50 places to see before you die: the solo traveler's bucket list

January 20, 2026 · 4 min read

These fifty places were chosen on two counts: the experiences are unforgettable, and each one makes it easy to meet other travelers through group tours, social hostels, and multi-day expeditions. Pick one, and the crew tends to find you.

Southeast Asia: the world's easiest place to make friends

• Bali, Indonesia (Canggu and Ubud). Coworking, surf, and yoga in the nomad capital of Asia.
• Chiang Mai, Thailand (Old City). Long-stay nomads, two-dollar street food, and weekend treks to Pai.
• Ha Long Bay, Vietnam (Quang Ninh). Multi-day cruises that throw twenty strangers onto one boat.
• Luang Prabang, Laos (Mekong River). The sunrise alms ceremony and the slow boat to Thailand.
• Siem Reap, Cambodia (Angkor Wat). Sunrise at the temples: show up solo, leave with a tuk-tuk crew.
• Gili Islands, Indonesia (Lombok). No cars, no police, and easy hostel dinners every night.
• Pai, Thailand (Mae Hong Son). The hippie loop where everyone ends up at the same bar.
• El Nido, Philippines (Palawan). Island-hopping day tours that double as instant friend groups.

South America: the long overland adventure

• Machu Picchu, Peru (Cusco). The Inca Trail or the Salkantay trek: four days with the same ten people.
• Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (Potosi). The three-day jeep tour across the salt flats is a built-in friend group.
• Patagonia, Argentina and Chile (El Chalten and Torres del Paine). The W trek, with refugios full of solo hikers swapping itineraries.
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Lapa and Santa Teresa). Hostel rooftops, samba nights, and Sugarloaf at sunset.
• Cartagena, Colombia (Walled City). Caribbean color, salsa lessons, and the gateway to Tayrona.
• Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (Santa Cruz). Live-aboard dive trips: eight days with the same crew.
• Iguazu Falls (Argentina and Brazil border). Both sides in two days, and easy to pair up at the bus station.
• Easter Island, Chile (Rapa Nui). Rented scooters, moai at sunrise, and fewer than 8,000 visitors a year.

Europe: the railpass classics

• Santorini, Greece (Oia). Sunset caldera views, the postcard everyone earns.
• Lisbon, Portugal (Alfama and LX Factory). Cheap by Western European standards, with a huge nomad scene.
• Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland (Bernese Oberland). Waterfalls, paragliding, and the most-photographed valley in the Alps.
• Reykjavik, Iceland (Golden Circle). Northern-lights tours that pair up solo travelers by default.
• Cinque Terre, Italy (Liguria). Five villages, one coastal trail, and every hostel a dinner table.
• Plitvice Lakes, Croatia (Lika-Senj). A day-trip stopover between Zagreb and Split, easy to share a rental.
• Edinburgh, Scotland (Old Town). The Fringe Festival in August, where strangers become flatmates for a week.
• Sevilla, Spain (Andalusia). Tapas crawls and flamenco bars built for travelers showing up alone.

Africa and the Middle East: the big adventures

• Serengeti, Tanzania (Northern Circuit). Shared 4x4 safaris during the Great Migration.
• Marrakech, Morocco (Medina and Atlas Mountains). Riads and Sahara overland trips, three days into the dunes.
• Cape Town, South Africa (Western Cape). Table Mountain, shark diving, and the Garden Route southbound.
• Petra, Jordan (Wadi Musa). Sunrise at the Treasury, then Wadi Rum desert camps with strangers.
• Pyramids of Giza, Egypt (Cairo). Felucca trips down the Nile that bundle a dozen travelers.
• Zanzibar, Tanzania (Stone Town and Nungwi). Dive boats and dhow sunsets right after a Serengeti safari.
• Victoria Falls (Zambia and Zimbabwe). Rafting trips on the Zambezi, the loudest group activity on earth.
• Wadi Rum, Jordan (Southern Jordan). Bedouin camps under the Milky Way, Mars on a budget.

Oceania and the Pacific: long flights, lifelong photos

• Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Cairns). Liveaboard dive trips: three days, eleven dives, one boat full of new friends.
• Milford Sound, New Zealand (Fiordland). Kayak the sound at dawn. Solo bookings welcome.
• Bora Bora, French Polynesia (Society Islands). The honeymoon cliche that is quietly excellent solo, too.
• Uluru, Australia (Northern Territory). Outback group tours from Alice Springs do the introductions for you.
• Queenstown, New Zealand (South Island). The bungy capital of the world, with a non-stop hostel scene.
• Fiji (Yasawa Islands). The Bula Pass island-hops you between hostels for two weeks straight.

North America and the Arctic: the road-trip set

• Grand Canyon, USA (Arizona). South Rim sunrise, with every hostel in Flagstaff running a shuttle.
• Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Alberta). Hostel-to-hostel hikes through the Canadian Rockies.
• Yellowstone, USA (Wyoming). Geysers, bison, and a loop drive that is begging for a co-pilot.
• Tulum, Mexico (Quintana Roo). Cenotes, beach bars, and a permanent rotation of nomads.
• Havana, Cuba (Old Havana). Casas particulares, where you are sleeping in someone's spare room.
• Lofoten Islands, Norway (Arctic Norway). Northern lights in winter, midnight sun in summer, fishing-village hostels year-round.
• Alaska Inside Passage (Juneau to Skagway). Small-ship cruises that bundle thirty travelers for a week.

The wild card list: once in a lifetime

• Antarctica (Ushuaia departures). Ten-day expedition ships: a hundred strangers, one continent, zero phone signal.
• Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Moshi). Group treks where porters and strangers become one summit team.
• Bhutan (Tiger's Nest Monastery). Licensed guides are mandatory, so your driver becomes your travel buddy.
• Mongolia (Gobi Desert). Ger-camp jeep tours from Ulaanbaatar, six days off-grid with strangers.
• Faroe Islands, Denmark (Torshavn). Hike-in cabins, dramatic cliffs, and almost no crowds.