Traveling
alone doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be lonely. There are travelers and
friendly people all over and if you want to meet them, you only need to seek
them out and be open to new experiences. Don’t live your vacation life in a
bubble. Get out and have fun while making new friends along the way.
Solo
travel has become very popular. People are leaving their lives behind and
traveling full-time and just as many are taking relaxing getaways alone in
order to have a little me time. If you’ve never traveled alone, it can be very
freeing, since you don’t have to answer to anyone and can do whatever it is you want. Maybe you don’t have a travel
companion and want to get out and see the world. Don’t let that stop you,
because you’re never alone when you travel. Here are some ways to make friends
while you’re jet setting around the globe.
Use Social Media
You use it
for making friends around the world, asking for suggestions on where to have
dinner and to discuss the latest episode of The
Walking Dead, so why not use it to find people to hang out with when you
travel? If you aren’t sure where you want to go, see where you have Facebook
friends in cool places and message them about what they would recommend doing
on your visit and suggest getting together when you are there. They probably
would jump at the chance to show you their city and meet you in person. Turn
those virtual friends into real ones!
Hook up with friends’ friends
Just
because you don’t have friends in vacation destinations doesn’t mean your
friends don’t. Ask them if they have a friend, cousin or sister there that
might be interested in meeting you. Chances are your awesome friends have
equally awesome friends and family. Expand your social circle and maybe do a
favor for your friend by delivering a gift for them. It’s almost certain that
your friends will have talked you up and their friends will be psyched to meet
you and possibly play tour guide for you while you’re there.
Volunteer
You like
to do good deeds, right? “Voluntourism” is huge right now and it’s a great way
to help people and travel at the same time. Join a group of volunteers anywhere
in the world where you can do things like build houses, teach English or work
on a farm. There are tons of ways to give your time and often you can stay and
eat for free in exchange for your labor. You just need to come up with money to
get there and back and for any outside activities you want to do while you’re
there.
Take a tour
Sightseeing
all day by yourself can be fun. You can go at your own pace, see everything you
want to see, stop to take as many photos as you wish or sit in the park all day
watching people. Book a city tour and meet a bunch of like-minded people who
are interested in the same things you are. Not all tours are created equal, so
if you have taken one before and didn’t like it, try again. Walking tours are
perfect ways to meet others and also get exercise while you do it. Make friends
with your fellow tourists. It’s also a way to get some better photos of
yourself at your destination.
Meetup
There are
solo people everywhere. Use Meetup to find people who are
interested in the same things as you are. Someone starts a meet-up and gathers
fun people through the website to enjoy an activity. These can be locals or
tourists or a mixture of both. It’s hard to be anti-social when you’re hanging
out with a group of people who you have something in common with. Heck, you can
even use Meetup at home, too.
Invite for a Bite
Plenty of
people don’t like eating alone. There’s no shame in that. There are only so
many meals you can eat while reading the newspaper, surfing the Internet on
your phone or doing a crossword puzzle. Getting take-out is an option, but
wouldn’t it be more fun to have a dining companion? Log onto Invite for a Bite and find other solo ladies looking to meet for
a meal. You can use it for other activities as well. It’s a safe and easy way
to meet friends around the world and share your travel stories with someone.
They may even be able to give you ideas on what to do next.
Sit at the bar
When you
eat out alone, sit at the counter or the bar and talk to locals, wait staff and
bartenders. It’s a great way to learn more about your destination, get
suggestions for other good places to eat and maybe even find someone who would
like to do it with you. You can really get a feel for a city by hanging out
with people in local pubs and eateries. You’d be surprised how many people will
strike up a conversation with you
seeing you there alone. It’s definitely an easy way to meet people, since the
most outgoing people sit at the counter.
Take a class
Maybe you
always wanted to learn how to make coq au vin or macarons. Maybe you want to
learn the hula or how to make a traditional lei. Whatever sounds fun to you,
there is probably a class you can take when you travel. It’s also another fab
way to meet locals and even other tourists. You’ll be learning a skill you
hoped to acquire and be able to chat with others doing it too.
Go all-inclusive
If you’re
worried about being alone when you travel solo, surround yourself with people
who are interested in doing similar activities by going to an all-inclusive
resort. You’ll meet other travelers who enjoy being catered to and you can hang
around the resort with them. This also works on a cruise. Because most ships
have dining arrangements, you have the chance at talking to other cruisers at
each meal. Find your table curiously empty? Your wait staff is thrilled to talk
about real life with passengers. They might be from one of your port cities
and, even if they’re not, it’s fun to exchange suggestions on what to do in
your hometowns. Talk about your favorite TV shows and books, in case they are
looking for something to do on their downtime. When away from the dining room,
connect with others during ship activities like bingo, trivia, classes, alcohol
tastings and even excursions on port days.
There are
heaps of ways to make friends while traveling if you don’t want alone time. You
just need to be willing to put in the effort or know how to meet like-minded
tourists and locals. Make some new acquaintances or even lifelong friends just
by having the courage to get out and do it on your own.
I'll be writing a more in-depth post about where and why to travel solo, so stay tuned for that.
Do you like to travel alone?
