Solo female traveller Aleaya Duran (@aleayabella) has plenty of ideas for your bucket list if you also like travelling alone.
But first, she has a word of warning about two popular backpacking destinations she thinks solo travellers should avoid.
‘I had a rough time in the Philippines, specifically in Palawan,’ the 22-year-old tells MailOnline Travel. ‘I arrived there during typhoon season which made the experience a little difficult as flights were frequently getting cancelled.
‘Aside from the natural aspect I was also worried about my safety there more than anywhere else due to the harassment I received from some of the locals.’
The intrepid traveller also doesn’t recommend Cambodia for female solo travellers, describing it as another country where she ‘felt most unsafe’.
So, where should budding solo travellers put on their bucket list?
Aleaya, from Oregon, explains: ‘Switzerland, Iceland, Singapore and Japan were a dream as I felt so safe to travel there alone as a woman.
‘Those were also the only countries where I went out alone at night, purely due to how safe I felt.’
Aleaya Duran, 22, is a female solo traveller who has shared her recommendations with MailOnline. She’s pictured above at an elephant sanctuary in Laos, one of her favourite destinations
The solo traveller explains that she had a ‘rough time’ in Palawan (pictured above), in the Philippines, due to bad weather and ‘harrassment’
She also advises first-time solo travellers to start with ‘very touristy places’, as she did.
‘Paris, Italy and Bali were great introductions to solo travelling,’ she adds.
That doesn’t mean Aleaya steers clear of more remote destinations, as she was ‘pleasantly surprised by Laos’.
She explains: ‘While it’s not as big a tourist destination as its neighbouring countries, Thailand and Vietnam, it has so much to offer.
‘From the incredible locals to the nature and wildlife – it was truly one of my favourite countries.’
Having grown up in a ‘very small town’, Aleaya says ‘the desire to get out was always in [her]’.
She continues: ‘I wanted to see what was out there and at some point, I got tired of waiting for someone to go with me.
‘I think before you travel, it sounds so scary and intimidating. But once you get out there, you realise it would have been far more terrifying to have never taken the risk.’
Aleaya describes Japan as a ‘dream’ and says it is one of the countries where she felt safest travelling alone (pictured above is Tokyo)
Aleaya only takes carry-on luggage on her trips and says she started travelling alone when ‘she got tired of waiting for someone to go with me’. LEFT: At Machu Picchu in Peru. RIGHT: In Bruges
Aleaya says Paris is a ‘great introduction to solo travelling’ due to the fact it’s ‘very touristy’
When Aleaya first told her family of her solo travel dreams, she admits some were concerned, but she insists it’s more important to ‘follow your gut instincts and don’t let people’s judgement stop you’.
She has a great compromise that works for her and her loved ones, which she advises others to take note of.
She explains: ‘I usually use Google Docs to do a rough draft of each day and then I will put together a PowerPoint for my family so they know where I am each day and what I have planned.
‘This gives them a sense of comfort and reassurance that I know what I’m doing.’
While solo travel can be expensive, Aleaya explains she worked ‘a lot of odd jobs to afford it’.
She says: ‘Most people don’t have extra money to be able to put towards travel and I was no exception. I found ways to make money at home, selling used clothes and working multiple jobs at a time.
‘Social media has also helped fund a few of my trips and I think it’s such a great avenue for people to make money sharing what they love.’
The budget-conscious adventurer keeps the cost of her trips down by avoiding ‘the common mistake’ of booking with an agency group.
Laos is one of Aleaya’s top recommendations and she describes it as a ‘pleasant surprise’. Pictured above is the Kuang Si waterfall in Luang Prabang
She warns: ‘While that’s a good idea if it’s your first trip or if you’re nervous to travel alone, it doubles the cost.’
She also only takes carry-on luggage on her trips, so always travels with ‘extremely limited space’. How does she make that work?
She says: ‘I bring packing cubes to make my luggage more organised. I make sure to always leave for a destination with only half my bag full so I can save room for a lot of souvenirs.
‘I would say the most important essential is medicine as different countries have different brands which can make it hard to find what you’re looking for.’
While Aleaya insists solo travelling hasn’t always been ‘glamorous’, she’s never looked back since doing it the first time.
She finishes: ‘My favourite part about travelling alone is the freedom of it all. There is no one there to taint my experience or slow me down.
‘Most of the time it has felt like just God and I are exploring the world.
‘I’m able to wander the streets and mountains and just focus on the environment around me. It’s freeing and also allows me to truly be enriched in where I am.’
Want more from Aleaya? Follow her on TikTok – @aleayabella or Instagram – @aleayabella for more travel tips and inspiration.
