How to Make Friends When Travelling Alone

When I’m traveling solo, you can never spot me alone.

I’ve never had any difficulty making friends. In fact making new, intriguing acquaintances is my favorite thing about traveling.

So today, I’m delighted to reveal my five tricks for making pals while traveling alone.

Table of Contents

1. Join a Small Group Tour

I can personally advocate that I’ve met some of the most interesting people on a tour van.

It’s a great way to meet a group of like-minded individuals.

Joining a Small Group Tour — A small group tour

It also gives you an opportunity to make connections, exchange stories and experiences, and develop relationships.

With just a few words, you can turn a stranger into a travel buddy.

Just ask,

“What have you done since you got into town?“

Or

“What kinda trouble have you gotten into since you got here?”

You’ll be chatting away in no time!

Plus, if the tour guide says something cool, you can always nod, smile and elbow the person next to you to show you’re in agreement.

It’s as easy as that – and you’ll be sharing stories and making memories with your new travel buddy.

On one tour to the Chianti region of Italy with the Chianti Classico Tour helped me meet an incredible couple.

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After the tour, we kept in touch on Whatsapp and even organized group dinners and wine-tasting tours throughout the region.

Who knew I would be attending their wedding back in the US? It was truly a special moment to be part of their special day.

2. Stay in hostels

Most hostels host communal meals and some kind of activity each day, such as

Pub crawls
Walking tours
Cooking classes
Nights outings

Joining these activities is a great way to meet new people with similar interests and make friends.

making friends traveling alone in hostels — Book a hostel

Furthermore, in almost every hostel, there is a common room where people hang out and chat.

Strike up a conversation with the other guests and discover what exciting adventures they have planned for their day.

Who knows, you might even get invited along for the ride! So be bold, throw small talk their way, and you never know who you might end up buddy-ing up with!

Here are some other ways I made friends through hostels hope they work for you too:

Have meals together
Join a group tour
Take part in a language exchange
Join the hostel’s Facebook group and get to know other people staying at the same hostel
Attend special events hosted in the hostel, like movie nights, trivia nights, and live music
Be open and friendly

3. Reach Out to Locals

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do.’

Well, that was my motto when I traveled alone. I figured if I wanted to make friends, I’d have to start talking to the locals.

Locals traveling talk — Start talking to the locals

It’s amazing what can happen when you take a chance and talk to people.

You never know whom you’ll meet and the experiences you might have.

I approached this in a very strange way. Before, I would approach locals and begin singing their national hymn! It’s an excellent technique to break the ice and connect with someone.

They were probably shocked to hear a visitor singing their song, but it always made them smile.

I also like to offer them a thumbs up and remark, “What a wonderful nation!” It always elicits a giggle from them, and we begin conversing.

My boldness always pays off. Especially when I made a great friend on a trip to the Czech Republic. His name was Pavel, and he ended up being my tourist guide.

He took me to some unique and local gems I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

We even went out for a few beers at the local pub and ended the night with a karaoke session.

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4. Use Travel Apps

It is quite normal to be a little apprehensive about downloading an app to make travel friends – after all, no one wants to wind up befriending any shady strangers!

But after a few weeks in my hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, loneliness had set in, and I desperately needed some company.

And so, I took the plunge and downloaded a few apps.

app to make travel friends — Make travel friends

These apps are a great targeted way of making friends when solo traveling. They are social networking apps that help you find local events and activities that match your interests.

You can search for events by location and topic and connect with like-minded people who share your interests and hang out with them.

The feature allows you to message each other to plan some travel together, allowing for easy networking and the potential to form lasting friendships.

Here are some great ones that have helped me in most of my tours around the world:

SoloTraveller
BumbleBFF
TripGiraffe
Tourlina
Showaround

5. Join Online Travel Groups

I’ve found and used several great solo travel groups that have helped me get the best location tips and make friends with other travelers traveling the same areas as I am.

However, finding these groups is not a piece of cake though – you’ll need to look for the groups yourself, so you better pack your detective hat!

Facebook is the best for meeting real people. It’s become a social place for travelers to connect before and after their trips.

These groups have a comprehensive safety questionnaire that drills down to the nitty-gritty of who you are and why you want to join.

Thankfully, it only takes a moment to answer them; then, you’ll be invited into a fantastic resource full of tips from travelers like you.

Please avoid Craigslist at all costs – you don’t want to end up in a shady alleyway with a stranger you found online!

Final Thoughts

Who said solo travel had to be boring? There are several connections to be formed when traveling. One method that worked well for me was to use online travel apps.

This has allowed me to form connections with other tourists and locals, making my journeys even more memorable. You can also try my other tips and see which works best for you.