These are the best solo travel destinations in the world right now

Thinking of taking yourself on holiday this year? Airbnb has you covered
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Liz Connor30 June 2017

Solo travel is all the rage right now.

There’s the benefit of not having to run on anyone else’s schedule, the appeal of meeting new friends and the chance you might just go on an 'Eat Pray Love' journey of discovery and solve all of your life problems in one trip.

If you’ve gotten to the stage where you keep telling everyone you’re quitting your job and go on a one-man adventure, but haven’t actually gotten round to doing it - there’s never been a better time to get yourself in gear and book a flight.

Airbnb has just released a list of the best places to go on a solo adventure this year, based on data collected from their millions of users.

From remote beaches to buzzy city destinations, these places have a growing number of bookings for individual travelers, where as much as 27 per cent of staying guests are single people on the hunt for solo adventure.

Now you have no excuses.

10. Busan, South Korea

Shutterstock / Tanwa Kankang

This urban seaside city has the best of both worlds: colourful hilltop houses, golden beaches and remote mountain-top temples alongside towering skyscrapers and busy shopping streets.

9. Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Shutterstock / CLS Digital Arts

The largest city in North Carolina is more than just a banking district. Solo travellers can get lost in NoDa - the hip downtown art area that’s littered with independent museums and art galleries - dine in some of Carolina’s best restaurants and stroll through postcard-perfect suburban neighbourhoods.

8. Mexico City, Mexico

Shutterstock / Kamira

Skip the hoardes of tourists in Cancun and visit Mexico City instead. This city has it all: stunning colonial architecture, futuristic street art, winding ancient canals and some very unique local cuisine - scorpion tacos, anyone?

7. Auckland, New Zealand

Shutterstock / Dmitri Ogleznev

New Zealand's biggest city has seen a 114 per cent increase in solo travellers over the past year - and with good reason too. While there's plenty to do and see in the city, there are amazing beaches and hiking trails right on your doorstep too.

6. Sao Paulo, Brazil

Shutterstock / f11photo

You’ll never be short of places to meet a new friend in Sao Paulo. The city is enormous, boasting one of the largest populations in the world. There’s round-the-clock fun to be had, seven days a week with experimental theatres, museums, night clubs and 15,000 bars to tick off your bucket list.

5. Johannesburg, South Africa

Shutterstock / Ariadna22822

Jo’burg is experiencing a revival that every solo traveller will want to check out. What started as a gold mining town has grown to be South America’s biggest city. While wealth divide is still an issue, the city is undergoing one of the biggest urban-renewal projects in recent history - and it boasts some brilliant beaches too.

4. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Shutterstock / Patryk Kosmider

In you’re looking to do some solo contemplating on a remote tropical beach, this coastal resort town is definitely the place to do it. Turquoise waters, palm-fringed shores, laid-back beach bars - it’s a solo sun worshipper’s dream.

3. Cologne, Germany

Shutterstock / 75tiks

Liberal, artistic, historic and vibrant - Cologne might just be the ultimate European city destination. If you haven’t yet booked a weekend to hop over on a plane, start your solo travel journey here - it only takes one hour from London and can be discovered in under 48 hrs.

2. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Shutterstock / Sean Hsu

This Vibrant, busy and chaotic Vietnamese city has long been a favourite for gap year travellers, and now it’s capturing the adult sabbatical crowd. Here you can scooter around the busy streets, feast on street food, haggle for a bargain in boutique markets and wander through ancient temples.

1. Cancun, Mexico

Shutterstock / Jenny Sturm

Not just for Spring Break, Cancun is fast becoming as Insta-favourite for millennial solo travellers looking for sun, sea and the world’s best tacos. If the year-round sunshine wasn’t enough, there’s unrivalled snorkelling spots, a growing 5-star hotel scene and some of Mexico’s best beaches to throw a towel down onto.

Now all you need to worry about is letting your friends and family down gently.

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