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Solo female travel is on the rise and we all want to follow the adventurous path towards our greatest travel desires. As a woman, you have a lot more to take into account when traveling alone than most people often realize.
From diverse cultural norms worldwide to idealizations of what the word ‘woman’ means worldwide, it is often difficult to navigate these details as a female traveler.
While I can certainly see much more of the world, I’ve traveled to 32 countries in search of what makes a destination safe for solo female travelers. When I traveled through Spain and Portugal for more than six weeks, I found the golden mean.
It’s hard to talk about postage without feeling a rush of emotions, as I remember spending two weeks solo in the charming city. Although I started my travels solo, I ended up with a family of fellow travelers and a new place to call home.
A beautiful coastal city in the northwestern region of Portugal, Porto is an under-the-radar spot that most solo travelers don’t seem to mention. With its rolling hills, medieval paths and vibrant port history, the city is making its way out of the shadows into the passports of vagabonds.
The city itself
From the moment I stepped into Porto, I felt an overwhelming sense of coming home. Every traveler is different, but I tend to look for cities that are big enough to explore yet small enough to settle in and get to know the people and the streets easily.
Think Edinburgh and Seville; both remind me a lot of Porto in many ways: medieval atmosphere, cobbled streets, small enough to feel homely. Traveling alone brings a lot of emotions, but Porto makes it easy to navigate and get well acquainted with the way of life.
The city itself is divided into two parts: Ribeira (Porto) and Vila Nova de Gaia. Separated by a bridge, it’s quite easy to explore both sides without getting lost.
Ribeira is the ‘main’ part of town, full of restaurants, local shops and hotels. Vila Nova de Gaia is dotted with wine merchants, small churches and eateries.
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Hostel vibes
Depending on your comfort zone, hostels are always a surefire way to meet travelers with the same mindset. I stayed at OneFam Porto and couldn’t have had a better hostel experience. After staying in more than 20 hostels worldwide, this one takes the cake.
Little did I know when I went in that I would be leaving with some close friends who I would end up backpacking around the country with. With day and night activities, OneFam makes it easy to make new friends (without the pressure of constant drinking).
Port tastings, cathedral tours, family dinners and pub crawls: there’s no doubt you’ll meet at least one person you’ll be working with during your time here. The hostel is mainly made up of volunteers from all over the world, making it an inviting experience from the start.
Location Location Location
In the northwest of the country, it is convenient to explore other parts of Portugal with Porto as a base. About a 3 hour drive from Lisbon, Porto is also close to some of the best surfing towns.
During my stay I visited the quaint town of Cascais, which was also 3 hours away on the Flix bus (and super close to Sintra if you want to explore the palace). If you enjoy surfing, Nazare and Peniche along the coast are other notable places to visit!
Friendly faces
Some of the friendliest people I met in my travels were the Portuguese. Porto also attracts many expats opening their own businesses, so there is always someone to meet!
I chose ‘slow travel’ Porto, spending more than 2 weeks in the city. After I picked out a few local spots and visited them more often, many of them started to recognize me and say hello. The locals are happy to help tourists, especially when it comes to food and wine.
Due to its proximity to other places in Europe (and its safety), you will also often encounter fellow solo travelers on the street. I went for breakfast in town early in the morning and came back with a new friend from Costa Rica: the beauty of traveling alone.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
