14 Ways to Make Friends While Solo Travelling (From a Socially Awkward Introvert)

It can be so EASY to make friends while solo travelling if you know how to go about it. Use these easy tips to meet other travellers and make friends on your next solo adventure. Travelling solo does not mean you have to travel alone!

We can’t always rely on others to travel. Sometimes you’re ready for the next big adventure but all your friends and potential travel partners are busy, broke, or uninterested.

So you start to wonder, can I travel by myself? Will I be lonely?

A huge fear that stops a ton of people from solo travelling is being alone. And that’s totally fair. You’d rather have people to share those experiences with. But I have good news for you! Travelling solo does NOT mean you have to be alone. In fact, solo travelling can actually be quite the opposite of lonely, it can be a very social experience.

Not only is it super possible to meet people and make friends while travelling by yourself, it is EASY!

I was making friends even when I was trying not to!

Yes, I’ll say that again. It is incredibly easy to meet people travelling solo. And that’s coming from a socially awkward introvert. On my solo trip to Portugal, there were moments I needed some time to myself and was actively avoiding putting myself out there to meet people, and I STILL had people approaching me to chat. It really can be that easy.

Solo travelling gives you the opportunity to choose when you spend time with others and when you get some time to yourself. Plus you get the perks of being able to decide where you want to go and when without anyone else’s preferences holding you back. You’ll meet a ton of different people from all over the world constantly.

So is it easy to make friends while solo travelling? YES! 100 times yes, if you set yourself up the right way. Here are some tips on how to meet people and make friends while you are travelling alone.

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14 Tips for Making Friends While Solo Travelling (From a Socially Awkward Introvert)

1. Stay in Hostels

Hostels have a lot more to offer than cheap accommodation. They are often a hub for solo travellers and like-minded adventurers. Hostels are also by far the best place to make friends while solo travelling!

For one, solo travellers are super common in hostels. They are almost always in the same boat as you, looking to meet people to share travel experiences with. That means by staying in a hostel, you’ll have access to an entire group of people that are approachable and excited to talk to you.

In addition, hostels are set up specifically for the purpose of socializing. They almost always have great common spaces where you can hang out and talk to other travellers, including common eating spaces.

Lastly, hostels often run group activities that are a great opportunity to do fun things with others and make friends along the way. These can include:

• Group dinners

• Walking tours

• Trivia nights

• Pub crawls

The first night I stayed in a hostel on my solo trip to Portugal, I met over a dozen people, got a bunch of people’s contact info and ended up exploring with some of them afterwards too.

Some tips for making friends in hostels:

• Hang out in the common spaces

Take a book, your journal or a meal and park yourself in one of the common spaces. This is a great signal to others that you are open to chatting and meeting others.

• Join the morning breakfasts

It is pretty common for hostels to offer free or paid breakfast every morning. Take advantage of a great breakfast and use the opportunity to start up a conversation.

• If you are a woman, stay in female only dorms

This is not just for the girls who are wary of staying in rooms with male strangers. I found it easier to meet people inside the dorm room when staying in an all girls dorm. It’s easy to get chatting with other women over the shared experience of being a solo female traveller.

I was hanging out in my dorm room the one day in Porto, Portugal, when a girl walked in and saw me sitting alone. Without ever meeting me before, she asked “are you here alone?” I told her yes and her immediate response was, “cool, want to come hang out with my friends?” It really can be that easy!

Helpful Hint: The website I always use to find and book hostels is www.hostelworld.com

2. Sign Up for Group Dinners and Evening Activities

If you decide to stay in a hostel, then sign up for as many group activities you have time for. Almost always, the people who sign up for these activities are also specifically looking to meet people. These events are also a great ice breaker for getting to know people if you are a bit shy, because you’ll have something to talk about and do together.

Even if you are not staying in a hostel, there are often pub crawls or other local events that you can sign up for depending where you are. You can often find these activities with a simple local google search.

3. Join Facebook Groups for Meeting People in the Area

Another great way to meet people when you are travelling alone is through Facebook groups.

There are groups for meeting other travellers specific and unspecific to location. Before my solo trip to Portugal, I joined a group called Host a Sister. It is a group for women to meet other women travellers. From this group alone, I met tons of other girls to meet up with on my travels before even leaving home. There were opportunities to find local hosts to stay with, host people in your own home, and organize meet ups during your travels.

Some other great Facebook groups for connecting with other travellers are:

• Travel Community

• Girls LOVE Travel

• Nomads

• The Solo Female Traveler Network

There are also Facebook groups specific to location. When I moved to Nepal, I joined an expat group of other foreigners living in Kathmandu. The group posted local events and was a great way to get to know where other travellers hung out in the area.

There’s always some risks involved with meeting strangers online so do your research and be careful. I always met up with people in public spaces.

5. Leave Some Flexibility in Your Trip Itinerary

This tip is key if you want to make friends while solo travelling. What if you meet someone who asks you to join them for an activity that you didn’t have in your plans? If you stick to your strict itinerary and are not open to change, then you are likely going to spend most of your trip on your own.

There were countless times when I was invited out to do an activity or explore part of town with people I just met. And that is the goal right? To meet people to share experiences with while you are travelling alone!

I recommend having a general idea of what you would like to do and leave some room for spontaneous activities that you discover while you’re there.

6. Join a Local Class

Whether you join a class for a hobby you already love or something you are trying for the first time, this can be a great way to meet people when travelling solo. It is also a great way to meet local people specifically.

I joined a pottery class when I lived in Nepal and it was an amazing experience for so many reasons. The class was run by a local man who had been making his livelihood from pottery for decades and there were two other local guys who helped run the tour. Not only did I get to learn a new skill, I also got to enjoy a more authentic cultural experience. The added bonus was I connected with local people and made friends!

Helpful Hint: Airbnb has experiences and classes hosted by locals! Check it out here.

7. Be Open to Meeting Anyone

This goes without saying, but be open to chatting with anyone. When people approach you to chat, go for it and see what happens. Appear super engaged with them and take part happily in the conversation. You don’t have to be best friends and explore with everyone you meet, but its good practice for talking to new people. You might even meet someone you really click with.

There were so many times when I was sitting in the hostel common space and people would sit down and strike up a conversation. Always try to be a approachable and engage when people actually make the effort to speak to you first. Its scary being the one to initiate the conversation, so when someone does it for you be nice about it.

7. Exchange Contact Info with Most People You Talk to

A great way to meet up with other travellers is to exchange your contact information with the people you talk to. This can be Whatsapp, Instagram or Facebook. If you are meeting people in common spaces, you might not have the opportunity to go exploring or hang out with that person right at that moment. It is great to have their contact info in case you want to meet up later.

I did this and had a few different people message at a later time inviting me to go do an activity with them and their friends. It’s also a great way to make connections for future travels.

9. Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone and Just Go For it

This goes without saying, but if you are only ever talking to people when you feel completely comfortable, you are never going to make friends. You have to put yourself out there. The good news with this though, is that other travellers are often super approachable and also looking to meet people. You already have that advantage.

Don’t be afraid to be the one to approach somebody else. If it doesn’t work out, you literally never have to see that person again. So just go for it!

10. Take a Local Walking Tour

Walking tours are great ways to explore a new place and meet other travellers alike. You can join walking tours hosted by your hostel (if you are staying in one) or join a company that offers tours. These are great experiences for meeting others because you will be exploring a new place together for at least a few hours. There are tons of opportunities to chat and you’ll have something to talk about.

Joining a hostel’s walking tour is also a great way to meet people who will be sharing a common space with you later. You can get to know each other on the walking tour and then meet up with them afterwards.

If you are joining a local company’s walking tour, make sure to exchange contact info with any fellow travellers you interact with along the tour.

11. Appear Approachable (Body Language is Key)

No matter where you are hoping to meet people, your body language is important. This seems super obvious, but it can be helpful to keep these tips in mind. That way you are conscious about what your body language might be portraying.

• Try to stay off your phone | Staring down at your phone the whole time or keeping your headphones in will indicate to others that you are not open to having a conversation.

• Eye contact | Eye contact in conversations will help you appear more engaged. Plus, if you are avoiding eye contact with people it might seem like you are trying to avoid talking as well.

• Smile and seem friendly | This one goes without saying, but keep it friendly. Be mindful of your posture and facial expressions. If you are someone that suffers from RBF (resting b*tch face), then be mindful of relaxing those face muscles haha.

10. Use Dating Apps to Meet People

Dating apps are surprisingly not solely used for meeting potential partners or hook ups. There are tons of travellers who join dating apps to make friends in the location they are travelling in. There are also some specific dating apps that have a “just friends” side to their platform.

Bumble is a great example of this. They have an entire portion of their platform dedicated to making friends, not dating.

You can also specifically write in your profile that you are just looking to meet local people and make friends while you are travelling so nobody gets the wrong idea.

Helpful Hint: Try out Bumble BFF

11. Join a Tour Hosted by Local Guide

Joining tours hosted by local guides is not only a great way to see the authentic side of the place you are visiting, but can also be a great way to make local friends.

Sometimes, local guides will be down to hang out afterwards. This has happened for me all over the world. In Portugal, I joined a walking tour hosted by a local and we ended up going for lunch together afterwards. In Kentucky, USA, I joined an outdoor rock climbing experience and our local guide ended up staying past the clock to continue climbing with some of us afterwards too.

You can check on Airbnb, google search local tours, see if your hostel offers tours, or ask around.

12. Ask your Accommodation’s Staff for Advice

Your hotel/hostel staff are often super knowledgable and can offer great recommendations on local hangouts, places to eat, local nightlife, and other places to meet people. I have found this to be especially true in hostels, as usually the staff are on the younger side.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll end up hitting it off with the staff!

13. Try an Organized Group Tour

If you are still feeling nervous to jump right into the solo travel world, a great option is to sign up for an organized tour. While on the tour, you’ll be exploring with the same people and because of this it can be easier to develop friendships. Then afterwards, there might even be some of those friends who are continuing their travels like you. This can be a great way to meet people to travel around with after the tour.

Helpful Hint: I am a big fan of G Adventures. They have great adventure travel tours and are on the more affordable side compared to their competitors

14. Volunteer or Work Exchange Experience

Volunteer and work exchange experiences are also great ways to make friends while solo travelling. Of course, there are also the added perks of getting to immerse yourself deeper in the local community.

By volunteering, you will spend a lot of time with your fellow volunteers living and working together. This makes it so much easier to make friends and can be a great option for the more introverted solo travellers who take a little longer to connect with people. I’ve joined 3 different volunteer group trips to Kenya, India and Ecuador and can attest to the fact that is super easy to make friends on these sort of travel adventures.

You can find some great work exchanges and volunteer opportunities at:

• Workaway

• Wwoof

• Worldpackers

Final Thoughts on How to Make Friends While Solo Travelling

So there you have it, 14 practical and easy ways to make friends while solo travelling. There are so many different ways to meet people and make friends that solo travelling goes from being a lonely experience to the exact opposite. Being alone should not prevent you from embarking on your adventure travel dreams. If you follow these 14 tips, it will be hard for you to NOT make friends.

If I can do it (as a socially awkward introvert), then so can you!

Please comment below if you liked what you read or have anything to add. Also subscribe to my newsletter for more adventure travel content and tips that will help you make your adventure travel dreams come true.

Happy adventuring!

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