BEST LAST-MINUTE GETAWAYS FOR A SOLO TRAVELLER

PARIS, FRANCE

Whilst many people look at Paris and automatically place it as a couple’s destination, who’s to say you can’t take a trip there to fall in love with their beautiful country, culture, and whilst we’re at it, yourself?

My favourite thing about Paris is that there’s just so much to see and do all the time, rendering it one of the most enticing places I’ve ever had the opportunity to explore. It keeps surprising you throughout your whole stay, even after you’ve seen the Eiffel Tower and the City of Pompidou and all the other guide book marvels. Within minutes of your arrival you’ll pass quaint flower stalls, faded archaic buildings, and hoards of local residents mixing with the tourists in order to buy the best macarons in the city (which, FYI, are in the Musée du Louvre).

The people are also some of the nicest I’ve ever met, which is a stark contrast to other major cities (looking at you, London). Despite how much you may want to explore the city alone, you will still find yourself utterly surrounded by people – like how I was taken around the Louvre by a fact-wielding French lass, having had an utter stranger take me under their wing to book metro tickets after someone else ushered me behind a shop desk to show me a city map on their Mac. I’ve never met a group of people more willing to spend their time helping confused tourists – except in Dublin.

DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Dublin is made up of one of the nicest groups of people I’ve ever met – my local highlight was having a dark-haired, thick-accented Irish woman point out the Leprechaun Museum, which I can confirm was as wacky and beautiful as the rest of the city.

The best way to explore this city is by bus as everything is easily a ride away, and it’s the quick and easiest way to both see the city and hop on and off at will – although if you’ve brave I’m sure you could scour the whole city by foot for days on end.

When you leave for Dublin you will likely get friends and family ushering you to try the Guinness – but a lot of pubs don’t actually serve it. I know a bunch of people who have been insanely disappointed by the fact that they can’t just meander to get sloshed off the tap at their local inn, but there is actually a Guinness factory tour you can go on. I can’t recommend it though, because I happen to be one of the sane people that are aware of how disgusting Guinness is.

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

I had never seen the appeal of German cities before, because why would I want to spend a trip being yelled at by people with thick, scary accents, eating food that is just pure starch and fat? Turns out, I’m an actual idiot for believing in the stereotypes. If I hadn’t booked a trip to Dusseldorf as a cheap spontaneous getaway, then I never would have realised how beautiful the city was, with amazing food and sights for next to nothing. You can easily score a whole trip away here for less than £150, which is pretty insane for an upcoming European city.

The people were lovely, and the accents weren’t horrendous – although a lot of the locals don’t speak English (gasp) which can be a problem. Never have I had to communicate in motions and noises to that extent before whilst at the front of a long bus queue, but there we go.

Then we have the food. Massive pretzels baked in thick lumps of salt and mounds of ice-cream are easily the best snacks to eat out and about. Two locals brought me to a nameless ice-cream house sat between winding alleys and outmoded monuments, where the ice-cream is brought in the same day and handed to you by a large woman with an accent equally as thick – and both the atmosphere and the actual sweet treats are amazing. I did momentarily consider the idea that I was about to be kidnapped by these strangers, but it turns out that solo travel is filled with lovely new people who just want to buy you things and add you on Facebook.

ROME, ITALY

My favourite place in my favourite country, with my favourite language and favourite cuisine. Frankly, I adore absolutely everything about Italy and it’s much loved city of Rome. Whilst Florence is a close contender with it’s history and stunning architecture, the slightly more tourist-vibed Rome has to top it. Every corner you turn is filled with crumbling buildings and people creating music, littered with wabi-sabi structures and rustic houses. It’s the best place to find beauty in the crumbling, with everything steeped in history and culture.

The weather is warm for most of the year, and the clear skies lend to the most incredible sunsets. Some of my favourite evenings have been spent wandering the old alleys with locals strumming on guitars under a teal and orange sky, with me probably en-route to get something to eat. The food itself is on a whole other level, with dishes handcrafted to the style of each restaurant owner’s taste. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much good food, and I felt like such a blessed being to have the opportunity to drink hot coco at a cafe overlooking the famed Colosseum.

Like with Paris, Dublin, and Dusseldorf, Rome is the perfect place for a solo traveller, especially with so much to see and do (and eat). Like the others, it’s the perfect place to start a romance – but this time, to remember what it’s like to fall in love with adventure, and yourself.