How We Rate Destinations

Safety Score (1-10)

Our safety score is a composite of five data sources:

• Global Peace Index (Institute for Economics & Peace) — overall peacefulness ranking
• Government travel advisories — warnings from US State Department, UK FCDO, and Australian DFAT
• Crime statistics — violent crime rates, theft rates, and homicide rates per 100,000 population
• Solo traveler surveys — aggregated feedback from solo travel communities on perceived safety
• Women`s safety indices — specific data on street harassment, sexual violence rates, and legal protections

Scores are normalized to a 1-10 scale. A score of 9+ means the destination is among the safest in the world with extremely low crime rates and strong legal protections. A score below 6 means travelers should exercise heightened awareness and research neighborhoods carefully.

Cost Estimates ($-$$$)

Daily cost estimates include accommodation, three meals, local transportation, and one paid activity per day. Data sources:

• Numbeo cost of living database — crowd-sourced prices for 10,000+ cities
• Hostelworld and Booking.com — average dorm and private room prices by city
• Local price surveys — our team verifies prices during quarterly data reviews

Cost levels: $ = $20-50/day (budget), $$ = $50-120/day (mid-range), $$$ = $120-250+/day (premium).

Cost estimates assume budget-conscious solo travel: hostel or budget hotel accommodation, local meals, and public transit. Luxury travelers should multiply by 2-4x.

Female Friendly (1-10)

Composite score based on:

• Street harassment rates and legal protections against gender-based violence
• Solo female traveler reviews aggregated from travel communities
• Availability of women-only accommodations, train cars, and services
• Gender equality indices (UN Development Programme, World Economic Forum)

Public Transport, English Level, Walkability, Internet

These infrastructure scores (1-10) are based on:

• Public Transport: Coverage, frequency, reliability, safety, and ease of navigation for non-locals. Data from transit authority reports and traveler reviews.
• English Level: EF English Proficiency Index rankings combined with traveler-reported communication ease in hostels, restaurants, and transit.
• Walkability: Pedestrian infrastructure, sidewalk coverage, street safety, and compactness of major tourist areas.
• Internet: Average mobile and WiFi speeds (Speedtest Global Index), 4G/5G coverage, and availability of public WiFi and coworking spaces.

Food, Nature, Culture, Nightlife, Adventure, Beach

These experience scores (1-10) reflect the quality and accessibility of each category for solo travelers:

• Food: Quality, variety, affordability, and solo-dining culture. Weighted toward street food and casual dining scenes.
• Nature: National parks, hiking trails, scenic landscapes, and accessibility by public transport or organized tours.
• Culture: UNESCO sites, museums, historical districts, festivals, and local traditions accessible to independent travelers.
• Nightlife: Variety of options (bars, clubs, live music), safety at night, and solo-friendly venues.
• Adventure: Availability of activities like diving, surfing, trekking, climbing, and extreme sports.
• Beach: Beach quality, water clarity, swimming safety, and infrastructure for independent beachgoers.

Update Frequency

We review and update all destination scores on a quarterly schedule:

• Q1 (January): Full data refresh for all 15 destinations
• Q2 (April): Cost of living and safety updates
• Q3 (July): Infrastructure and experience score updates
• Q4 (October): Annual comprehensive review plus new destination additions

If a major event affects a destination (natural disaster, political instability, significant currency fluctuation), we update scores within 72 hours.

Limitations

Our scoring system has limitations we want to be transparent about:

• Scores are country-level averages. Conditions can vary significantly between cities and regions within a country.
• Crowd-sourced data (Numbeo, traveler reviews) reflects subjective experiences and may contain sampling bias.
• Safety and cost data can change quickly. Always check current government advisories before traveling.
• Our scores prioritize factors relevant to solo travelers. They are not general quality-of-life or tourist-satisfaction rankings.