Hi everyone
I’m loving my UK sits and feeling a bit more adventurous.
As a female solo sitter, I’m looking for advice re: a good/safe place for an English speaking solo sitter.
I’ve not been on an aeroplane since 1985 would you believe!!!
Thanks in advance.
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We are currently on a four-week sit in Amsterdam. We flew here after finishing a sit Manchester and will take the Eurostar train back to our next sit in London.
Amsterdam is an amazing city, very safe ( as long as you look out for the bicycles!) and English is widely spoken.
I would highly recommend it to anybody.
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the EU isn’t far (and cheap to fly to) and I think there’s a good selection of countries and cities that would be safe. Now, nowhere is 100% safe, but (thinking where most sits are located) France, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany Spain would all be amazing and safe. Then a bit further Croatia, Greece. If you want to hop across the pond, then Canada is usually pretty safe. It depends on your taste in travels and what you want o discover!
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@Colin many thanks - I hadn’t thought of Amsterdam. Will definitely look into it as I have never been. 
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There are still ferries: Harwich - Hook of Holland; Dover - Calais; Ramsgate - Ostend; Newcastle - Amsterdam, etc.
Such a great question, Marie.
I did two house sits in Reykjavik over the Summer and not only does everyone there speak English to an excellent standard, crime is very very low throughout the entire country of Iceland. The only downside is it tends to be quite expensive there!
I also had great experiences in Vienna, Copenhagen, Oslo and Geneva. All such beautiful cities in their own unique way and felt very safe to me. One thing I have noticed is that in all Scandinavian countries, the people speak such good English that it’s so much better than mine and I’m a native speaker! 
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Scandinavia
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If you don’t want to fly there are plenty of train and ferry options to get you all over Europe. Take a look at seat61.com for ideas.
For a safe sit in Europe almost any major city in western Europe should be ideal as you will be able to get by with English and there should be plenty of reliable public transport available.
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Thank you @Chatsetchiens , great answer 
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Im happy to fly. Just thought you might find it amusing 
Hi @MarieHuggins
I’m a solo sitter too (although male) that has been fortunate to do many European sits over the last 16 months including athens, copenhagen, berlin, porto, lisbon, faro, larnaca, near Barcelona and near Murcia. I have never felt in danger tbh. Obviously I suggest using street smarts as I do.
Good luck with your travels.
btw - european flights outside summer and the kids holidays can be got for great value via easyjet, ryanair and wizz. I just came back from a sit in Porto that cost me £56 return with Ryanair into London.
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I would recommend Slovenia it’s frequently rated one of the safest countries in the world. Almost everyone under the age of 50 speaks English as it’s taught in schools. Ljubljana Is a wonderful city and the country as a whole has a lot to offer for visitors from picturesque hikes, museums, amazing food, shopping, cute cafes a plethora of recreational activities like river kayaking, horse back riding. It also happens to be significantly cheaper than most other European countries. I also agree with @richten1 that Portugal is another great suggestion for solo female sitters/travelers.
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What type of place do you like? Big cities, natural areas, suburbs, rural? What do you want to do, in addition to taking care of pets?
I am pretty familiar with the entire West coast of the USA. There are some areas of some cities where I would not feel safe alone, but there are areas even in San Francisco where I would feel safe. It really depends on exactly where within San Francisco. Generally the suburbs of San Francisco are very safe. You could go to Sonoma, CA, for example, especially if you like wine tasting. Super cute town! Lots of possibilities.
Portland, Oregon has increased amount of crime recently, but there are so many beautiful areas of Oregon where crime is low. Same goes for Washington state; parts of Seattle are wonderful. Lots to see and do there. Suburbs are generally safe. Stick with nicer, upscale neighborhoods.
Pay attention to weather in the winter. Oregon and Washington are much colder and wetter than California, in general.
That’s so on the hit list but never see any sits for Slovenia 
@Kelly - have you done any there? 
Am a serial solo female traveller - totally depends on what you like doing as @PVGemini says but Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Holland, Germany, Belgium all easy and all have plenty of sits. Zandvoort, Porto, Berlin, Madrid, Copenhagen, Stockholm would all be right up there for safe female travels (& easy cheap flights too) @MarieHuggins 
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Thank you @PVGemini , wonderful suggestions. My favourite places are rugged countryside, beautiful coastal areas, rural, non touristy, not hot, love the autumn and winter, cooler climates. Would like to do America but so vast it’s hard to know the ‘safe’ areas.
Great suggestions 
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How about Ireland?
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Ive heard its beautiful. @andrealovesanimals do you know the rugged scenic parts?
@MarieHuggins along the west coast is most beautiful, but lots of the east coast is gorgeous too. If you want to look at the current Irish listings and ask me about places that might interest you, feel free to private message me!
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I’m currently on a sit in the south of France. The village is very safe and the owners lent me their car so I can explore. Flights were only £30 each way.
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