The Evidence-Based Solo Travel Safety Guide for 2025

Solo travel has grown significantly in the past decade — a 2023 ABTA survey found that 25% of UK holidaymakers now travel alone at least occasionally. The fear that solo travel is dangerous is, for the vast majority of destinations, significantly overstated. Here's what the evidence actually shows.

The Real Risk Picture

The UK FCDO processed over 23,000 consular assistance cases in 2022-23. The most common reasons were: medical emergencies (42%), arrest or detention (18%), and lost or stolen documents (15%). Violent crime targeting tourists accounted for a much smaller proportion — and in many cases, was concentrated in specific high-risk areas rather than being a general country-wide threat.

The Seven Habits of Safe Solo Travellers:

1. Register with the FCDO The FCDO's free Locate service lets you log your travel details so the government can contact you in a crisis. Takes 5 minutes at gov.uk/locate.

2. Get the Right Travel Insurance This is non-negotiable. Choose a policy that includes:

• Medical cover of at least £5 million
• Emergency repatriation
• 24-hour emergency helpline
• Trip cancellation Pre-existing conditions must be declared — non-disclosure voids claims.

3. Share Your Itinerary Leave a copy of your itinerary, accommodation addresses, and flight details with a trusted contact at home. Check in regularly.

4. Research Destination-Specific Risks Read the FCDO travel advisory (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) for your destination. These are updated frequently and flag specific regions, crime types, and health risks that general travel guides often miss.

5. Trust the Local Knowledge Hotel and hostel staff are typically your best source of real-time safety information. Ask which areas to avoid, whether you need a registered taxi, and what scams are currently active.

6. Blend In Where Possible Visible expensive electronics, luxury bags, and disoriented map-staring mark you as a tourist. Walk with purpose, use offline maps, and keep valuables in a money belt or anti-theft bag.

7. Know the Local Emergency Numbers 112 works in most countries as a universal emergency number, but local equivalents are often faster. Japan: 110/119. USA: 911. Australia: 000. DheeVoy will include a quick-reference emergency numbers feature in its app.

Destinations with Excellent Safety Records for Solo Travellers: Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Singapore, Portugal, and most of Scandinavia consistently top global safety indices for solo travellers across all genders.