top solo travelers' shortlists, starting with the one I know best.

I will cover five places, starting with the one I know best, and four more that consistently top every solo traveler’s shortlist for good reason. And the funny thing is, there is no place that is wrong for solo traveling.

Barcelona, Spain

My first favourite city I have been to is Barcelona. I lived two years there as a traveler and business owner before I set my backpack down and went back to my home country, Turkey. I will definitely go back to Spain next summer.

Barcelona is a city that has everything you need: beautiful people, gorgeous buildings and design, fantastic food, and the best nightlife I've experienced anywhere.

Locals are very friendly to newcomers. One night I sat with local bodegas in a super club and a live music venue, and almost everyone I met there wanted to meet up later to hang around. What a wonderful night it was.

In my third month there, I hit La Rambla early in the morning while the sun was rising to avoid the crowds, then stopped at La Boqueria market for snacks, which I packed into my expandable travel backpack. I strolled the Gothic Quarter and walked along the beach, and the weather was perfect for going barefoot. I also walked a few miles out to Gràcia, one of the neighborhoods with some of the best meals I've had in a while.

If you have doubts about what I'm saying, feel free to go and see it for yourself.

And I can't leave out Antoni Gaudí and his fabulous architecture. Skipping him would be unforgivable. The city is genuinely shaped by his buildings.

It was a bit bizarre but beautiful. I was genuinely surprised the first time I saw it in person.

By the way, bring a good carry-on backpack. It made getting across Spain a lot easier.

As a BANGE brand that sells backpacks, it would be a shame not to mention our Movera backpack, and it kept up with me the whole trip.

Lisbon, Portugal

If Barcelona is the classic pick, Lisbon is the one seasoned solo travelers keep recommending under their breath so it doesn't get more crowded. Portugal consistently ranks among the safest countries in the world, and Lisbon's compact, hilly center means you can walk from a hostel in Alfama to a viewpoint over the Tagus River in under twenty minutes.

The city has built a genuine reputation as one of Europe's easiest places to land solo: English is widely spoken, the remote worker and co-working scene is huge, and the old yellow trams make getting around painless even without much of a plan. Pack light for the cobblestones and hills. A backpack that compresses down when you're not carrying much makes the steep streets a lot less punishing.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai has spent over a decade building one of the most established digital nomad and solo traveler communities anywhere, which means the infrastructure for showing up alone and meeting people fast already exists: co-working spaces with built-in social calendars, weekly meetups, and hostels that feel more like small communities than places to just sleep.

It's also one of the more affordable major solo-travel bases in Southeast Asia, which stretches a trip further and takes the pressure off every decision. Between temple visits, night markets, and day trips into the surrounding mountains, a weatherproof daypack earns its keep once the rainy season rolls in.

Medellín, Colombia

Medellín's reputation has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and the neighborhoods most solo travelers actually stay in, El Poblado and Laureles, are well lit, walkable, and full of long-term expats and remote workers who chose to settle there instead of just passing through. The city's Metro system is clean, efficient, and considered one of the safer ways to get around town.

Locals have a well-earned reputation for warmth toward visitors, and the "City of Eternal Spring" nickname isn't marketing: the climate genuinely sits in the low seventies year round, which makes packing simple and a single well-organized backpack more than enough for a stay of any length.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana rarely makes anyone's first list of European capitals, which is exactly why solo travelers who do make it there tend to talk about it the most. Slovenia is regularly ranked among the safest countries in Europe, and the entire historic center is closed to cars, so you can wander without watching traffic, following the river instead of a map.

It's small enough to see on foot in a day or two but has enough going on (castle views, riverside cafes, a lively student population) to make three days feel easy instead of rushed. It's also one of the more underrated stops for travelers stringing together a Central Europe route, which makes it a natural add if Barcelona is your first stop and not your only one.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best first solo travel destination for a nervous first-timer?
Lisbon and Ljubljana are the easiest starting points. Both rank among the safest countries in Europe, are compact enough to navigate on foot, and have a strong English-speaking, remote-worker infrastructure that makes meeting people simple.

Which of these five destinations is the most affordable?
Chiang Mai. It's built its reputation as a digital nomad hub partly because it stretches a travel budget further than any of the other four cities on this list, without skimping on things to do.

What kind of backpack works best for city-hopping solo trips like these?
An expandable, carry-on-sized backpack is the most versatile choice: it compresses down for cobblestone cities like Lisbon and Ljubljana, then expands when you need the extra room for a longer leg of the trip.

Is Medellín actually safe for solo travelers now?
The neighborhoods most solo travelers stay in, El Poblado and Laureles, are well-lit, walkable, and home to a large long-term expat community. As with any major city, normal city-travel precautions still apply.

Overall, my personal favorite of the five is still Barcelona, but honestly, there's no wrong answer on this list.