Luckily, I have been blessed with the ability to talk to anyone. Hence, I don’t seem to have problems making new friends or making friends whilst travelling. However, not everyone is like this and I thought I would write a post about some of the ways I make friends whilst travelling.
Stay in hostels.
Hostels are a great way of meeting new people and making friends whilst traveling. You can just spend one day or plan several days together. Most people only stay in hostels if they are sociable people. Introduce yourself to your room mates. Ask them what they are doing that evening or if they would like to go out for something to eat. The likelihood is that if they have been there for a day or two, they will have made other friends and therefore can introduce you to other people.
Some hostels also have activities organised such as day trips, pub crawls or social evenings. This is another great way of meeting people.
Staying in a hostel? Check out my hostel survival guide HERE.
Taking a walking tour.
A lot of major cities around the world have free walking tours. The guides always encourage the attendees to talk to each other. I always come away having made new friends to meet up with over the next few days. If there are not any free walking tours in the area then most paid tour will have the same effect. Anywhere where a big group of people gather and speak to each other will give you opportunity for making friends whilst travelling.
Couchsurfing.
I absolutely love Couchsurfing. It is a website to connect like-minded people. It is known mostly as a way for you to stay at peoples’ homes not for money but for cultural and social experiences.
Check out my post about why I recommend Couchsurfing and how you can stay safe
However,it is not only used for accommodation – you can also request to meet people via the website. Perhaps meet for a coffee and a bit of sightseeing with a local. Perhaps, spend the day sight seeing with another tourist. You can also use the events section of the website to attend an event through Couchsurfing.
There are all sorts of events all around the world from Couchsurfing meetups, attending festivals, open mic nights to language exchanges. I have been making friends whilst travelling through Couchsurfing.
Advertise.
If you are going to be in a city for a while and have a particular hobby that you enjoy why don’t you advertise for a buddy to do this with? One of my friends made a great friend through Gumtree when he answered an ad from a girl looking for a badminton partner. Look for notice boards for that city on the web and post on those. Advertise in a coffee shop that travellers tend to go to.
Tinder.
I have not done this personally but I met a girl who was travelling and making friends by using Tinder. “Tinder!” I hear you say. . . as in the dating app. Yes! She wrote on it that she was looking for friendships only, someone to spend time with on her travels and see the local sites and started swiping right! She reaffirmed when talking to the guy that she was looking for people to hang out with for friendships only and ended up meeting so many great people. As it works by location she got to meet local and other travellers. She swears by this app.
Other times.
I find that whenever you are sharing an experience with a group of people, there are always opportunities to make friends. Whether it is sitting on a train, taking a long distance bus journey to waiting in line to buy a coffee. Talk to people, compliment them or even just asking them where they are from can initiate a conversation. What have you got to lose? You are never going to see them again if you don’t manage to make friends with them or find that they are not the type of person you want to be friends with.
I have made friends just walking down the street and local people asking me where I am from. This can lead to unique experiences such as one I had in South Korea where I attended a cultural celebration after speaking to two girls for 10 minutes on the street.
But most importantly, stay safe. If you make a new friend, tell someone where you are going. Unfortunately you cannot trust everyone in this world so therefore listen to your intuition. I have never had a bad experience yet when making friends and hope that there will never be that one time.
This post just made me feel really old. Hostels, Tinder, and coushsurfing are a big NOPE for me. I usually talk to the people that are enjoying the same activities as I am (scuba diving, hiking, whatever). When I am traveling alone, I talk to the other women traveling alone, and as a couple, we tend to meet other couples – figure out what works for you (and if you want to meet people).
Oh no, don’t feel old 🙂 Each person has their own way. I am 32 years old and I’m moving more towards speaking to locals or people doing the same activities as me rather than Tinder etc. I love meeting other lone travelling females and perhaps travelling with them for a few days. But you are totally right, some people want to send time alone rather than meeting people. Its not for everyone.
All great suggestions! It can be lonely traveling if you don’t meet people. And meeting people with similar interests (traveling) can lead to long friendships. I also really like meeting people who live in the area for a different perspective.
I have made some amazing friends whilst travelling and as you said, we have something in common. . . travelling, which is a massive part of my life.
You really do have to be able to put yourself out there in order to meet new people and make friends. You have to be prepared to strike up conversations with people you’ve never met before. Hostels are great for that because there are always lots of people in the same situation who want to meet others. However, for someone who is more reserved, this can be quite a challenge. Walking tours are good too.
I have felt myself grow with confidence since travelling alone. Where as I used to be a bit worried about just talking to anyone, now I find it easy. Its about stepping a little out of your comfort zone but not too far that it puts you off for life. But that is only if you want to meet people. Sometimes I like alone time too.
I’m the opposite of you – I don’t approach people easily and actually prefer to be on my own but I can see how these tips can be very helpful. I’m older than the average hostel-dweller so I choose not to stay in hostels but I would consider joining walking tours if I traveled alone.
I sometimes like to be on my own too. I tend to go towards home stays or cheap hotels now as I am also growing out of hostels (32 years old) but I have too met people in their 30’s – 40’s in hostels who I have become great friends with.
These are great tips! I must say that I have met a lot of people on the road by doing tours. Walking tours are especially great because you can get to know someone while you are walking around town.
I love hostels for this, definitely the easiest way for me. I am a quiet person so when I stayed at my first hostel I was shocked by the amount of people approaching me just to chat etc. Met lots of people on excursions too. Great post
Thanks. Hostels really are great aren’t they for meeting people.
I love that tinder is now an option to meet friends on the road. I think it’s definitely a good thing to do, see the sights and sounds with an tinder local. :p
I should try this. I have heard from so many people how good it is.
I like to join tours because the people on it, are probably likely to like the same things as you do. And I stay in hostels when I travel solo to make friends easier. I am a really introvert person but sometimes it is nice to have a good chat with others too.
Yes tours are def a great place to meet people. you know you will have something in comment as you have chosen to do the same tour as them 🙂