10 Best Places to Travel Alone

Hot spots for the solo traveler

By Cindy Perman

Ireland

Traveling alone can be just as rewarding – if not more – than traveling with a friend or loved one.

“The biggest appeal is the freedom of it,” said Sarah Schlichter, editor of IndependentTraveler.com. "You make your own itinerary, see what you want to see and don’t have to make allowances for anyone else.”

In fact, that’s the No. 1 reason travelers cited for why they like to go solo in a poll on IndependentTraveler.com: Fifty-six percent said freedom, followed by 45 percent who said it’s developing a sense of independence and confidence and 30 percent who said it was meeting new people along the way.

When choosing a destination to travel alone, you should consider how much there is to do there, how easy it is to get around and how safe it is to travel alone there. Here are 10 of the best places to travel alone from the editors at Independent Traveler.

Ireland

The big appeal for solo travelers is how friendly the Irish are. It’s very easy to meet people and it’s also very safe.

“I’ve never been to a place where people were more likely to say hello or strike up a conversation with you,” Schlichter said. “That makes you feel like you’re not alone.”

The sights: Expedia recommends the Wicklow Mountains, Valleys and Lakes plus City Tour of Dublin ($50), which takes you through the countryside, including lakes and charming villages, plus the city and some of the big sights like Dublin Castle. Independent Traveler also recommends the Dublin Writers Museum and a literary tour of Ireland that celebrates authors including Frank McCourt, James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. You can take a walking literary tour or multi-day trip.

Australia

Photo: Theo Allofs | Stone | Getty Images

Australia

Australians are super friendly and there’s a real culture of travel here, particularly traveling solo. It’s very easy to get around.

“They have a real sense of independence down there,” Schlichter said. “No one’s going to look at you funny if you’re traveling by yourself!”

The sights: Single Travels International recommends the Great Barrier Reef for diving, the Blue Mountains near Sydney for hiking and Banzai Beach for relaxing or surfing. Plus, you can actually climb the Sydney Bridge ($120-$300) and the Sydney Opera House is “phenomenal,” Weiler said. You can also take a tour of the outback, Independent Traveler says, including one of these from Gray Line ($60-$220). Expedia also recommends a combined tour of the Sydney Aquarium, where you can walk through an underwater walkway, Wildlife World, where you can see koalas and kangaroos, and Sydney Tower ($70).

Iceland

Photo: Blue Lagoon

Iceland

“When you think of really romantic travel, you don’t think of Iceland,” Schlichter said, which makes it perfect for traveling alone!

“It’s got cool culture, cool landscape with all the waterfalls and strange formations – it’s fascinating to explore,” she added. “And, it’s not so hard to do it alone!”

The sights: You can’t go to Iceland without going to the Blue Lagoon Spa, a massive 10,000-square foot outdoor geothermal bath surrounded by snow-capped lava rocks. The water, known for its healing properties, is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit! ($35) Nordic Visitor offers packages to Iceland that include the Blue Lagoon, boiling mud pots and, depending on the season, the Northern Lights (winter) or the Midnight Sun (summer).

Costa Rica

Photo: Paul Souders | The Image Bank | Getty Images

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a great place for the solo adventurer, with a variety of activities, including white-water rafting, hiking, relaxing in hot springs or “scaring yourself silly zip lining through the forest canopy,” Schlichter said.

Its lush landscape (the name literally means “rich coast”) includes beaches, rain forest, volcanoes and diverse wildlife, including white-faced monkeys, speckled owls and toucans, Expedia notes.

The sights: Independent Traveler suggests Manuel Antonio National Park, where you can hike through the rain forest, and La Posada Private Jungle Bungalows, a lodge right outside the rainforest where you can share tales with your fellow travelers and watch a sunset on the beach. Singles Travel International also recommends Tamarindo Beach, a great spot for surfers and for rainforest zip lining. Costa Rica is also a great place to do a volunteer vacation, such as helping with turtles or teaching English, Independent Traveler said.

Peru

Photo: David Madison | Getty Images

Check Out the Rest

GULU DISTRICT

Gulu is located approximately 200 miles (320 km), by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.The town is served by Gulu Airport.

The city is located at 2˚46'48N 32˚18'00E, on the metre gauge railway from Tororo to Pakwach.

From 1989 Gulu has suffered , with many attacks by the LRA. However, since the spring of 2007, there has been relative peace since Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, moved to Garamba National Forest, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as reported in the press.

The Acholi people are the main inhabitants of the city of Gulu (80%). The majority are Christians. There are a range of spoken languages including Luo (sometimes spelled Lwo), Swahili, English and Luganda.
During the hostilities between UPDF and LRA there were many Internally Displaced Peoples' (IDPs) camps throughout the area, where at one time,an estimated one million people lived. Effective April 2009, all IDP camps were closed and the people were allowed to return to their villages. In July 2009, an estimated 1,452,000 (80.7%) IDPs out of a total of 1,840,000 had voluntarily left the camps to return home, leaving only 388,000, who are in the process of vacating or permanently settling where they are.
Before the cessation of hostilities between the UPDF and the LRA, up to 15,000 children, known as "night commuters", were fleeing into the city for safety every evening. Since the cessation of hostilities in late 2006, the numbers of "night commuters" has significantly reduced.
The national census in 2002 estimated the population of the city at 119,430. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the city's population at 141,500 in 2008.
Entertainment and sport Pece Stadium is Gulu's public stadium, and the largest in Northern Uganda with a capacity of 30,000 people. Gulu is the base of several radio stations including Choice FM which broadcasts daily to an estimated 5 million to 6 million listeners each evening. Other radio stations in Gulu include Mega FM 102.1, Radio Four 89.4, King FM 90.2, Childcare International 91.5 & 98.9, Norah Radio 92.1,UBC Radio 102.1 &103.1 and Radio Maria 105.7.

They too paid the ultimate as their home was invaded by the LRA

Baboons on the Kampala Gulu Highway will always entertain you as you move along , they are so

friendly and are very much attracted to people

Part of the Might Nile River as it snakes its way to the Mediterranean Sea the slow and gentle flow is ideal for Kayaking and where there are rapids white water rafting.

The once Internally displaced people's Camp with Grass huts was home for 20yrs

Some of the Remains of the former Internally Displaced people's Camp so much misery and suffering has happened here , People were chopped in pieces and cooked in clay pots, their body parts were later given to their relatives an ordered them to eat , so inhuman , children were ordered to kill their parents , young girls were raped , communities were taken into captivity , the place still has that aura and stillness of death, though life is slowly returning to the once ghost villages.