Better Off Alone: The World’s 3 Best Places to Travel Solo

We’re all for seeing the world, no matter the company. Including just your own.

Solo travel is a way to meet new people, discover things outside your comfort zone and get deeper experiences in new surroundings. You set the pace, budget, and open yourself to conversations when you like, how you like. After all, you don’t really want a pal third-wheeling a potential travel romance, right?

Solo trippin is a fast-rising trend—latest stats by the Association of British Travel Agents have found that solo trips have risen from 6% in 2011 to 16% in 2023, with numbers getting higher. There’s a sense of liberation in doing things your way, without being pinned to a group consensus and the stress of having to please others.

The world is wide, and the choices are vast. We all travel for different reasons: an escape, a recharge or a shot of adrenaline, which is why we’ve teamed up with Intrepid, who share our values of thoughtfully-curated travel experiences that support local initiatives.

Together, we've pick three top places to suit your solo travel needs.

1

Amplify Self Love: Iceland

Best for: Exploration and reconnection

In December 1987, Reykjavík avant-garde outfit The Sugarcubes released a music video for their chime-filled, jangly guitar song, 'Birthday’. The video featured glaciers, craters, and waterfalls coming together in a grainy mosaic of their home country—with shots of their lead vocalist, Björk, cradling a falcon.

As author Tore Storvøld points out in his book Dissonant Landscapes, the video was actually a spoof of the outside world’s zealous attempts to connect Iceland’s otherworldly geological features with the experimental elements of its musical output.

The spoof plays into the fact that Iceland has long mystified travellers, its unique landscape fuelling our wonder. But aside from volcanic hikes and glacier spotting, Iceland is steeped in culture—you can retrace the haunts integral to the 1980s Reykjavík punk scene that Björk and The Sugarcubes came from, or visit the gravestone of Icelandic painter Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval in the forest cemetery Hólavallagarður.

There may be no logic to human behaviour, but you might just figure a few things out about yourself on a solo trip to Iceland. It’s one of only seven countries in the world to meet WHO regulations on healthy air, making it quite literally the purest place to clear your mind.

Interested in a solo trip to Iceland? Click here.

2

Feel A Rush: Japan

Best for: Creative immersion and sensory shift  

Just scroll through the Japan algorithm on TikTok and you’ll see how the country ignites people’s imagination like no other destination. Whether it’s a hyper fixation on local oddities (Gachapon capsule toy shops, anyone?) or the striking contrast between Tokyo’s chaotic appeal and Kanazawa’s quiet reflectiveness, Japan is the ultimate destination for sensory stimulation.

Travelling alone to Japan is how Trippin member Seb discovered his all-time favourite bar, Nightingale: “[going solo] pushed me to interact with new people rather than staying in my group of friends. From having conversations with a bar owner who used to roadie for Guitar Wolf [an iconic Japanese garage band], to stumbling across a Larry Clark exhibition and discovering Nightingale—my favourite bar in the world,” he said. “If I hadn’t travelled alone, I wouldn’t have come across the places and people that led to these incredible experiences.”

It's a deeply inspiring destination. From grasping the spiritual depth of Japan’s connection to nature, to admiring the illustrative genius of a Ghibli animation, nothing is done by halves here. Ever surprising and fantastically inventive, Japan is the perfect antidote to apathy—a place to redefine your limits and uplift your expectations.

Don't wait to explore Japan—check out Intrepid's 10-day tour here.

3

Build Your Knowledge: Morocco

Best for: Cultural Learning & Curiosity

Take a look at a Hassan Hajjaj portrait, and you’ll get a glimpse into why we’ve chosen Morocco as our third destination. The sheer sense of colour, symmetry, and maximalism that inform the Moroccan photographer’s pop art style reflect the absolute buzz that Morocco’s capital, Marrakech, presents to its visitors.

“Marrakech is an overload of sensations,” record label founder SOMNII told Trippin for our deep dive into the city’s creative scene. “There is so much raw talent here: the artisans, tailors, craftsmen, the old school artists like the Gnawa people, the Dakka Marrakchia [folkloric music], and the overall rich musical culture.”

Aside from the creative credits of the capital, Morocco draws from a deep well of history. Its deserts and ports have positioned it as a central link between the Roman world, the early Arab empires, and Western Africa. An established cultural melting pot for over a millennium, there are few destinations as mentally stimulating as Morocco.

From stopping by Hajjaj’s Marrakech Riad Yima gallery, to travelling through the 15th-century village of Chefchaouen or tapping into Casablanca’s bustling nightlife, there’s plenty for the curious traveller in Morocco. After taking it all in, find a traditional hammam bathhouse to unwind and process the day’s discoveries.

Intrepid offers a 12-day trip for Morocco for curious travellers. Find out more information by clicking here.