This Is The Safest Country In The World For Solo Travelers, According to New Report

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Last Updated 1 month ago

Traveling alone can be incredibly rewarding and enriching.

Solo travelers are able to travel at their own pace, explore without sticking to anyone’s schedule but their own, and meet new people as they go along.

One of the only real downsides of traveling alone is that you have to be more safety conscious throughout your journey. You can’t take advantage of safety in numbers.

So where is the best place to travel alone?

According to Bounce’s 2023 Solo Travel Index, Japan has been found to be the safest country in the world for solo travelers.

Here’s what you need to know:

Japan Has Low Crime Rates

According to the report, Japan has the highest safety rating of all the countries analyzed, with a crime rate index score of just 23.1/100.

Crime in Japan is significantly lower than in many other first-world countries, including the United States. The homicide rate in the U.S. is fourteen times higher than that of Japan.

While the overall crime rate in Japan did increase in 2022, for the first time in 20 years, it still remains an incredibly safe country to visit, particularly as a solo traveler.

The people of Japan are raised to have a strong sense of moral duty. From an early age, children in Japan are taught the importance of looking out for others, including their friends, neighbors, and even strangers.

For this reason, attacks against people in Japan are relatively rare.

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While crime does occur, such as pickpocketing in crowded areas or drink spiking in nightclubs, these crimes are easily avoided by taking the same safety precautions that you would anywhere else in your world, including in your home country.

Help Is Readily Available

If you do find yourself in need of help when you’re in Japan, you can just visit a Koban.

A Koban is a small police station, usually no bigger than a single room. These rooms often contain little more than a desk and a chair, but they are easy to spot, and you will find them in every neighborhood in every city.

Kobans are open 24 hours a day and will always be manned by one or two police officers.

You can visit these tiny police stations if you need to report a crime or don’t feel safe on the street and are looking for a safe place.

But they serve other purposes too. The police officers inside the Koban are friendly and are always happy to offer directions. If you find any lost property or lose an item on your trip, you can also report this here.

Tourists Are Welcome

The best countries to visit as a solo traveler are countries where foreign tourists are actively welcomed. And foreign visitors are welcome in Japan.

In fact, most residents will go out of their way to offer assistance to tourists, regardless of whether they are traveling alone or as part of a group.

If you are looking at a map on the street or looking lost, a local is likely to stop and offer help unprompted. The Japanese people are well known for their politeness and their deep-rooted traditions, and this politeness extends to tourists.

It’s also important to note that while many people assume that Japan’s technology and automobile industries are responsible for much of its GDP, Japan also relies on tourism to boost its massive economy.

This also contributes to the welcome that tourists receive.

Safe For Female Travelers

If you are a female traveler traveling alone in Japan, then it is an incredibly safe country to visit.

While we don’t advise walking alone at night anywhere, you wouldn’t have to worry about your safety if you chose to do so in Japan.

Much of Japanese culture caters perfectly to solo travelers. Single hotel rooms, restaurant booths, and solo train travel are all commonplace here.

Lone female travelers should be careful on crowded subway trains as unwanted groping (known as chikan) is sadly common. However, the Japanese authorities have combatted this by introducing women-only carriages every weekday during the early morning rush hour.

Women in Japan can walk down the street without being catcalled and feel safe wherever they travel in the country.

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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com