10 Tips on How To Make Friends While Traveling Solo

Hey there, fellow adventurers! It’s Chitra, from Team “Banaras Trip” and today we’re diving into a topic that’s close to my heart: where and how one can meet people while being on a trip alone. Inspired by the following five years, I learned some effective approaches of How To Make Friends While Traveling Solo and how to have an amazing time. Okay people, take your favorite travel mug, fill it with your favorite beverage, and let’s start discussing my 10 best tricks for meeting people on the road.

The Solo Traveler’s Dilemma: Loneliness vs. Freedom

Let’s face it: traveling alone can be very exciting at the same time people get overwhelmed by it. On one side there is autonomy meaning to do as one pleases, as often as one wishes. While on the other hand there are times that you feel you need someone to be with and share life with. When I was in Thailand for the first time, traveling alone that’s why at the beginning I was really happy that I can travel alone but on the third day I wanted someone to talk with over pad thai and mango sticky rice.

That is when I came to the conclusion that mastering the craft of building friendships when you are alone is one of the most important skills that any adventurer should have. Oh, I assure you, it is much simpler than you can imagine!

How to Meet People When Travelling Alone: Breaking the Ice

1. Choose Social Accommodations

For anyone traveling alone, it is not very difficult to find people to talk to or spend time with especially if you book for a hostel or a dormitory. If hostels are not your thing now, there are still numerous other accommodations following this concept if you are not ready for a bunk bed anymore.

On my recent vacation to Bali I got to learn about co-living spaces. Many people can get lonely while traveling alone, but I was not only able to make friends but also I found my tribe for months.

Pro tip: Opt for hotels that have planned activities, or group dinners. These environments will do so because they are climates in which such activities are bound to take place and it becomes easy to approach and greet or introduce oneself to others.

2. Join Group Tours and Activities

Group tours and events are perfect when one is traveling alone because as a result, he or she gets to meet new people. Regardless of whether a tourist is walking around the center of some historical city, taking a cooking course or going on a one-day trip to any attraction, the components of the social environment are already provided.

One of the most memorable moments was to indicate to go on a street food tour in Hanoi. Not only, did I find the most delicious banh mi in Van, but I also talked to an Australian couple and man traveling alone from Germany. We wound up going around the city for the next few days as company!

Pro tip: It is preferable to opt for the small group tours which will cause the participants to communicate and discuss with each other more.

3. Use Travel Apps and Social Media

Nevertheless, in the modern world of the use of the internet, making friends while traveling is easy. Things like Meetup, Couchsurfing, or even dating apps with ‘friend’s search’ are good for finding like-minded people and fellow countrymen.

Social media platforms such as Instagram as well as closed Facebook groups for solo female travelers have been a lifesaver for me I’ve met companions, got recommended and received invites to events from locals.

Pro tip: In general, be cautious during the first encounter with people from the Internet. It is good to arrange to meet in public places and should never let your guard down as your instincts are very important.

4. Volunteer or Take Classes

Getting involved in social activities is also among the best of ways of embracing the local culture and at the same time, it might prove as being the best way of making friends if one is traveling alone. Volunteering at a local organization would be a great idea or even enrolling in a class you’d like to take.

When I was in Peru, I choose to be a volunteer in a wildlife rescue center. Not only did I find common things to talk about with the other volunteers in the shelter, which was that we both love animals, but I also got a chance to use my Spanish with the local employees.

Pro tip: Ideally, try to find short-term volunteering, or day classes, which can be easily organized to your traveling itinerary, and which will increase the likelihood to meet unexpected new crowds.

5. Strike Up Conversations

Of course, some moments can be unsophisticated while making friends while traveling alone, you can just start talking to a person. I know it is kinda weird for the first few times, but do not worry, it is all about practice.

Here are some conversation starters that have worked for me:

• Ask for recommendations: “Do you know any hidden gems in this city?”
• Comment on a shared experience: “This view is breathtaking, isn’t it?”
• Compliment something: “I love your camera! What model is it?”

Pro tip: Employ the verbal cue of active listening and appear to be interested in the other person’s experiences.

6. Attend Local Events and Festivals

Festivals are very significant platforms for interaction with the people of the place you are visiting and thus an excellent opportunity to make friends while traveling. Not only are they entertaining in themselves and enlightening from a cultural perspective but socializing in them occurs naturally.

The time I got to spend in Japan, I got to join locals in a matsuri, a festival in a small town of Japan. After I danced with him, I joined a group of Japanese students and other international visitors who are all strangers before the celebration but are now friends.

Pro tip: Research local events happening during your visit and don’t be afraid to attend solo – you’ll likely meet other travelers doing the same!

7. Stay in One Place Longer

Although it might be quite boring to travel from one camp and move to the other, fixing yourself at one place can boost your chances of creating a bond. Some destinations are very busy, you don’t have time to meet people, but when you are not on business trips, you have a chance to build those types of relationships.

My last long-term travel was in Chiang Mai, Thailand and it is during this time that I made some of the best travel friends. This way, the extended stay facilitated the chance of becoming a somewhat habitual participant in local coffee shops, being able to join a weekly meeting.

Pro tip: Therefore approach tourists consider slow travel so as to get deeper or close experience and encounter as well as relations to places that one is getting to know.

8. Be Open to Different Types of Friendships

On a related note, when trying to consider how to become friends when traveling alone, try and remember that the definition of friendship is not strictly binary. Do not restrict yourself in terms of who you are interacting with, it does not mean you have to only talk to other solo travelers, or people of your age.

Many of the lifelong friendships embracing traveling acquaintances are unfamiliar to me back home in the normal disciplined working environment – a couple traveling in Alaska on a cruise or a local grandmother showing me how to prepare typical homemade empanadas in Argentina.

Pro tip: Diversify your friendship – you will get a totally different view of life and indeed, you will rather enjoy your life!

9. Use Shared Transportation

There are several ways of travelling alone; by the use of a long-distance bus or a train these can be wonderful chances of coming across like-minded personalities. This position indicates that you are together for some time, and basically, such circumstances force you to start talking.

Once, I was on a train journey in India and quite unexpectedly I engaged in conversation with the woman sitting next to me The lady politely asked me to her family home to be her guest for dinner. Thus, it became one of the most memorable incidents of my travel!

Pro tip: Always travel with a set of cards or some compact traveling game they can help pass the time during lengthy trips.

10. Trust Your Instincts and Stay Safe

Although it is always fun to make friends during the trip, the safety of the single traveler should always come first. Believe in yourself – if ever something is wrong about a person or the situation, do not avoid them.

I always endeavor to inform someone of my intentions especially to new people I am meeting. I also make sure that my emergency contacts are already saved on I my pocket.

Pro tip: One can also utilize smartphone applications that allow you to share your location with a friend or a family member who would be informed of your traveling.

Conclusion 

Please bear in mind that learning how to interact and make friends when single is on the journey is a skill that develops as one gets experience on the road. I want to assure you that it is okay if every conversation you have is not a friendship that will stand the test of time. This is the beauty of solo travelling; it will force the independence on you and at the same time make you ready to embrace what is new and unknown around you.

Therefore put on your travelling shoes, buy that ticket and be ready to make friends as you go round the world. It may begin as you are on your discovery alone but I assure you that is not what it will always be like. Safe journey and I provide you with the friends that you have yet to make.