Traveling alone almost forces you to meet new people. Otherwise, a solo trip can be very lonely. For puppies of solo travel, this can be a real challenge. But that’s normal. This is yet another chance to break out of the comfort zone. So if you manage to break out of this to meet new people, you are already building relationships and a global network. So what’s the best way to meet people while traveling solo? Here I have written 5 ways to meet people on your journey so that you as a puppy can find your pack.
1. Hostels
One of the biggest mistakes that first-time solo travelers make is being holed up in a hotel room. This is the perfect recipe for a lonely disaster. What is much better is booking a bed in a hostel. That way, right from the start, you are surrounded by people who are on their own journey. And these people also long for acquaintances. People in Hostels often start conversations themselves anyway. Invite these conversations and try to enjoy them. Usually, in hostels, there is a bar and a common room where the people of the hostel hang out. These are often people who want to be talked to. Most hostels also have small events. One of the most common events is pub crawls, where the people of the hostel (sometimes in collaboration with other hostels) gather to visit different bars and clubs. During my travels, I made most of my friends in hostels.
2. Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is mainly an app to host or be hosted on. This is usually without payment. On Couchsurfing, the goal is for people from different corners of the world to come together and share the experience of traveling. I’ve never had the same experience on Couchsurfing, but every one of these experiences has been great. Couchsurfing gives you the option to meet people who live in your destination and experience the place from your host’s point of view. This is great if you want to dive right into the place. You get to know the host’s friends and are taken to events. You don’t have to search for experiences, you are drawn directly into them.
You can also host travelers at your place. This is very exciting because you’ll have people from all corners of the world in your home and for a short time, you can invite them into your life.
Couchsurfing also has the opportunity to meet travelers in the area and participate in events. But this is more practical in big cities because there are much more events and travelers around.
However, in order to be accepted by hosts, it is very important that you have a decent and interesting profile that will motivate the hosts to want to host you.
3. Meetup
Just like Couchsurfing, the Meetup app has the option to attend events, although the number of events on Meetup is much larger. These events range from parties to painting classes and sports meet-ups. Many of these events are hosted by locals. That means it’s a good way to meet people who aren’t tourists. To really be able to benefit from this, however, it is a great advantage to have a decent level in the country’s language. The courses are also really great because you can learn something together with another individual. There are courses that cost money but these are mostly not too expensive.
4. Date
We often crave deep intimacy on our travels, which is not always easy on a solo trip as we are constantly meeting new people. Dating apps speed up the time of trying to get to know someone before moving on to the next stage of the relationship. Dating apps get straight to the point. Dating apps are filled with all kinds of individuals looking for different things. So whether you’re looking for friends, a deeper connection, or just a one-night stand, you’ll find it on dating apps.
5. Approaching People
After traveling alone for a while, you will develop the ability to flip the social switch. At this level, this ability is almost a cheat code in the Matrix. You are no longer nervous around strangers and you no longer have to drink alcohol to be a charismatic individual. So another way to get to know people is to just talk to them. Even during the daytime. Many people will find this uncomfortable at first, but when you can be charismatic, people are so glad they’re being approached by someone who isn’t hiding behind a glass of alcohol or a phone screen. But this works best when it happens spontaneously. You should go about your daily routine and if the opportunity arises, you can approach that interesting or attractive person on the street, in a store, or at the coffee shop.
Just don’t be a creep lol.
Use all of these ways to meet people and it will be almost impossible not to have great relationships along the way.