Solo travel doesn’t mean being ALONE! This post goes into my top 8 tips on how to meet people while traveling alone.
I have met some of the most amazing people during my solo travels. It has actually given me more of a chance to meet people than traveling with friends. When you travel with friends you tend to only socialize with those friends.
Traveling alone opens you up to others. You are more likely to say hi to that person sitting in the coffee shop asking them where their favorite local restaurant is. Or talking to the bartender and asking them what their favorite part of the city is.
It allows you to make connections and also find out from a local perspective where to go. I am all about seeing the city as a local vs a tourist avoiding the places tourists lets you find the true best spots.
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1. Join a Facebook group to meet friends
Join a fb group such as Girls Love Travel or Solo Female Travel. They offer a HUGE community of women who love travel so there’s bound to be someone traveling at the same time. There are also subgroups for individual countries where you’d have an even higher chance of meeting someone also traveling or locals who are wanting to meet new people.
🤳 Best tripods for solo travel:
1. Simple, compact for mobile phones
2. DSLR tripod
2. Take a group tour
There are many tours you can take with other solo travelers. Trova Trip and Intrepid are great options! They are designed for people who want to meet like-minded people and don’t want to wait for a travel friend to go with them. It is also a good way to travel worry-free and not have to plan a thing ahead because the group tour company takes care of it all!
There is a ton of free time built into these trips too so it’s not go go go like you might imagine. This is a good way to ease into solo travel. You can take the free time to do your own thing and go back to the group when you feel like it. You will still have that support bubble a moment away!
3. Use a website that connects solo travelers
There are so many sites out there for connecting like-minded travelers.
Couch Surfing is a site that actually lets you stay for cheap or free at other people’s houses who want to host you. They have a mentality keen to meet other travelers and you can meet some great friends this way.
BackPackr is a platform that allows you to meet travel buddies and connect with other like-minded travelers around the world.
Meetup.com and Internations are sites that have different events bringing people together and everyone there is interested in meeting new friends.
GoGaffl is a site that allows you to find a travel buddy.
Facebook groups as mentioned above can connect you with other travelers. Here are some of my favorites:
So as you can see with enough research, you will find plenty of ways to connect with other travelers. The internet is a special thing allowing you to find people and friends across the world who share the same interests as you!
4. Take a City Tour
Taking a tour can make things feel not so lonely because you will be with others. It might even help you meet someone you can hang out with for some of the trips. I took a pintxos bar hopping tour in San Sebastian and ended up meeting the girl I met the next day for dinner. A cooking class Is another fun one! Great ways to find tours are through Viator or Get Your Guide! There are also free walking tours in most cities just google xx city free walking tour!
My go-to for finding group tours is by browsing tour sites like Get Your Guide or Viator!
5. Strike up a conversation
Next time you are at a cafe say hello to the person next to you. There are many ways to strike up a conversation such as asking them what meal they got that looks tasty or complimenting their outfit.
You could also sit in less awkward places when dining like at the bar which is designed for conversating with others. Ask the bartender what his favorite things are to do in the city! Learn from the locals and find out their best tips. People love to talk about this kind of thing.
In Paris, there are many cafes meant for relaxing and sitting on your own, reading a book or watching time pass by. Above you can see me in a Parisian cafe and I’m not so alone because a cute teddy bear is accompanying me! There are many cafes in Paris with these bears which were introduced during COVID as a cute way to social distance people.
🍴Read my blog post on how to dine out alone!
6. Use a Dating App!
You can use Bumble to meet someone of the opposite sex or use the Bumble BFF part and meet platonic friends! I’m also not going to lie, I’ve used dating apps such as Tinder and have had some amazing tours from locals by doing this, the free way. Just be safe and let a friend know where you are and who you’re meeting.
7. Stay in a Hostel
Most hostels are built to connect travelers and have social events! Many people think hostels are not nice but that can be a huge misconception because many are actually pretty good! You just have to choose wisely! Two of my favorite hostels I’ve ever stayed in was the Generator Hostel which is in many major cities. The other was Combo Venezia in Venice, Italy. It was so nice and I loved the garden area which was a good meeting place. Also, in these hostels I was even able to book my own private space and still benefit from the social aspect.
Hostelworld is a great place to find hostels, but you can also search for hostels on any booking site – I prefer the hostel section on Booking.com.
8. Use Social Media
Social media is meant for one thing! And that’s being social. So use it to connect with friends. On my social account @joujoutravels I’ve been able to connect with so many other cool people. All you have to do is just send that person a DM and say hello. Respond to their story if you follow them asking them a question about it or if they live in the city you’re traveling to ask them if they’d be up for a coffee. When I went to Amsterdam, I met a lovely Instagram friend @exploringtulips and we spent the entire day together. She took me to some of the prettiest tulip fields outside of Amsterdam which only the locals would know.
Also, I know I would always be up for meeting new people if I’m free! So if you’re visiting London be sure to drop me a line. I love meeting people too!
Essentials for your solo trip!
- This super cool scarf has a hidden zipper that allows you to hide important things like your passport or money. A useful thing to have for a solo traveler.
- A keychain flashlight is handy to have in case you’re ever walking alone at night and it’s too dark to see your surroundings.
- I always carry a mini first aid kit in case of any accidents and I can be a clumsy person!
- One thing I never leave home when traveling is a portable compact mobile phone charger like this one. I have run into a few situations where I was stuck in a tiny village in Italy and no one knew English. Sadly my phone died and I felt crippled without my phone. I was unable to use google translate to conversate or navigate anywhere. Also, be sure to carry a backup one too in case one dies, or just be sure to always charge it daily!
- My favorite tripod is this compact tripod for mobile phones – people constantly ask me how I take solo photos and this is how!
Final Thoughts
I hope this post inspires you to try solo traveling making you realize how solo travel doesn’t mean alone travel. This is one of the biggest fears in solo traveling is the thought that you will get bored or not enjoy the time alone. This post proves that wrong! So what are you waiting for, go travel!
📞 Still afraid to solo travel the world? Then book a 1:1 coaching call with me and I will help answer your questions so you can travel this world in confidence!
For more reading, you may also like these:
👩 Traveling alone for the First Time
💰 How to Travel Solo on a Budget
📸 Best Camera Gear for Solo Female Travelers
🤎 FREE 14-page solo travel e-book!
♀ Best Places for Solo Female Travel
🍴Tips for eating out alone
🇮🇹 Traveling Italy Alone
🤫 Travel Secrets & Tips
💬 Solo Travel Quotes to Inspire You
These are fantastic recommendations for gear to use while traveling. What do you use to carry all of the gear around? I’m planning on bringing a camera on my next solo travel adventure and I’m not sure what to carry it all in and how to avoid getting the camera bag in the pictures. What do you normally use to carry all your belongings?