Wondering how to make new friends while traveling? Here are 7 strategic tips
boxing with loneliness. It’s like an old annoying octopus whose tentacles and suckers cling to you and won’t let go even if you bite its head off.
For obvious reasons, the goal of this article is to provide you with some tips and techniques that will be your lucky charm for making new acquaintances while traveling.
Before digging into the ground to discover the precious finds hidden in the lines of this article, we recommend you explore the many you can join in Italyand abroad. These will allow you to meet new friends with whom to share wonderful experiences. There’sJordan with its dusty and authentic streets, sailing trips in Croatia, and Puglia with its culinary art and the hospitality of its people to choose from.
Or, you can . Let’s just say... we are a big family of travelers who meet in various places across Italy and beyond to share a myriad of different activities, including group trips, aperitifs, workshops and much, much more.
Ready? Let’s go!
Many people wonder how to make new friends while traveling, but few succeed. How to solve this dilemma?
Beyond the importance given to choosing the country or place to visit, the type of company plays an extraordinarily important, almost crucial role, because happiness is doubled when shared.
To put it bluntly: if you end up with company that doesn’t match your personality or your idea of how a trip should be, you’ll likely return home more disappointed than happy. So making new (and good) friends is really important.
So how to make new friends while traveling?
We list all the tricks you can treasure to find the right travel companions to share pleasant moments and fill your days with genuine smiles.
Choose a charming hostel instead of a lavish hotel
If you’re wondering how to make new friends while traveling, staying in a hostel instead of the usual lavish but sterile hotel might be the solution to your “problem.”
Hostels are the best places in the world to meet new people to make new friends with. The people, or rather travelers who frequent them, come from all over the world and are all different in personality, behavior, and language. It’s a bit like being among the stalls of a city market: you find everything, just the way you want it, and you can even choose. Isn’t that fantastic?
Now don’t worry: when we tell you the market story, we don’t mean you’ll find the lowest scum on Earth there — that’s well locked away. We just mean you’ll find people of all ages from 18 to 70, philosophers and musicians, artists and singers, even partygoers and “monks.” So how could you not make friends?
Most likely, they’ll be the first to break the ice with you, and then all you’ll have to do is start “playing cards.”
If you’re worried some travelers might disturb your sleep, get earplugs or an eye mask, or if you really don’t like the idea, hostels offer private rooms for a few euros more than dormitories. This way you can ensure peace and the pleasure of company whenever you want.
Don’t want to travel alone? Here’s what you could do
If traveling alone isn’t your favorite idea, but you want to try the hostel experience, check out all the , like Tenerife, Croatia, Iceland, and then let your instincts guide your choice. Traveling solo has its charm, but doing it in a group has many you (maybe) haven’t thought of yet.
Rely on Couchsurfing or Workaway platforms
Another way to make new friends while traveling is to be hosted— incredible but true, thanks to Couchsurfing or Workaway platforms.
Why would someone open their home to a stranger?
The answer is simple: to make friends. People who sign up for these platforms post ads offering their homes simply for the pleasure of meeting peoplefrom all over the world, to do language exchange or to get help with everyday tasks..
We’re ready to bet that with all the opportunities you’ll find, you could fill all the shelves of your city’s municipal offices, and maybe not even that would be enough, they’re so many. Try it and see!
Now, we hope we’ve cleared up why a family would welcome you into their home. So let’s reverse roles as if we were playing a board game on Halloween night: how to trust the hospitality of strangers?The trick is to
always check the reviews and star ratings as if they were restaurants in an unknown country where you’re so hungry you can’t afford to make a mistake. Well, know that these special meeting places for travelers work the same way.Once you’ve chosen the country and the type of activity you want to do, just contact the host and start chatting.
The leader’s initiative and drive: the superpower to make new friends
If you’re wondering how to make new friends while traveling, a good healthy initiative always helps. People are attracted to someone who takes the lead, shows some
If you're wondering how to make new friends while traveling, a good and healthy initiative always helps. People are attracted to someone who takes initiative and shows a certain ororganizes something that brings several people to the “same table.” For example, if you’re in a hostel, as mentioned before, or even in a hotel, no one forbids you from proposing a board game to those present, or better yet, a fun card game.
We in the
community all the fun group games to play Ask questions, even the simplest and silliest ones
While traveling, at the bar, in a hostel, or in the hotel breakfast room, questions, even the simplest and seemingly silly ones,
can open up a world and help you understand how to make new friends while traveling. What questions to ask if you don’t get a flash of genius or artistic inspiration? Obviously:
“Hi, how are you?” With a big smile like someone who just saw a wad of hundred-dollar bills on the table. Then ask: “What’s good to see in this city?” As you’ll see for yourself, these questions lead to answers that can take quite some time to discuss. At this point, the person you entrusted with your first day of sightseeing will be happy to discover they weren’t so invisible after all, and will be glad.
Glances, mutual smiles of those in the same boat, and maybe you’ll end up sharing hours, if not the whole day together. These dynamics happen in abundance while traveling. We in the
Glances, mutual smiles from those in the same boat, and maybe you'll find yourselves sharing hours, if not the whole day together. These dynamics happen in abundance while traveling. We at What other questions can you ask a stranger after those above? Here they are, collected just for you:
Which countries have you visited?
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What’s your favorite country?
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Are you on vacation or on a sabbatical?
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And the ultimate question: where are you from?
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Pick up these questions and take that first step.
Be open to trying new experiences
When traveling, having an open mind opens up a
wider range of possibilities to make new friends . Now, excluding those borderline illegal, if you’re someone who likes to drink, eat, walk, hike, or ride abike , you won’t have much trouble making new friends.Have you heard of the book and work of art, “The Power of Saying Yes?”
Try saying yes to everything that comes your way for just one day of travel. Aren’t you curious to see where you’ll end up?
We’re sure that from the various experiences you’ll have, you’ll find someone to befriend and share some time with. Then who knows? When traveling, if you let yourself be carried by what you feel, on the currents of the Universe, things happen that are truly at the edge of possibility. Some even borderline paranormal, rest assured.
We are certain that from the various experiences you will have, you will find someone to befriend and share some time with. Then who knows? When traveling, if you let yourself be carried by what you feel, on the currents of the Universe, things happen that are truly at the edge of possibility. Some even at the edge of the paranormal, rest assured.
stop by a bar and be invited to sit down to share a drink or even a whole meal (kindly offered), or be invited to hop on a motorcycle to be taken where you’re headed. Crazy, but rest assured such magic can happen while traveling. to share a drink or even a whole lunch (kindly offered), or be invited to hop on a motorcycle to be taken where you're headed. Crazy, but rest assured that such magic can happen while traveling.
So far, we’ve given you many tips on how to make new friends while traveling, and now it’s time to tell you something about
how to avoid questionable friendships Let’s start from the premise that around the world, both travelers and locals are wonderful people. You’ll be amazed at how much humanity you’ll find along the way. Unlike what those pompous journalists and TV shows want you to believe; but there’s always some risk..
Let's start from the premise that around the world, both travelers and locals are wonderful people. You will be amazed at how much humanity you find along the way. Unlike what those pompous journalists and the TV shows want you to believe; but there is always some risk.
your safety and well-being are the golden rules to respect when traveling. Even if an activity or someone arouses your curiosity, or let’s be honest: a certain shameless convenience, you always need to evaluate. What does that mean? We in the community mean that traveling is wonderful, but finding yourself in situations so difficult that you want to “lean” on someone might come almost automatically. to respect when traveling. Even if an activity or someone sparks your curiosity, or let's be honest: a certain shameless convenience, there's always something to consider. What does it mean? We in the community want to say that traveling is wonderful, but finding yourself in situations so difficult that you want to “lean” on someone might come almost automatically.
Always rely on your
common sense . Can you handle the situation on your own? Where are you? Is it day or night? In a deserted alley or at one of the busiest intersections inNew York City? In short, common sense, beyond the advice given so far, you must always apply. If after all these tips on how to make new friends while traveling, you still can’t take advantage of them because you’re too shy,
joining group trips [activecampaign form=22 css=1]
Join a group trip
To solve the puzzle of how to make new friends while traveling, the best foolproof way is to
join a group trip with people who have never met before. Imagine being in a group, all a bit shy, constantly watching each other, with a stifling silence. Then suddenly the bravest in the group appears and bothers you with a cigarette. That will undoubtedly be your first friend in the travel group. But you could also be that “little mushroom” who pops up from nowhere and says: “Aren’t you hungry?” Like Carletto, the friendly Chameleon from Findus sofficini.
Imagine being in a group, all a bit shy, constantly looking at each other, with a stifling silence. Then suddenly the bravest in the group appears and bothers you with a cigarette. That will undoubtedly be your first friend in the travel group. But you could also be that “little mushroom” who pops up out of nowhere and says: “aren't you hungry?” Just like Carletto, the friendly Chameleon from the sofficini commercials. organize events and trips throughout Italy and the world.
, and we’ve seen many such circumstances. We’ve seen how sometimes a simple gesture, like letting someone board the bus first, or sharing a packet of chips, turns into a friendship that lasts to this day. , and we've seen many similar situations. We've witnessed how sometimes a simple gesture, like letting someone board the bus first, or sharing a packet of chips, turns into a friendship that still lasts today.