4 Tips for Meeting People While on the Road

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Traveling alone, or backpacking, for the first time can be pretty daunting. There are lots of things you can do to maximise your chances of meeting people. Most people find when the travel, they rarely spend time alone. There’s too many other people out there exploring who want to meet people too! Traveling with someone is a lot of fun, but if you can’t find anyone who wants to go exactly where you want to go or for as long as you do, you should go by yourself! Here are our top 4 tips for meeting people while on the road.

1) Stay at a backpackers
There are lots of benefits to staying in a hotel, but that comes with a pretty expensive price tag and also hotel stays tend to be a lot less social than hostels. Hostels often organise great social events during the week and weekend to encourage people to socialise. If you stay in dorm rooms you’ll obviously be sharing a room with others, so that’s a great way to meet people too. If you want to be social but aren’t ready to share your room with strangers yet, consider staying in a private room at a hostel – it’s the best of both words.

2) Volunteer Somewhere
Volunteering while you’re overseas can be a great way to enrich the lives of locals, it’s also a great way to make new friends, both foreigners and locals alike. Many people say that volunteering overseas is often one of the most life changing experiences they do.

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3) Use Couchsurfing
So, you can use Couchsurfing to actually surf people’s couches, or you can use it for the numerous social events that are organised through it. The best thing about Couchsurfing is that there are events almost everywhere around the world, so it doesn’t matter where you’re heading, you can find cool people to hang out with!

4) Approach People
One of the hardest things to get used to when traveling, is approaching people out of the blue. The truth is, most people are looking to meet new people and share new experiences together, and most people would be flattered if you approach them. It takes a bit of getting used to and a little bit of social lubrication (in the form of a few beers) can go a long way to making it easier. Who knows, that person sitting alone at a table in the same restaurant, might become your best friend, your partner or just a buddy for a few days. You’ll never know if you don’t try.

Meeting people is one of the best things about exploring new places. Be open, friendly and approachable and you’ll be surprised by how many new friends you’ll make.
Photo: Fil & Sonia and Abigail Frances used under Creative Commons License

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