We are all aware that it can be difficult to make friends, so how do you make friends while traveling solo? Well, fear not, there is a huge range of ways in which you can make plenty of new friends!
Not to mention, this is advice from a solo female traveller who has experienced making friends while traveling solo on a first-hand basis.
Making friends while traveling solo can be a little tricky to start off with, but once you get the ball rolling you’ll have no problem meeting heaps of new people. Besides, it’s not as scary as you think, and you’ll have it figured out in no time.
So, continue reading for all my advice on how to make friends, the benefits of traveling solo, and plenty more travel advice!
Is It Easy to Make Friends While Traveling Solo?
Surprisingly enough, yes it is. Think of it this way, every other traveler is in the same position as you, and everyone just wants to make a new friend. Especially when traveling a new country.
Sometimes, a new friendship can blossom with a simple ‘hello’. And, of course, don’t forget to be your friendliest self. Another way to make friends easily is to offer your name, this gives the chance for a new conversation to open and new friendships to make way.
Furthermore, if you see someone sitting alone, offer them to join you. You may be the difference between someone making their first travel friend and them feeling lonely.
Finally, don’t be afraid to be the first person to approach another solo traveler or a group. Everyone is in the same position of feeling a little nervous to meet others, so be that person that makes the first move! You may just come upon a new best friend!
Benefits of Traveling Solo
There are a huge range of benefits of traveling solo, and in all honesty, the biggest benefit is that you make more friends. I know it seems a little contradicting that travelling without a friend equals more friends, but its a proven fact!
For the most part, people that travel with a friend or with a group are much less likely to meet other travelers. They tend to stick with their friend and don’t feel the need to go too far out of their way to meet other people as they already have someone with them.
So, when traveling solo, you’re much more likely to make new friends which is a huge plus!
Another benefit of traveling solo is that you never have to worry about pleasing anyone else. Sure, you’ve made some new friends, but you don’t have to do the same activities as them. Say for example, they want to relax at the pool for the day, but you want to go for a hike; It’s easy to part ways and do your own thing for the day!
Traveling solo gives you the freedom that traveling with a group or friends doesn’t. Besides, you’re still going to make plenty of friends, it just requires a little more confidence.
Don’t Be Afraid to Go Alone
Sometimes, your own company is where it’s at. And, once you start enjoying being by yourself, you won’t be phased by hanging out with people all the time.
I discovered this pretty quickly and was impressed at how much I enjoyed my own company while traveling. I genuinely thought that I’d always need a friend nearby to enjoy every activity, but that wasn’t the case at all.
So, if all else fails, learn to love your own company! Because in reality, it’s likely that you’re not going to have a friend everywhere you go. There will be times when you need to do day trips by yourself or go on your own adventures and that’s totally fine.
Besides, that’s part of the beauty of traveling solo. You’re always likely to have new friends just around the corner, but you can also simply enjoy the comfort of your own company.
How to Make Friends While Traveling
Stay In Hostels or Dorm Rooms
One of the easiest and most fool-proof way to make friends while traveling is to stay in hostels or dorm rooms. Besides, this is usually the cheapest way for a solo traveler to explore, and the most sought after option.
However, I recommend getting to know the different types of hostels. When I began travelling I didn’t know that there was such a thing. But, lo and behold, there are all kinds of hostels. From adventure, social, party, budget, flashpacking, boutique and so much more.
Nonetheless, I find it’s best to stick to social, budget and party hostels. Moreover, these usually have the best social spaces and people are there to make new friends.
Besides, making a friend can be as easy as walking into your dorm room for the first time. Backpackers are usually friendly people and will happily greet you upon arrival. Sure enough, you’re bound to make new friends!
Tip: Ask new acquaintances what is happening during the day or nighttime. Moreover, this may give an insight into some of the activities that they may be considering which could lead to an invitation.
Hang Out in Common Areas
Rolling over from my last tip, this leads me to my next point which is hanging out in common areas. So, if your hostel has a hangout space, this is the perfect spot to meet other people.
Moreover, this may look like a pool, rooftop area, games room or simply just a space with tables and chairs. Feel free to wander to those spaces and try to get included with some people who are hanging out.
Talk to Hostel Workers
Okay, so maybe the hostel you’ve picked isn’t the greatest spot for socialising and there are not many people staying in your dorm. Additionally, you’re new to the small town and you aren’t sure of where all the tourists go.
This is the perfect opportunity to chat with the hostel workers and ask what the most popular activities are. Moreover, this will give you an idea of where tourists frequent, so it’ll give you the chance to meet other travellers.
Besides, this is a handy way to get around town and learn more about the location you’re visiting. There are many times that I’ve rocked up to a dead hostel and had to make my way out to meet other travellers.
Tip: I recommend only booking a 2-night stay at each hostel. Moreover, this gives you the chance to see if you enjoy the location, room, social spaces and vibe of the hostel. Then, if you dislike the space, you can move on to something else in the area.
Go on Public or Group Tours
One of my favourite ways to make friends is through public and group tours. Moreover, you will be spending anywhere from a couple of hours to possibly days with the same group of people, so you’re bound to make some friends.
Tours are excellent as they’re aimed at travelers wanting to see more of a place. Additionally, you can do your own tour with friends from a hostel. Moreover, this is a great way to meet more people and include others on a day trip.
Put Yourself Out There
I know that it can be hard to get out of your comfort zone, but hey, you’re already traveling solo and you’ve come so far! Simply putting yourself out there and introducing yourself first is an excellent way to make a new friend.
I recommend going somewhere solo like a bar and being open to meeting strangers. You never know when a conversation may strike, and you might just make a new friend!
Besides, this is one of the best tips on how to make friends while traveling. Simply being yourself and feeling confident in your approach means you’re already on your way to new travel friends!
Tip: Smile at other people and feel free to introduce yourself to others. Moreover, this is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and possibly make a new friend.
Make Use of Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are another great way to meet travellers. I recommend researching for groups by looking at the name of a town or country that you’re visiting. Besides, you may meet people who are just about to fly into the country or people that have been in and around for a while.
Moreover, this gives you the chance to make some friends online with the chance of hanging out in person. However, sometimes it can be a little tricky to link up, and you need to be wary of who you are meeting on the internet.
Not to mention, these are excellent ways to discover more things to do in the place that you are visiting. So, even if you don’t make a new friend, you might find an activity that you really want to complete or a place that you’d like to visit!
Chat with Locals
Another great way to make friends is to chat with the locals. Moreover, people are extremely friendly and the locals will give you plenty of tips on great places to visit.
A way of making friends with locals includes getting to know some of the local language. Nonetheless, one of the most widely spoken languages is English. However, some countries speak very little English.
Learning simple phrases like ‘hello’, ‘my name is’ and ‘how are you?’ are great ways to converse with locals.
Tip: Aim to do this research prior to leaving for your trip and have the phrases written down so that you can look over them when you need to. I had them on the lock screen on my phone when learning, so that I had quick access to them and could ensure I was saying things correctly.
Dating Apps
This one may seem a little strange and won’t exactly work for those of you in relationships, however, hear me out. Dating apps are a great way to meet other travellers as you can meet people who aren’t staying in the same hostels as you, but are in a similar area.
Not to mention, Bumble has a ‘BFF’ option where you can make new friends! This is an excellent option for people in relationships as it’s not a ‘dating’ platform as such.
Nonetheless, stay vigilant when meeting with people from the internet and always meet them in a public place. You never really know whose behind the screen, and I recommend that you use normal safety measures to keep yourself safe!
Local Restaurants, Cafes and Bars
One place you’re bound to find other travellers is at local cafes, restaurants and bars. Think of it this way, where would you be most likely to hang out? At a bar? Well then check out a few bars or cafes in whichever restaurant you’re in and try to meet some people.
Besides, this is the perfect opportunity to share some delicious food over some funny travel stories with some new friends that you’ve just made.
Friends of Friends
An easy way to make a handful of new pals is through other friends! Of course, this means that you need to have already established some friends before this can happen, but you’d be surprised as to just how quickly it can happen.
Say, for example, you might meet a couple of people in your dorm room, who then invite you out to dinner with some of their other friends. Before you know it, your friends are multiplying and you’re getting to know heaps of people!
How to Stay in Touch with Friends While Traveling
We are blessed with communication methods and social apps these days, and we have plenty of ways in which we can stay in touch with our new friends.
Tip: Don’t bother getting anyone’s mobile number as most of the time people are just using travel sims. Besides, these sims get thrown away when leaving the country therefore meaning you may have lost contact with your friend.
Instagram is one of the most popular ways to keep in touch with travel friends, and it’s my recommended platform. Moreover, you can see where your other travel friends are when they post stories and images, and you can stay up to date with their travels.
Besides, there is plenty of opportunity to continue the friendship even when going separate ways as you support them on their travels and chat with them via direct messages.
This is my favourite platform for keeping in touch with friends and I’ve managed to meet up with heaps of friends again while travelling as I saw they were in an area nearby.
A popular way for travelers to communicate is Whatsapp. Moreover, Whatsapp is an excellent free app to make voice and video calls, and of course, send messages.
You’ll discover that plenty of travellers use Whatsapp to connect with others and it’s worthwhile downloading before you set off on your adventures!
Not to mention, this is an excellent and free way to connect with family and friends back at home.
Facebook is yet another fantastic way to stay connected with other travellers, though it’s typically the least used. Moreover, the social platform is commonly used just to send messages and make voice and video calls.
So, feel free to add your new friends on Facebook to connect with them at a later date!
Personal Experience of Making Friends While Traveling Solo
I ventured out on my first ever six-month solo travel journey in 2022. And, to say that I was feeling all the feels is an absolute understatement. I was nervous, excited and scared, I wasn’t sure what awaited me, but I was ready to experience it all!
However, I made my first travel friend in a hostel in Vietnam. I stayed at Nexy Hostel and found plenty of other friendly travellers staying in the dorm rooms. This quick chat in the dorm room lead to greater things as I made numerous more friends, got invited to nights out, and was invited to join other friends in Phong Nha.
It was pretty spectacular that just one friendship could lead to that much, but I was entirely grateful for it. Besides, I think that the main thing was that I was open to meeting people and ready to go along for the ride.
So, take my advice, and get comfortable with saying yes to new things. It can be daunting, but it might just change your life!
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, these are just some of the best methods on how to make friends while traveling. Besides, there are plenty of other ways you can make friends. But, the main way is to simply be open to new things!
Soon, you’ll discover that it isn’t very difficult to make friends while traveling, and before you know it, you’ll know everyone in and around the area!
Stay safe and happy travels! Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter below to stay up to date with all my latest posts.
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