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Solo travel is one of the fastest-growing niche travel industries in the world, and a whopping 84% of those going solo are women, according to Condor Ferries. Put simply, women prefer solitude when they go away.
One of the coolest ways to enjoy this travel detachment is by island or a series of them. Conveniently, the guided island-hopping tour company aptly named Island Hopping has conducted a study on the safest island destinations.
The choices are based on key factors like the islands’ Women, Peace, and Security Index (WPS), walkability, and the natives’ English language proficiency. Going solo for women has never been easier, more resourced, and safer if you know where to go.
Madeira, Portugal
The roughly 1.5 million who visit Madeira each year are greeted with one of Europe’s most dramatic, lush, and subtropical secrets. When we think of Portugal, we picture rustic hilltop villages, golf courses, and fortified wine.
Yet, Madeira is like Europe’s Hawaii: mountainous, green, and surrounded by huge waves. What’s more, it is a hiker’s dream, with national parks and beach walks aplenty. UNESCO agrees, awarding the 20-million-year-old subtropical Laurisilva Forest protected status. It’s a winning combination that puts this beauty in pole position.
Ibiza, Spain
This Balearic Island’s reputation for reckless tourist behavior, expensive nightclubs, and party resorts precedes it. However, most of the misadventure happens in bigger urbanizations like Ibiza Town and San Antonio. A short drive north finds any solo reveler in more laid-back, natural surroundings.
Few places have a rhythm like this Mediterranean hideaway. Here, the solo traveler can expect ex-rat race transplants, retiring peaceniks, and a scattering of generational locals all enjoying the chill.
On Sundays, you can meander through the markets of San Juan and just revel in the colors. Alternatively, “hike through pristine forests to dip into the crystal-clear waters of secret coves,” suggests the White Ibiza website. It really is hard to argue with such a description.
Lanzarote, Spain
There is a reason Lanzarote scores high on this criterion; Spain has strong protections for its women. The volcanic island is part of the Canary Island archipelago, closer to Africa than Europe, though no less European. Laura Jayne of Everlasting Wandering raves about the island’s endless adventure or self-care options.
“Lanzarote feels like the perfect-sized island to explore solo,” she writes. “Nothing is too far away, but it’s big enough that there’s always somewhere new to discover.”
Fuerteventura, Spain
Spain continues its safe islands for solo travelers portfolio with another Balearic family member, Fuerteventura. This windswept Mediterranean outpost is best known for its boardriders, seafood culture, and lunar-like landscapes, much like Lanzarote.
Yet, for solo female travelers, it’s an island that rewards those who dance to their own beat. All kinds of sun-worshipping digital nomads converge here, but by far Fuerteventura’s greatest appeal is the huge, deserted beachscapes. “Sometimes you feel like being on a beach without much company, where you only hear the gentle murmuring of the waves,” reads the Visit Fuerteventura platform.
Corfu, Greece
I used to visit Corfu regularly as a kid, and my overwhelming recollection is scorching sunshine, seafront tavernas, and aquamarine seas. Things haven’t changed much in the decades since then. What’s more, a combination of low prices, great walkability, and English language levels puts Corfu into the safest Greek island classification.
The northernmost Ionian Island gets a rave review from Tracy Nesbitt on the Solo Traveler website. “My evenings were spent in local restaurants with views of the beach, filled with local people,” she writes. “I had the most wonderful time.”
Santorini, Greece
Santorini is one of the top Greek Aegean Island destinations, especially for those with an Instagram account. Don’t let the tourism doom merchants fool you, though. Solo travelers have much to enjoy on this whitewashed fever dream of an island.
Meanwhile, going solo needn’t mean being alone all the time. Companies, such as Santorini Experts, offer female-only tours where like-minded lonewolves can join up for shopping, meals, and professional photo shoots. Just be sure to book a trip off-peak instead of during the summertime selfie-stick apocalypse.
Gran Canaria
Like the neighboring Lanzarote, the second island of the Canaries is the main hub, Gran Canaria. Bizarrely, each Canarian island is unique; Gran Canaria is more like its Portuguese counterpart, Madeira. Of course, it benefits from the same subtropical climate and year-long sunshine.
Local travel site PicyPoc summarizes the place well. “Imagine a place where the sun’s nearly always shining, the temperature stays just right … and there’s always a cool ocean breeze.”
Boracay, Philippines
While Boracay Island doesn’t reach the same WPS heights as Madeira and other Atlantic islands, it gets full marks on walkability and outscores the rest on the cost of living metric. Almost the entire southern border of Boracay is a white sand beach with one of Asia’s greatest sunsets.
As for what to do when you arrive, the Discover Boracay platform has sound advice. “Explore nearby gems like Crystal Cove Island and Crocodile Island,” reads the guide for solo travelers. The island is renowned for wellness and tranquility, where beach massages and world-class eating are the norm.
Tenerife, Spain
A third Canary Island solo-travel hotspot is Tenerife, another volcanic member of this autonomously Spanish, female-friendly archipelago. The only downside to Tenerife is a lack of walkability, though this doesn’t extend to the 12 national parks accessible here.
Tenerife invites solo travelers to enjoy its sun-splashed warmth, fantastic food culture, and endless outdoor entertainment. If hikes and bites don’t appeal, there are dolphin safaris, island tours, and wellness retreats all year round.
Rhodes, Greece
Greece gets another mention in the collection. This time, it is historical Rhodes. The island scores high for WPS, culture, and the English-speaking levels found there, which will reassure anyone seeking a Greek Island adventure.
Thankfully, valuable recent insight comes from solo travel expert writer and Greece resident, Melissa Byron of A Solo Woman Traveling. She loves “shoulder season,” when fewer crowds and cooler temperatures improve her enjoyment. “Not all the Greek Islands are open year-round, but Rhodes is one of them, fortunately,” she reveals.
Ben is a lifestyle, travel, news, and features writer with bylines for dozens of publications, and he has bylines across many online platforms.
Raised in England and with a career background in international education, he now lives in Southern Spain with his wife and son. Ben has lived on four continents, including Africa, Asia, and North America, and he has worked diverse jobs, ranging from traveling film projectionist to landscape gardener.
He offers a unique, well-traveled perspective on life, with several specialties related to his travels, namely, international living and culture. Ben loves writing about travel, food, news, and trending cultural topics, among many others.
When he isn’t writing, you will find him hiking with his family or on the nearest golf course looking for his golf ball.
