Five countries that are safer for women

Despite the growing trend in solo travel, women still encounter challenges when they travel abroad alone. But some places are topping the rankings when it comes to safety and equality.

After a long pandemic pause on travel, people aren't waiting around for a partner to get packing. The interest in solo travel continues to rise worldwide, especially among women.

Research by Norwegian Cruise Line has found that one in three travellers prefers to travel solo, and older women in particular are driving the trend. According to internal research by travel network Virtuoso, the greatest increase in solo travel in 2022 came from women aged 65 and older. While they ed for only 4% of solo travellers in 2019, they made up 18% of solo travellers in 2022.

Despite the growing trend in solo travel, women still encounter unique challenges when they venture abroad alone. While everywhere in the world should be safe for women to travel, the reality is that women still face discrimination and safety concerns in every part of the world. That said, many countries have put a concerted effort into both improving safety for women and measuring attitudes that female residents have towards safety in their country.

To find the places making the most progress when it comes to safety and equality for women travelling, we consulted Georgetown University's Women's Peace And Security Index (WPS), the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap report and the Institute for Economics and Peace Global Peace Index (PGP). We then talked to women who've travelled alone to the top-ranking countries to understand what made them feel safe, hear their own travel tips and find out the best things to see and do as a solo adventurer.

Slovenia

Ranked at the top of the WPS index for Central and Eastern Europe, Slovenia has made big strides in the perception of women's safety in recent years, with 85% of women feeling safe here, according to the index.

When Claire Ramsdell first arrived in Slovenia's capital and largest city Ljubljana, she wandered the streets at night taking photographs.

"This could have been a dicey experience elsewhere, but in this case it was a delight," said Ramsdell, who is an adventure consultant for Wildland Trekking and runs the travel blog The Detour Effect. "Nobody ever bothered me at all during my time in the country and I didn't have trouble with navigation, a language barrier or anything else that might sometimes seem intimidating to figure out when you're solo."

She also found the city very walkable and the public transportation across the country reliable and extensive. For those looking to up with like-minded travellers, she recommends Ljubljanayum Food Tours and Food Tour Ljubljana. Whether grouped or solo, she says travellers must order a buckwheat walnut štruklji, a filled dough treat, from Moji Štruklji, which she says is "one of the best desserts ever", and try the world-renowned gelato at Cacao.

As an avid hiker, Ramsdell came to Slovenia specifically to explore the vast outdoors and alpine mountains across the country, and found they offered an ideal mix of solitude and safety. "While I often felt like I was in the wilderness, I also always knew a town was nearby if some kind of emergency were to come up," said Ramsdell. "I didn't feel totally alone, which provides peace of mind."

She recommends visitors stop by the turquoise Soča River, which is on the western side of the country close to the Italian border and was a filming location for the Chronicles of Narnia. While hikers can enjoy peaceful walks along the water, even those travelling by car can pull over to explore the high-hanging pedestrian suspension bridges over the river.

Rwanda

With 55% of its parliament made up of women representatives, Rwanda ranks number one in the world for its gender equality in parliament, according to the WPS. It also ranks highly in the index's perception of community safety, and is ranked sixth in the world in the Global Gender Gap index, which measures how equitable a country is in of economics, education, healthcare and political participation.

Rebecca Hansen saw this first-hand when she moved to Rwanda from Denmark in 2019, finding it to be extremely safe for solo travel. "There is police, security and military around at almost all locations and all times of day and night," she said. "It may seem intimidating at first, but you will quickly learn that all of these uniforms are friendly people who are always willing to help out."

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