Okay so ‘post-pandemic’ might be a bit of a stretch thanks to the Delta strain’s inability to read the room, but we’re almost there.

And to prove it, the Australian government is opening the fortress gates and letting us travel again. Come November, you can finally use your passport for something other than a #tbt post and explore the world once more. While it’s a bloody exciting prospect, you might find it a bit daunting, too. Is it really safe out there in the big, bad world beyond the Pacific? According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s recently released 2021 Safe Cities Index, it is if you pick the right destination.

Each year, the index ranks 60 cities based on 76 safety indicators across infrastructure security, digital security, personal security, environmental security, and health security—with pandemic preparedness and Covid-19 mortality factoring into the latter this year. Though Sydney ranked fifth overall, we’re gonna skip over our fair city after spending the last four months locked inside its borders. With that in mind, here are the five safest cities to fly to once international travel resumes.

Copenhagen

Denmark’s capital is a city of spires and cinnamon snails, rich in beauty as it is in breweries. It earned the top spot thanks to its high score under the index’s environmental security pillar, and its eco-conscious ethos helped bump up its health score, too, with clean air and community parks offering a safe space for residents during lockdown. With restrictions completely lifted last month, the city continues to provide “Corona-guides” to assist people, and offers a free Covid testing program for everyone, including tourists.

Toronto

Coming in second is the humble hometown of Drake and the Raptors, the Canadian city of Toronto. Scoring 82.2 overall, the city owes its safety score to infrastructure, environmental factors, and its refusal to let Americans in for the past 18 months. Jokes aside, close to 85% of Toronto’s population have been fully vaccinated, compared to 57% of the United States. Suffice to say, no American cities landed in the top 10 on the safety index, largely due to their handling of the pandemic. Singing, ‘Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours…’

Singapore

Like most cities, a proof of vax “corona pass” QR code app is required for entry to restaurants, cafés, and theatres. Singapore’s pandemic response has been considered among the best in the world, largely owing to their digital, health, and infrastructure security strengths. Early on in the pandemic, Singapore implemented a first-class digital monitoring and contact tracing system which is still in place, with residents and tourists needing to scan what’s called a ‘TraceTogether’ token or SafeEntry app to enter premises, much like our Covid-Safe system. Apparently remote work guidelines have reduced congestion on public transport and in shops, but if you’re worried about crowds, you can now track overcrowding in public places via a newly launched app called ‘Space Out.’ Genius.

Tokyo

Remember the Olympics? Me either, really. But they happened, and Ariarne Titmus’ multiple gold medals prove it. Apparently Covid cases surged during the games, so it’s probably for the best that we weren’t allowed to travel then. But things are different now, with high vaccination rates and low case numbers turning the Japan’s capital city into a success story, and last month they began lifting most restrictions. Tokyo ranked particularly high on the health security index, which measures factors like universal healthcare, pandemic preparedness, life expectancy, mental health and Covid-19 mortality, while also scoring in the top five for infrastructure security—with its transport system and networks regarded among the best in the world.

Amsterdam

The Dutch capital of Amsterdam came in just behind Sydney on the Safe City Index, scoring 79.3 out of the available 100 points, unsurprisingly killing it in the environmental category. Though Amsterdam is among the most climate conscious and sustainability focused cities on Earth, it’s worth noting it placed 23rd under the health security pilar (for comparison, Sydney scored 10th). This may owe to its optimistic yet ultimately unsuccessful ‘herd immunity’ covid response plan early in the pandemic, followed by a slow vaccine rollout that sent AstraZeneca to the sin bin for a while (sound familiar?). But the Netherlands has made up for lost time, with about 83.5% of the pop vaccinated and awaiting your visit.