Is there anyplace you won't travel alone?

I went to Russia by myself, but there are some places I would want a group. Probably Iran, although not Jordan and Syria. Some parts of Pakistan. There are also places that it doesn't make sense to travel alone, or where it's impossible - Bhutan, Antarctica and the Galapagos, for instance. Anywhere I would be doing more than a half day's hike - Nepal, say, I would probably prefer a group.

I'm lucky because most places I am interested in, ARE the kind of places I would feel comfortable traveling alone.

I agree that I would not go solo to the Middle East, but I have no desire to go there myself, as example.

I've done fine in places like La Paz or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on my own. Europe and Hawaii, easy.

For me, the travel and going solo are the more important. If it took a tour group for me to feel safe, I'd probably skip that destination.

Jerusalem has been coming to my mind lately of places to see.

Israel is on my "dangerous" list, but I can't see that traveling with a group will make it any safer! Either you get unlucky, or you don't.

Yes, I think I might like taking a river cruise, guided tour, in order to see historic parts of Egypt. Also would consider something in order to feel comfortable traveling in India (guided train or educational something).

Suze - India is definitely do-able on your own. I spent ten weeks there, solo, traveling almost entirely by train. You can also hire a car and driver quite cheaply.

thursdaysd~ Wow 10 weeks, that's quite a a trip. Good for you. And thanks for the inspiration!

suze - the ten weeks was the last part of a longer trip - and it was right after 9/11! Definitely consider India - it's a magical place. Sometimes it's an infuriating place, too, but it's worth it! My trip report is at www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001 if you'd like more info.

So far, I haven't faced the desire to go someplace that I didn't think was safe for a solo traveler. Perhaps at some point I will.

However, with all the places to see in the world, I figure I will see those places I feel are safe first.

Maybe then, those places that are currently unsafe will be safe for solo travel.

Regarding the Middle East:

In 2007 I took 2 trips to the Middle East. The first trip was to Israel, the second was to Egypt and Jordan. Both times I was with a group once I got there so I don't know if that counts as a solo trip or not. Once I was there I was mostly with my group but I did quite a bit of wandering around on my own.

I would have absolutely no fear of traveling to Israel again, either solo or not. The same goes for Jordan as I always felt safe there too. I think it's sad that so many people are missing out on such fascinating countries as Israel and Jordan, and the media has really done a disservice to these great destinations.

Egypt however was a different story. I was harassed quite a bit in Egypt because they think women traveling alone are easy. Nobody ever touched me or backed me into a corner, but all this harassment was really annoying. I'm glad I went to Egypt, it was off the scale in terms of history and culture. But I would never go there alone, in fact I'm not sure I would go back at all.

Wow, thanks for that P_M, very informative.
I agree the media has manipulated the publics view on way too many international relations, sad.

Places I have been to that I would not do alone again: Pakistan and Nepal. Places that I was on my way to do alone but chickened out: Morocco (I had so much attention in the south of Portugal that I didn't think I could handle going to a place where I would expect more), and Africa (I had such a bad experience in Pakistan, I rerouted to the first flight out of Pakistan which took me to Geneva, entirely skipping my planned Africa visit). That was such a huge contrast to go from Karachi, Pakistan to Geneva, Switzerland.

ncounty, I am sorry to hear of your bad experiences. If you would care to elaboarate I would very much like to hear more. I would also like to hear your opinion on Nepal, as I'm looking at a possible India/Nepal trip in the coming years.

Well P M,

It is a rather long story but I am happy to share it. Please bear in mind that I was young (in my 20's and somewhat trusting and naive). After finishing all my schooling, I decided to take a 6 week trip around the world by myself. There are many stories from this but I think this one takes the cake. I ended up hooking up with a young man at the airport in Kathmandu and we had such a great time in NEpal together that I broke my itinerary and extended my stay in Nepal from 4 to 9, thereby missing my flight to India where I was to transfer to Africa. I therefore had to be rerouted and they were sending me to Karachi Pakistan to await a next available flight to Africa. The adventure began on board Royal Nepal Airlines where a very friendly chatty Pakistani man engaged me in conversation for the entire flight. He asked where I would be staying in Karachi. I said I didn't know, especially since I had not planned on going to Karachi. He said "oh, I know a wonderful hotel, it is the best; I am staying there myself". I said "great, I'll check it out." He then said "when we go to the hotel, do you want to share a room?" I said, "no, I am getting my own room." He then responded, "oh well, why don't you just come to my home and stay with me; my wife will take care of you".
We deplaned and I went through Customs. The customs officer asked me where I would be staying in Karachi. Not knowing what I would do,I just told him that this guy offered to have me stay at his home. He said "what?! are you crazy?! You can't do that!". I said, "oh, of course not, I won't". He then said, so where will you stay? I said "well, I'll go to the airport hotel". He said, "how will you get there?" I said, "I'll take a taxi". He said, "what, are you crazy? Don't you know how dangerous these taxi drivers are?! They are known criminals and they will rob you and drop you off at the Arabian sea!" I said "oh no!" Apparently, I wasn't allowed to just stay at the airport and there seemed to be no options. He then said, "my shift ends in 20 minutes. I'll drive you to the airport hotel myself. Just wait in the officers' lounge for me."
Having no other options, I thought at least if I turn up dead, he will be the last known contact and will be questioned. I waited in the lounge and the whole ritual started again. Officers at the next table offered to have me go home with them. I stayed with my last known contact and he showed up 20 minutes later to drive me to the airport hotel.
WEll, this drive went on for a bit long and I said, "isn't the airport hotel really close to the airport?" He said, "oh, it's coming up". Anyway, to make a very long story with lots more details short, he refused to take me to the airport hotel and insisted I be his guest at his home. I was essentially his captive. He stopped at his home to change and took me out to show me Karachi which involved taking me to generic fancy hotel lobbies and we may have had a drink at one of the places. He took me to the Arabian sea and wanted to send me some boots. I somehow had the temerity to say to him that if he was interested in dating me, there is a very long list of men ahead of him. (I was joking but just trying to dissuade him). He then said "I want to be on the bottom of that list!". We returned to his home where a long fight ensued as to where I would sleep. It was extremely hot and only his bedroom was air conditioned. I insisted I was fine in the heat and would sleep in the living room and he would say "PLEase, do not insult me! you are my guest! You must sleep in the bedroom where it is cool". He would not take no for an answer and this fight went on over the bed versus floor. I insisted on the floor and got the "do not insult me, you are my guest" routine till I acquiesced. Finally, I am in his bed and he is on the floor and we go to sleep. I am then awakened at 2 am with pathetic fake coughing. He says with desperation, I cannot bear it down here! I must come to the bed. So now, I am in bed with a strange Pakistani man. I was stiff as a log and told him (lie), "I want you to know I have a boyfriend and am very much in love". He responded with a hand on my thigh. I then excused myself and went to the bathroom, locked the door, and stayed in there all night.
The next morning, he acted like nothing happened. I was furious and said "if you don't take me to the airport hotel now, I am walking there myself!". He was surprised how strongly I felt about it and did the "please you are my guest routine" but ended up driving me to the airport hotel.....which was, right by the airport! I stayed locked in my hotel room feeling vulnerable and preyed upon and finally emerged and took a taxi to TWA office in downtown Karachi and said "I want the next plane out of here." It was at 2 am to Geneva. By the way, the taxi driver did NOT rob me and dump me in the Arabian sea. More adventures ensued in my final hours in Karachi but that is a different story. Sorry for all the details but I think it helps explain the situation I found myself in. I think Karachi today is even much more dangerous.

P M,

P.s. Nepal was stunning! Just an incredible adventure. Again, I would not be comfortable in retrospect doing that alone. I ended up in remote villages where a large circle of men would stand and stare at me. This is with my male friend by my side. Imagine how nervous I would have been if alone?! However, the natural beauty and otherworldliness of the experience was unforgettable. I feel so fortunate to have those memories. I was riding on top of trucks looking out for power lines crossing the road to avoid being beheaded feeling a bit like Indiana Jones; it was an amazing adventure!

OMG ncounty, you are very lucky things did not play out in a much worse way. Although you were young and naive you were still a survivor and you did very well to emerge from that situation without bodily harm.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Thanks P M. I am glad I didn't see the movie The Comfort of Strangers until after most of my travels. It is illustrative of what could go wrong and is frightening. I had had several experiences of being the recipient of the hospitality of strangers during my travels alone prior to Pakistan, all of which turned out well (oddly, all were in Portugal}.

I wondered if Mexico City would be all right as a solo female traveler, but it was great. I suppose that's the most daring travel I have done, other than walking through the downtown east side in Vancouver now and then (which is probably more scary than what I saw of Mexico City). No problems in Bucharest, Madrid, or Rome either, which are cities that seem to trigger some people's concern.

I'd be a bit concerned about solo travel to just about anywhere in Africa. Actually, quite concerned.

I would stay away from Iran and Syria on principle.

I think much of India is manageable as a solo female traveler, but I'm not sure I'd actually want to do it by myself.

Tzarinna,
One way around solo travel is to join a tour group, or multiple small tour groups. A lot of tour groups will take you through the itinerary but have tons of open time so you can explore on your own. This also gets you a guide and/or translator.

Instead of joining one tour group for your whole trip, you could join multiple smaller groups. When I started planning a UK trip, I looked at multiple small tours (3 days here, 4 days there, etc). That allows you to tailor your trip to the places you want to go, while still giving you the benefits of a tour group.

As for safety, if there's a war going on in an area, it's probably not a good idea to vacation there.

Good luck

Sounds wild, ncounty. I'm glad you got out of that safe.

Thanks, Iowa_Redhead. I've been looking for tour groups for my trip to Russia. I really don't mind traveling alone, the few times that I have had a travel partner was rather stressful.
I received some info from Tauck Tours and I started this thread awhile back looking for groups.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=35093785

I would not recommend my home town of Los Angeles as a solo travel destination. It's not because of any particular safety concerns, since it's no more or no less safe than any other American city. Nor is there any lack of fascinating things to see and do.

The problem is that wherever you stay in Los Angeles you're going to be spending a lot of time in your car, often going nowhere. It's not always enjoyable to do that alone. Navigating unfamiliar freeways and surface streets and looking for scarce parking is also more difficult when you're alone. And the "car culture" of Los Angeles creates a much more isolating environment than you'd find in cities where you can interact with people while walking or riding mass transit. This all makes for a place that many solo travelers won't find very friendly or pleasant.

Southern California is an incredibly diverse collection of places that are well worth a visit. But if you're a solo traveler, it's one of those adventures best deferred until you have someone to share it with!

JB- your post cracked me up! It's so true.....I especially love the line about spending most of your time driving around in your car, "often going nowhere". So true! And so funny after discussions of India and Pakistan to lump LA in on that list.

My 13-year-old daughter and I were recently in Morocco solo and although I was a bit nervous, it worked out fine. We are both western and average 5 feet tall. During parts of our trip we did have a recommended guide and other places we did not and still felt quite safe. The guides are pretty inexpensive so not a luxury item.

Morocco is in Africa, but some consider it more the Middle East. It was a unique and fascinating trip and definitely a bit more off the beaten track.

Hm, i keep toying with the idea of going to Thailand or India in the future, but the idea makes me a bit nervous. I know many people go there and have no problems but... it's just so different, I guess.

That's a bit in the future, though. I have to get through D.C., London, Rome and some more of Italy first. That'll be good for um.. maybe the next ten years. =P Well, according to my budget.

I could see being a bit nervous about India, but Thailand? Dead easy and in places overfull of foreigners! Hang out over on the Asia board and you'll "meet" lots of people who travel to Thailand - and a few of us who love India, too. In fact, all of SE Asia - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia (although maybe Myanmar less so) are fine places for solo travel. And sooner you go the fewer the other tourists.

Gosh, I have to agree about Thailand. I have not been myself, but many friends (here in Seattle) have traveled there. One girlfriend spent 7 months there solo. She absolutely loved the country and the people. Did not report any problems of any sort.

thursdaysd- Oh, I know a lot of people love it there, and have no problems. Maybe it's just because I don't know as much about it, and the fact that I haven't ever been to Asia, and it's definitely different, so a bit scary to those not used to it. Suppose I'd just have to go for it sometime and see what happens.

I'm pretty fearless, but as a black woman I am nervous about visiting a few places in Eastern Europe. It's really sad because if not for my nerves I would have ticked off places like Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine already.

I'm an aging white woman, so I can't comment from personal experience on how a black woman would be treated, and it's certainly true that you don't see many in Eastern Europe, but I'm curious as to why you think these countries in particular could be a problem. Have you seen reports of specific incidents, or from people who've had problems?

I understand where you're coming from, tennisbum. I'm Asian-American and currently in South Africa, and before coming, I'd been told by many people that there were plenty of Chinese business people around here, so I'd not stick out too much.

Ummm...let's just say, when I'm with a local, all's well. When I'm by myself, I've had all kinds of locals yell at me, had people say "Chong chee chong chong" and then snicker at their impression of Asian languages, had men come up and pet my hair, had them grab me, and worst...try to mug me. But when I'm with a local (black, white, or colored -- SA's terms), I don't get a second look.

Jayna
travels at www.ususbaby.com

there's no place i want to go presently, that i wouldn't be willing to go solo.

I didn't read all of the posts in detail, but I noticed that the OP said she wouldn't feel comfortable going to the Middle East alone. That's lumping a lot of different places together and dismissing them out of hand.

I've been to Oman, for example, and I'd certainly travel there on my own. It felt like the safest place I'd ever been in my entire life (my husband and I even picked up hitchhikers - and very polite young men they were). The men we met were very courteous and kind - a bit reserved.

I'd also travel without hesitation on my own to the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan. Having been to Morocco with my husband, I'd go back there on my own - although I'd probably stick to some of the bigger cities, rather than venturing out into the countryside on my own.

If you're interested in travelling somewhere exotic, have you considered travelling with an adventure travel tour for the first part of the trip (e.g. walking in the Atlas mountains in Morocco) and then spending the rest of the time on your own, after you have learned a little about the place and its customs? That would would make you less dependent on finding a friend to travel with you - but not having to travel completely solo.

I find it slightly humorous and not at all surprising that as soon as someone weighs in on a place they wouldn't visit, someone else writes about how they felt safe in that very place.
I really think that most places are inherently quite safe and having been to over 80 countries, and many of those alone, I'm always amazed when someone tells me that they wouldn't dream of going "somewhere like the Middle East". That being said, I like visiting places like Yemen and Kosovo, and when things go wrong in Yemen, they tend to go REALLY wrong, solo or not.
I think frogoutofwater hit the mark in suggesting to join in on group trips where appropriate and to go solo where possible.

I think women may feel differently about certain places, simply because of traveling solo female in certain cultures because of the local attitude and customs towards women.

Global_guy, I'll assume you're a guy, right? Don't you think that might give you more freedom or safety in at least some places?

Suze; Yes I am a guy and certainly I am aware that it's advantageous in regards to travel of any sort, especially solo travel.
I also think that our society's ideas (read fears) about "certain cultures because of the local attitude and customs towards women" aren't always well founded. I would bet that frogoutofwater's encourgaing comments about Oman and Jordan surprise a few fodorites while at the same time, does little to convince people that the Middle East isn't so daunting a destination.

I do intend to travel to the middle east, Egypt and I've found a group on meetup.com that will be going to Jerusalem. I may not intend this year but at least I've found a group to go with.


Thanks to who ever posted the link to meetup, it was in this forum. I've been taking full advantage of it. What a great resource.