I’m no stranger to feeling a bit lonesome while traveling solo. Sure, traveling solo is great—reconnecting with yourself and going at your own pace—but sometimes you want a friend to join you at the amazing rooftop you’ve just found. Here are my top tips for connecting with likeminded folks while you’re going it alone.
Bumble BFF: Bumble has an option in which you can search for friends, instead of dates! All you have to do is set up a profile and start swiping. But be wary, once you’ve matched with them, you (or they) only have a day to reach out, and then the other party only has a day to respond before the match disappears. While I understand this is good for dating in that it puts the pressure on to be responsive, I think the BFF version could be a bit more relaxed. Still, I’ve had a lot of success in using it, from London to Bangkok. I’ve made three quite close friends from it, and one of them I’ve even traveled with extensively.
Stay in a hostel: I’ve forged deep connections with folks I randomly met at hostels, and two of them I’ve gone on to travel with. I understand if you prefer to go the hotel route, but you can still use local hostels to your benefit. Most hostels geared towards social life have a bar open to the public—and even trivia nights, pub crawls, and walking tours. If you're nervous about approaching others, sit at the bar and smile, perhaps even have a "prop" to attract conversation. This could be an interesting book or your nice camera. A lot of hostels will usually have someone playing guitar (typical!), as well, and they'll generally welcome listeners.
Meetup: Meetup is a social media platform that allows you to join (or create!) various groups based on interests, identity, etc. Say you’re in Tulum and wanting to join a brunch group, or in Tel Aviv looking to join a hiking club—you’ll find it on Meetup.
InterNations: InterNations caters more towards long-term travelers/expats. It hosts amazing events and facilitates networking—my email is constantly pinging with an invitation to a party or other gathering in London.
Get the word out on social media: You’d be surprised what posting about your travels on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. will do. Sometimes I’ll post an Insta story to say, “Hey, I’m going to be in Paris during these dates, is anyone around?” More likely than not, someone will be passing through or know someone there. This is one of the beautiful parts about traveling—seeing the random connections you’d have never made otherwise!
Comments