Best countries for solo travelers

Safety ranking: 10; happiness ranking: 22

The best way for solo travelers to experience an expensive country that’s 1,000 miles long: aboard one of the Hurtigruten coastal steamers that sail up the coast of Norway, into the city of Bergen, and through some of the country’s most beautiful fjords, stopping at dozens of ports along the way.

Safety ranking: 42; happiness ranking: 1

You could argue that the concept of adventure travel was born here in Costa Rica, aka the world’s happiest country. This Central American destination has been drawing Americans for decades to surf on the Pacific coast or join a rafting company for a day on the white water of the Reventazon or Pacuare rivers.

Safety ranking: 45; happiness ranking: 2

Street life is colorful and safe in Vietnam’s largest cities, whether you’re exploring Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City or heading for Hanoi’s massive Dong Xuan Market. Do tai chi with hundreds of others by Hoan Kiem lake before heading into the mountains of the Central Highlands, preferably on a trek with a local outfitter.

Safety ranking: 11; happiness ranking: 45

It’s easy to be a solo traveler in Stockholm, a compact city surrounded by the waters of the archipelago. Sea kayaking? Check. A day exploring the city’s parks by bike? Easy enough. There are outdoor cafes, the artistic treasures of the Moderna Museet and stellar shopping for design here in the country that gave us Ikea.

Safety ranking: 17; happiness ranking: 43

Too many choices can be a good thing, and that’s what you’ll encounter in Germany, one of Europe’s friendliest countries. You can hang out in Berlin — the cafe, gallery and nightclub-filled epicenter of hipster Europe — and never want for company. But sooner or later, you’ll be tempted to explore other parts of this underrated country, using Germany’s well-regarded rail network.

Safety ranking: 6 happiness ranking: 59

Plan your visit for the sunshine-filled long days of summer, and get oriented in Helsinki, which is walkable, easygoing and filled with design stores and museums. The Esplanade is full of outdoor cafes and a market. Sociability begins here and continues in saunas, which are found all over the city and the country.

Safety ranking: 38; happiness ranking: 27

Laos has something of a cultlike status among single travelers. Like Vietnam, Laos was a war-ravaged place that has emerged as a peaceful haven. Unlike Vietnam, it has managed to retain much of its original culture and to preserve its environment, among the most pristine in Southeast Asia. Highlights include a classic riverboat trip down the Mekong, a visit to the royal city of Luang Prabang and hanging out with an international cadre of travelers in the capital of Vientiane.

Safety ranking: 20; happiness ranking: 55

Take liberal social policies, the original bike culture, and cities and towns crisscrossed with canals, and you have the Netherlands, the solo traveler’s Disneyland. The Dutch are among the most laid-back and accepting people in Europe.

Safety ranking: 1; happiness ranking: 80

The safest country on the list ranks 80th for happiness? Blame some of the highest taxes in the world and long winters. Even so, it’s an easy country for single travelers to feel comfortable in.

Safety ranking: 47; happiness ranking: 39

The land of Shakespeare has long been a welcoming place for single American travelers, especially those with an Anglophile bent. You can typically enjoy theater — and everything else — sans lost-in-translation issues.