HAVE PASSPORT, WILL TRAVEL
Planning a one-woman trip? These five destinations should be at the top of your 2017 travel list
Osaka, JAPAN
New statistics reveal working Japanese women are drinking more wine than ever. So for anyone who thinks you’ve got to love sake and Kirin to get behind a visit to Japan, rest assured, the wine industry is booming. We like the industrial city of Osaka in particular because it’s home to a huge 91 Michelin-starred restaurants. But if you’d rather splurge on your hotel room and shopping than Kobe beef, the street food is as good as Tokyo’s. Plus, Japanese people are so polite that no waiter will ask you where your boyfriend is (and any woman who has travelled alone is familiar with that infuriating question).
Stockholm, SWEDEN
Along with a bunch of affordable-but-chic boutique hotels in the centre of the action (we like Story Hotel on Riddargatan), there are plenty of walking tours to give you a taste of what the Swedish capital has to offer. Its reputation as a design centre means art is accessible both on the street and in galleries, and as it’s spread across 14 smaller islands, exploring the network of streets and bridges makes for endless discovery. Visit Sturebadet, a luxury spa from the 1800s that was once Greta Garbo’s favourite haunt, window-shop at the city’s many trend-starting interiors stores and head directly to the hip island of Södermalm for your wardrobe buys – home to Grandpa, Filippa K Second Hand, Beyond Retro and more, all worthy of a star on your Google Map.
Austin, TEXAS
We’d tell you to go just for a visit to South Congress Hotel – a boutique spot with a rooftop pool, 12-seat Japanese restaurant, lifestyle store, motorcycle rental service and so on – but the Texan capital also has a lively music scene and was just named the best place to live in the US. The eclectic mix of residents gives the city soul – it’s the home of South By Southwest after all – while the Texas BBQ will make you wish you packed looser clothing (see: Franklin Barbecue). The music spirit makes record shopping a must, plus there are plenty of cool bookstores, vintage haunts and homewares hotspots to test your suitcase capacity.
Queenstown, NEW ZEALAND
Whether you head there for the adventure, the food, the partying or the solace, it’s impressive that a city as small as Queenstown has so many distinct qualities. Head out for a steak dinner at Botswana Butchery, make new friends hopping between one of the many bars, hit the ski fields, take a drive to the sleepy town of Glenorchy just to see the jaw-dropping view from the end of the wharf and visit nearby Lake Wanaka for its distilleries, wine bars and galleries. The climate is just right year-round, and luxe stays like Eichardt’s Private Hotel and Matakauri Lodge will make you feel like the queen you are.
Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
Scotland is run by a woman, so they’re all about women’s rights and equality. That, coupled with the innate friendliness of Scots, makes this place feel safe and welcoming to solo female travellers. Much like neighbouring Ireland, it’s a destination that is best explored via long drives and random stops, but Edinburgh is a vibrant city you’ll want to spend a lot of time in. There are castles and historic sites to visit (you’d be a terrible grandchild if you didn’t pick something up for Grandma at Edinburgh Castle), and don’t miss the Royal Mile and Grassmarket area, the city’s main thoroughfare and historic marketplace respectively, where most of the action can be found.