Asia Travel Destinations for Women
Taiwan:
I am a woman who travels alone a good 95% of my time. I chose Taiwan on a whim after dating a Taiwanese man for 2 years. As a woman, Taiwan was EXTREMELY safe, I could travel alone throughout major cities with a friend or by myself without any issues at all, even at 4 AM (while a little tipsy)! In terms of cost, Taiwan is a fairly cheap country with few places really driving up the price. At bars, you usually pay an entrance fee but will get alcohol for free once inside. If it’s a Wednesday night it’s usually ladies night so free entrance and alcohol. A hotel room (not even a hostel!) will set you back only $30 in a major city. A meal will only be a few dollars, I never paid more than $5 for any singular food item while there and even got a few discounts for being a sweaty American woman (just kidding, but I did get a free mango).
The people in Taiwan were extremely friendly, they operate on a lot of traditional customs and mannerisms that make their hospitality on point! When I was lost in Tainan, a man offered to drive me to where I was going because I couldn’t read Chinese on a bus poster. This leads to my final point, ease of access, Taiwan while still a developing country has some of the fastest and most efficient transit systems in the entire world, you can pay only $30 US and go from one end of the country to another in less than 2 hours on the High Speed Rail. The Taipei metro system is one of the cheapest and most accessible in the world, where they even recycle single ride passes! A trip only costs a dollar and some change and you can go so far on that!
South Korea:
My heart is still in South Korea. While it’s my favorite country that I’ve visited it just doesn’t make the top of my list for a few reasons. For one, while it’s cheap there are certain things that are way more expensive there than in the USA. You can definitely do things cheaply there if you stay in a hostel, but a private room in an AirBNB or a hotel will run you more than Taiwan. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous you can stay as a solo person in a love motel (they’re actually pretty clean!).
Their subway system is quite advanced and it’s very cheap (around $1.5 per ride no matter the distance within the city which is very cheap by American standards). The only issue with their public transit is the cards that you use have to be refilled in cash unless you have a Korean bank account and cash can be hard to come by as ATMs are scarce.
Entertainment
Seoul is filled with fun things to do year round. They have everything from museums filled with optical illusions to tandem biking down the Han River, there’s something for everything. The city has a HUGE cafe culture that rivals anything I’ve experienced elsewhere. The cafe culture has created some unique cafes such as the LEGO cafe, comic book cafes, flower boy cafes, and even raccoon cafes among others. The best part of all of this is the cafe culture and food culture has made food so cheap that it doesn’t make sense NOT to eat out!
I personally had so much fun in South Korea that if I had the chance I would move there. Safety wise, I always felt safe but you need to be careful if you’re approached by people as South Korea has a lot of cult members who are recruiting on the streets. [1]
Japan:
I personally have not been to Japan but they are ranked as one of the safest countries in the world. Their violent death rates due to guns are under 10 per year! However, they do have a high suicide rate due to societal pressures. Out of all of these, Japan is one of the most expensive countries according to my friends who have gone, this is in part due to the cost of food and other things, but should not deter you from going. Their transportation system is the most advanced in the world and it shows! You can do so much in Japan and there’s always something going on. I would say that by going to Japan you won’t be disappointed.
The Philippines:
The Philippines is one of the cheapest Asian countries to visit and one of the most gorgeous. I haven’t been but there will be a day when I finally get the chance to go. You can’t go wrong with the country with the friendliest locals you’ll ever meet.
Singapore:
One of the most expensive cities in the world (and home to the Crazy, Rich Asians), Singapore is absolutely stunning and filled with unique things to do, Changi Airport alone has a butterfly garden, movie theater and other amazing amenities. Singapore is famous for it’s hawker centers and food as it’s a culturally diverse country filled with all sorts of ethnicities.
