Safest cities, countries for women who travel solo
Solo travel among women has been growing exponentially over the past decade. During the four years leading up to the pandemic, searches for the term “solo female travel” had increased six-fold, according to data from the Solo Female Travelers Club. And that search volume recovered in 2022.
But even as women increasingly embark on travel alone, safety remains a top concern. The 2022 Solo Female Travel Trends Survey showed that 65% of women who travel alone worry about their personal safety.
A recent report from travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection and Geosure Global aims to address such concerns. The report identifies the world’s 11 safest cities and countries for women traveling alone. And there’s one country that appears among the top 11 more than any other.
The runaway winner of the BHTP ranking is Switzerland. Basel, Switzerland, nabbed the No. 1 spot for safest city in the world, while the No. 3 slot went to Bern, Switzerland, and Zurich, Switzerland, took the No. 4 rank.
Other destinations that made it into the top include Toronto, Ontario, at No. 2 and Lisbon, Portugal, at 5. Orebro, Vasteras and Uppsala, Sweden, all tied for the No. 6 slot, while Stockholm came in at 7. Rounding out the list were Monaco; Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria (tie); Pamplona and Oviedo, Spain (tie); and Cannes, France.
“Women who are traveling alone and consider safety a top priority should look into Western Europe, Scandinavia and Canada, as these regions topped the list of safest cities and countries for women,” BHTP said.