Does the idea of traveling alone sound scary to you? It’s an intimidating idea to buy a plane ticket to a city or country you’ve never been to, pack up a bag, and head out for the unknown without knowing a soul. But I can also tell you, it’s the most liberating feeling ever!
Traveling alone is a fantastic way to build up confidence, learn more about yourself, grow as a person, and explore the world through a different lens. And I hope you’re here because you’ve already given thought to traveling alone. Even if it scares you, it also excites you. Maybe you’re toying with the idea of experiencing solo travel. Or maybe you’ve already decided it’s something you want to do but you have reservations.
One of the biggest fears people have around traveling alone is not knowing if they’re going to be able to make friends. Especially if you happen to be a little introverted. In this blog post, I’m going to give you all of the best advice for making friends while traveling alone. In my experience, the reason why my solo travels have been so incredible is because of the amazing people I got to meet along the way. And I can promise, it will be the same experience for you!
My First Experience Traveling Alone
Just a little bit about my own solo traveling experience: I was 25 years old the first time I decided to travel alone. I wanted to go on a trip to Central America and I initially asked a close friend of mine to come with me. I wanted to travel for two-three weeks. At first, she seemed interested. But I could quickly tell that it wasn’t something she’d be able to make happen with her work schedule. I had a realization that I could be waiting years to go on this trip if the only thing holding me back was a friend to go with.
I decided to move forward with my adventure as a solo traveler and spent three weeks backpacking through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. This was the most incredible experience of my life up to that point and it changed me as a person, forever. I met one of my now best friends while I was on this trip, and if I’m being realistic, I probably would have never met her had I been traveling with a friend.
After that trip, I was hooked! I went on to travel through many other countries as a solo traveler, and although I love the trips I get to go on with close friends and family, solo travel will never be off of the table for me.
I hope my story helps to inspire you a little bit and finally take the step to experience it for yourself. Let’s get into it!
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My Top Suggestions for Making Friends While Traveling Alone
There are plenty of ways to meet people while you’re traveling solo. And if you ask 50 different people, I’m sure you’ll get 50 different answers. After taking numerous solo trips, I’ve found that these suggestions I’m going to share with you have been the best ways, in my opinion, to meet people, feel comfortable, and create amazing friendships.
Stay in Hostels
When traveling alone, there’s no better way to meet people and make friends than to stay in a hostel. Hostels get a bad rap for some reason- especially amongst people that have never stayed in one. But there are so many benefits to staying in hostels and rarely will you hear people complain about having a bad experience in one.
Hostels are filled with other travelers, making up an incredible community of like-minded people. I find that many people are usually also traveling alone and are keen to put themselves out there, so making friends becomes almost effortless. They’re also really inexpensive compared to hotels or Airbnb which is a plus. Also, if the idea of staying in a dorm-style room with strangers is a bit out of your comfort zone, hotels usually offer private rooms so you can have your own space while still enjoying the social aspect that comes along with staying in a hostel.
Download the app HostelWorld and use this as a guide to choosing hostels. It’s hands down the best resource out there.
Take a Free Walking Tour
One of the first things I do once I’ve arrived in a new city is book a free walking tour. Many hostels provide them and even some hotels do as well. If your accommodation doesn’t offer one though, you can always find them online- I love using guruwalk.com. They offer tours in hundreds of cities all over the world! What I love most about free walking tours is not only is it a great way to get familiar with a new city that you’re visiting for the first time but it’s also a great way to meet new people! There will almost always be other solo travelers on your free walking tour and it’s a perfect opportunity to make a new friend while exploring a fun, new place. The guides are usually very funny and extremely knowledgeable so it makes for a great time!
Always remember to tip your guide at the end. It is a “free” tour but that is with the expectation of tipping a gratuity.
Go On Group Tours
Group tours are an amazing way to meet new people while also having some of the best travel experiences possible. No matter what country/city you visit, there will be certain tours or activities that are considered “must-do’s” and you will most definitely make a friend along the way. My favorite way to book tours ahead of time is through viator.com. Although tours can be a bit more pricy to book through Viator, you always know you’re getting a preferred date and time that fits with your travel schedule. I find this worth doing if I’m tight on time and can’t chance a tour being sold out. I’ve always had good experiences booking through Viator.
If you’re not tight on time, I recommend booking tours through local companies. You will usually get a better rate and you’re supporting the community in which you’re visiting. Always a plus! I’ve taken numerous tours throughout my travels using both methods, and have always managed to make a new friend and have someone to really enjoy the experience with.
Volunteer
Volunteering while traveling is a really wonderful experience that adds some more depth to the travel experience altogether. I did some volunteering while traveling long-term through Southeast Asia. At the time I was traveling around Vietnam and decided to spend a few weeks teaching English at a homestay. I got to live with Vietnamese students between the ages of 19-22 years old, along with other volunteers from around the world. We lived together like one big family, shared meals, did fun activities on the weekends, and taught group English classes in the evenings. In the end, I probably learned more from them than they learned from me. It was an all-around incredible experience.
If this is something you would be interested in doing, check out workaway.info. It’s a platform that connects volunteers to different hosts from around the world. I had such a positive experience through Workaway and I’d love to do it again in the future.
Take a Class
Just like going on a group tour, taking a class of some sort is a great way to meet people while traveling alone. Cooking classes are usually a very popular option! You’ll have the opportunity to learn something new while meeting different people from around the world. One of my favorite classes I took while traveling alone was in Lima, Peru. I took a class on how to make chocolate! I made a friend at my hostel and we decided to go together and we had a wonderful time. The best part was getting to eat the delicious chocolate bars we made at the end.
Thank You For Reading
I hope this post has helped you feel a bit more confident about traveling alone. If it’s something you’re giving serious thought to doing, just do it! I promise you will have an experience of a lifetime and you’ll make incredible new memories and amazing friends. The suggestions I shared in this post helped me time and time again when it came to meeting new people while traveling and I rarely found myself alone. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below and happy travels!
Awesome, informative, and helpful advice…loved the pictures and your wonderful ideas….just wish I was 60 years younger!!!
XOXO