How to make friends while traveling solo

Traveling solo is one of the most fulfilling experiences you can have. You will enjoy places from a unique perspective while traveling at your own pace. In addition, you can visit specific places that may only be interesting to you. Or maybe, you will decide to go the same places that everybody else go but a specific time of the day. Independently of your style of solo traveling, going on your own sometimes comes with a small dose of loneliness. If you are very independent you may be ok. As I usually am. But, in occasions, it is nice to interact with other people, and the best solution for that is making friends while traveling (solo or with other people).

What is the best way of making friends while traveling solo?

In my opinion, the easiest way to make friends while traveling is to carry snacks. I would usually start a conversation over something in common. For example, let’s imagine that I am in a boat during a cruise along one of the lakes in the Alps.  True fact. And then you start discussing about whatever is around you. In my case, it was about how terribly hot it was and how hot was the sun. Because we were forced to be outside the shadow area (too many people on the boat), it was a good way to start a conversation.

Initially, it can feel somehow forced or weird to start to speak with a stranger, but it becomes easy. At the same time, while I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone, do not force it. You don’t need to start chatting with everyone if you don’t feel like it. But try it once in a while.

The strategic move

Now, once you have started the conversation, you may get slightly hungry. Hypothetically. Then, you will just get your cookies, chips, chocolate out… It can also be something healthy but make sure you can share. I, for example, would not share a banana, but I could chare some grapes. Then you offer to share. And from there you will most likely be able to have a nice chat with them and maybe agree to meet them later.

Another option: making friends on hostel bars

Making friends while traveling with snacks can help you anywhere in the world and in any situation. Another option that I also find extremely useful is to connect with people in hotel bars.

While I was traveling through Europe looking for the best palaces and castles, I stopped in Berlin. There, I was staying at a hostel with a very nice bar/restaurant. One night after arriving from visiting the city, I decided to grab my book and head to the bar downstairs for dinner. Yes, solo because it can be an awesome experience. While I was filling my travel journal and eating in a communal table, a couple from Spain joined me and between drinks we started talking. A bit later, a couple of more people joined our conversation. Then we learnt that some of us had the same destination for the following day: Potsdam. Since it seemed that we had a good dynamic, we agreed that if people were to leave at similar times we could meet for breakfast and then go together.

I am an early bird and, by the time I was downstairs having breakfast the next morning, only the couple from last night was there. We left, made it to Potsdam and visited the town together. To date, thanks to Instagram and Facebook, I still know about their lives and they know about mine.

Join groups wherever you travel: meetups

If you are a downright extrovert and enjoy groups, this is your best option. Meetup is a social platform where you can find groups in almost any city in the world. People with common interests that gather together to have a coffee, go out for a walk, or even get together for a run. If you are traveling to a place that is big enough, meaning, a medium sized city, meetup will be a very nice way to meet new people. And the best part is that because everybody is there with the intention of getting to know more people, usually, all the attendants are very open to start conversations.

Even if you are not traveling at the time, going to a meetup will help you immensely in being more comfortable opening to other people during your trips. And who knows, you may even end up with new acquaintances.

The wildcard: Tinder

So… I know of a lot of people who use Tinder when they travel to meet new people. In some occasions this involves finding a local to show you around. This usually includes a visit to the common local sights, maybe one or two nice hidden spots, and perhaps a visit to their bedroom. This is not always the case, but for what I have heard, it is a common occurrence.

What about you? Do you use any of these approaches before? Have you succeeded on making friends while traveling?

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