How to Socialize & Make Friends While Traveling

If you’re traveling alone, it’s nice to meet people along the way. But where do you start and what are the best places to socialize when you’re visiting a new country? Read our suggestions here!

Casually chat with people

Social people find ways to be social.

The best advice is to casually chat with people whenever the opportunity comes. Talk to the person sitting next to you on the plane. Speak to the other people at the hotel. If you go to a museum or some cultural attraction, don’t be afraid to talk to others who are attending. If you’re going to a park or a beach, bring a ball or a frisbee and see what happens. Most places give an opportunity to be social. Even something as boring as a bus ride.

As a foreigner who travels, you will likely be seen as interesting by most locals.

Most of the time, the casual talk will just be talk, but sometimes it really is possible to make friends this way. If you meet someone interesting, just remember to get their phone number or to exchange social media profiles. The latter is probably the easiest to pull off.

Go to bars

A classic way of meeting people is by going to bars. Many people go out with the specific purpose of socializing. And that makes it very easy to talk, especially when drinks are on the table.

So when you travel somewhere, go to a bar on one of the first nights. There’s a high chance you will meet some people who are interested in talking. Locals as well as other travelers. Oftentimes, it just requires you to be the one who breaks the ice – so don’t be afraid to do that!

Meetups and events

There are social events everywhere. And they are usually easy to join.

One way is by using the application Meetup. This is a platform with a ton of events. Simply sign up and see what’s going on in the city you’re in – or the place you’re going to.

The benefit of using Meetup is that everyone is there to meet new people. So there is no pressure, it really is all about being social. Everyone is there for that reason. And you can find any event that suits your interests. Meetup has everything from yoga and dancing classes to language exchanges and bar hopping.

Make connections online

If you’re the shy type, and you don’t like to randomly strike up a conversation with strangers out of nowhere, you can try to make friends online.

Many sites are dedicated to chatting, making friends, and obviously dating too.

No matter where you go, there will probably be ways of connecting online first. Try to message some people on international chat sites before you go to your destination. This gives you the chance to start off slow with a couple of messages before actually meeting people.

Stay in hostels

When you’re traveling, it can be a bit hard to get into a social mood if you’re staying alone in a holiday apartment or in a hotel room.

It’s much easier to be social when you’re staying in a hostel. Hostels are very social by nature. You’re staying in the same room as a group of other people, and most hostels have common spaces with various activities. Everyone in a hostel is a traveler, so you’ll already have that in common. Most people you meet in a hostel are also significantly open-minded and they are probably trying to socialize as much as possible too. Take advantage of that, and by the way – you will also save a lot of money when staying in a hostel. So it’s all benefits, really.