Making friends while travelling was one of my biggest concerns when I first started travelling at the age of 22. I was worried that I wouldn’t find anyone to talk to or no one would like me. Or that because I was travelling with my boyfriend, people wouldn’t want to hang out with us as they would think that they are disturbing our alone time.
How wrong I was.
Making friends while travelling was so simple, I think because you are forced to be around total strangers who are all in the same boat as you. But thankfully you all have one thing in common…… TRAVEL!! This is the thing that unites everyone who is travelling. Everyone loves travel. They have travel stories to tell. They want recommendations. They want to show off where they have been. They want to make a connection.
When me, and my now husband Jon, were first travelling, I was more nervous to just spontaneously hang out with someone I had just met, especially because I was shy and thought that people might try and take advantage of me. But Jon said something to me which changed my perspective on meeting people when travelling. He said that everyone is in the same boat and everyone is just looking for a friend.
From that moment on, I just said yes to everything. Yes to a spontaneous beach trip with some guy I had just met, yes to a night out arranged by the hostel, yes to trying a new activity, yes to talking to a stranger, and because of that I started to make friends.
So, if you thought like me, and you are embarking on your first adventure but are worried how easy it will be to make friends, then keeping reading for more tips on how to make friends while travelling.
1. Book an organised tour
If you are a novice traveller or are travelling alone, then booking an organiser tour is one of the easiest ways to meet likeminded people. When you book a tour, you will usually have a guide who will sort out everything, from where you stay to what food you eat, so you can just sit back and relax. You can organise just a short trip of a few days, or you can go for several months at a time. On a tour you usually travel with the same group of people for the whole journey, and may even share a room with them, so the situation forces you together with other people in the same boat as you. Everyone in the group is a bit nervous at first but that’s what the tour guide is for to bring everyone together. After that first meal together or that first fun activity, you will all become amazing friends.
2. Stay in a hostel dorm
The next easiest way to make friends while travelling is to stay in a hostel. Hostels are places where everyone who is travelling on a budget generally stays so you will meet many likeminded people. Ideally stay in a hostel dorm where you will be sharing a room with other people. If you are staying in a room together, then it is a natural environment for you to all start to get to know each other, especially if everyone is staying for a longer period of time. Dorms vary in sizes, so if you’re worried about sharing at first, you could start with a small 4 person room, then move onto larger dorm rooms if you want. I would say that generally if you are staying in a hostel room with more than 10 people in it, it will probably be more annoying that beneficial for making friends, so stay in rooms with less than 10 people.
3. House share
If you don’t like the idea of dorm rooms, then you may want to consider house sharing if you are planning on staying in one place for a while. A house share just naturally gives you people to talk to, even if it is just starting off asking where the vacuum is. Just make sure to be a considerate and respectful housemate and split the chores equally to avoid getting off on the wrong foot with anyone.
4. Cook in the hostel kitchen
Love them or hate them, hostel kitchens can be a great place to meet friends. Everyone staying there has to feed themselves at some point, and it is a good place for people to gather and chat while you are all waiting for your pasta to cook. It is not usual for people to even offer you some of their food if they have made too much.
5. Hang out in communal areas
Similar to cooking in hostel dorms, hanging out in communal areas will increase your chances of someone coming to talk to you. If you spend all your time in your room or tent, then people are less likely to come and speak to you as they don’t want to disturb you. Whereas someone who is sitting in the lounge, laying by the pool or chilling around a campfire will be much easier to approach.
6. Work or volunteer
Working or volunteering is an easy way to make friends as you will usually have lots of colleagues who you can talk to. All working the same job will mean that you all have something in common instantly. So whether it’s discussing the latest project, asking how to do something or moaning about the boss, you will automatically just start talking to your colleagues without having to make up small talk. It is also a great way to get immersed in local life and make friends with people from a country different to your own.
7. Don’t just hang out with your partner or friend
When travelling with a friend, partner or relative, it can be easy to just get settled and only talk to them. But by doing this you are limiting your opportunity to meet new people. Also, if two people are hanging out together constantly, especially if it’s a couple, strangers will be less likely to approach them as they think they are disturbing them.
8. Go on nights out and day trips
Lots of hostels will organise activities for their guests and these are a great way to get to know the people staying in your hostel. These can range from pizza nights to pub crawls, pool tournaments to beach trips. Not everything will be your thing, but it’s great to try something new and meet likeminded people. Doing an activity is a fun, relaxed and natural way to get talking to people and you can bond over how bad you were at playing pool, or how hilarious someone’s fancy dress outfit was.
9. Speak to strangers
This is probably the most scariest thing to do if you don’t know anyone, but only by speaking to strangers can they become friends. Obviously be cautious with just going to someone randomly in the street, especially if it’s late at night or you are in a dodgy neighbourhood, but if it’s daytime and you are out for a hike, on a bus, or in a shop, then saying a quick hello is a nice way to engage with someone new. Ok, so it might not make you both BFF’s, but it might make you feel less lonely if you are travelling by yourself, or just might make someone else’s day.
10. Play games
It is a good idea when travelling to pack something which you can play with other people. This might be a pack of cards, a football or frisbee. A lot of people when travelling are always looking for something to do, someone to engage with or to have a new experience. If you are carrying something fun with you, then you can just get it out and ask people if they would like a game. Instant ice-breaker. If you don’t have anything with you, then check around your accommodation, as hostels will often have plenty of things which other people can be involved in, such as a pool table or board games.
11. Try new activities
Trying new activities is a great way to break out of your comfort zone and engage with different people you wouldn’t normally be around. As you are all focusing on the activity, you all have something in common and you can chat to them about what’s happening in the class, ask them questions if they are more experiences than you, or both laugh at how badly you are doing. You get the best of both worlds, as you get to have a new experience but also potentially make some new friends.
12. Car share
When you are ready to move onto your next destination, you will have lots of different transport options, but car sharing is a great way to get to know some new people. You can either find people who have their own car and want to split the fuel costs or you can offer up your car if someone needs a lift in the same direction that you are going. By spending time together in a tiny car, you have no other option but to talk to each other, otherwise that’s going to be one long awkward silence, and no one wants that. Ok by the end of the journey you might realise it was a mistake and you never want to see them again, but likewise you might have just made a friend for life.
13. Share your skill
So many people I met while travelling have had an interesting skill which they shared with people. I have seen someone tattooing people in a hostel, made friends with a hairdresser who cut my hair while I was travelling, met a professional photographer who would take great travel shots of everyone, and shared a dorm with a girl who liked to give out handmade friendship bracelets. If you have a similar skill which you can take on the road, then you can offer up your services, either to make some extra money and meet people or just as a nice gesture to make someone’s day.
14. Ask for recommendations (even if you don’t need them)
A good way to start a conversation while travelling is to ask for someone’s help or opinion on something. This could be anything from do they know a good restaurant in the area, to what city do they recommend going to. This will make them feel good about themselves as they are able to be helpful, plus it gives you an opening to start a real conversation with them.
15. Ask questions
People love to talk about themselves. If you have managed to pluck up the courage to start speaking to someone new, then help continue the conversation by asking them questions about themselves. This could be anything from where was their favourite place they’ve been to what they do for a living. I guarantee that once you take an interest in someone’s life, they will think you are the nicest person in the world and will want to continue to talk to you.
16. Be open, honest and vulnerable
Travel is hard a lot of the time. You may feel tired, you may feel lonely, you may be broke. But chances are there are dozens of people around you who also feel the same way. So, yes, while it’s great to be fun loving, happy and outgoing, it is also important to be true to yourself and what you are feeling. Have a deep heart to heart with someone if you feel like it, because there are probably other people who will be in the same boat and will also want a shoulder to cry on.
17. Don’t take yourself too seriously
Travel is supposed to be fun and a new experience. It’s a great time to reinvent yourself. To be someone other than the person who was climbing the corporate ladder back home or someone who was in bed by 9pm. Chances are that if one of the reasons you wanted to travel was to get away from your job or old life, then as soon as you start travelling you will feel like a weight has been lifted and will hopefully feel more happier and positive about everything. So, when trying out new things or trying to make friends just don’t think about it too much. Just have fun and be silly and people will just be naturally drawn to that.
18. Make friends with the staff
Tour guides, hostel receptionists and bus drivers are just some of the other people you can makes friends with while travelling. All of them will have interesting stories as well as knowledge of the local area. As you may be seeing them every day it’s easy to be able to get to know them. Although just remember that if you are paying them, or you only see them when they are working, they might have to maintain a certain level of professionalism so you may not get to see the real them.
19. Don’t just stick to your nationality
I saw this time and time again when backpacking, people will travel the world but then will only hang out with people from their home country. Us British people are very guilty of this. It’s understandable that you may make friends with some people from your home country as you will have more in common with them and meeting people from other cultures can be tricky if there is a language barrier. But if you just stick to friends from where you live, then you might as well have stayed home. Engaging with people from other cultures is wonderful as you can share different things with each other. That simple chocolate bar you bought from home might be the most amazing thing that person has ever eaten. Likewise, you might get introduced to a brilliant new tv show or pastime you have never heard of.
20. Accept that you won’t get along with everyone
There are going to be some people you meet who you just don’t click with. Either you have nothing in common or they are just a horrible person. Likewise, you might not be everybody’s cup of tea, and you just have to remember that it doesn’t make you a failure or a bad person, you just perhaps have different interests. Also remember that you don’t have to make friends in every new town/hostel/country you go to and alone time is also essential for good mental health while travelling. So allow yourself some downtime away from people as well.
I hope these tips help some of you to engage with new people and form lasting friendships. Don’t forget that if you have made a new friend, to keep that friendship alive by arranging to meet up in another part of the world or perhaps invite them back to visit your home country.