How to Make Friends While Traveling Solo

Below are practical, flexible strategies to help you meet people while traveling, whether you’re on a weekend city break or a three-month backpacking journey.

1. Stay in Social Accommodation

Hotels offer privacy, but hostels, guesthouses, and homestays invite conversation. A shared kitchen? That’s a perfect setting for an accidental chat over morning coffee.
In fact, a 2023 Hostelworld survey found that over 76% of solo travelers met a long-term friend while staying in a hostel.

• Choose dorms over private rooms if you’re comfortable.
• Attend hostel-organized activities, from city tours to game nights.
• Linger in common spaces instead of hiding in your bed with your phone.

Sometimes, all it takes is a “Where are you from?” to open the door to a new friendship.

2. Join Local Experiences and Group Tours

When you travel alone, it’s easy to fall into routines: breakfast alone, sightseeing alone, dinner alone. Group activities flip that script.
Cooking classes, guided hikes, city walking tours—these attract people with shared interests. The activity itself becomes your icebreaker.

Tip: pick niche experiences. A night photography tour in Lisbon or a cheese-tasting session in Amsterdam will naturally bring together people with similar passions, making conversation flow effortlessly.

3. Use Social Media and Online Platforms

We live in an age where you can meet someone halfway across the globe before you’ve even packed your bag. Dedicated travel communities on Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit are hubs for connecting with others heading to the same destination.

Anonymous video chat platforms are also becoming popular for travelers who want to break the ice before meeting face-to-face. Tools like Coomeet or its free alternative CallMeChat allow you to talk to strangers instantly—sometimes even before you arrive at your destination. A quick chat can turn into a dinner plan, a joint day trip, or even a travel buddy for the rest of your stay.

The benefit? No awkward “Will they want to hang out?” moments—you’ve already talked.

4. Attend Local Events

Cities around the world are bursting with festivals, open-air concerts, sports games, and street food markets. These aren’t just cultural highlights—they’re friendship incubators.

• Use apps like Meetup to find events tailored to travelers and expats.
• Check community boards in cafés for local happenings.
• Ask your hostel or guesthouse staff—they often know about gatherings not listed online.

Remember: the atmosphere at such events is already charged with energy. People are there to enjoy themselves, making them more open to chatting with strangers.

5. Be Approachable and Show Interest

This is less about where you are and more about how you behave. Even if you know all the best tips on how to meet people on vacation, nothing replaces open body language, a smile, and genuine curiosity.

• Keep your phone away when sitting alone in a public place.
• Ask open-ended questions rather than yes/no ones.
• Share little bits of your own story to invite others to do the same.

Friendship often begins with the smallest, simplest gesture: attention.

6. Volunteer Abroad

Volunteering gives you more than just a reason to meet people—it bonds you through shared purpose. Whether you’re helping out at an animal rescue in Thailand, teaching English in Colombia, or working on a farm in Italy, the experience creates a strong foundation for connection.

A 2022 report from GoOverseas revealed that over 60% of international volunteers stayed in touch with people they met during their project for more than five years. That’s the power of working toward something together.

7. Take Advantage of Transit Moments

Airports, train stations, ferry lines—these are underused opportunities. Most travelers are just waiting, scrolling, or reading. But starting a small conversation here is often easier than you think.

You’re both going somewhere. That’s your shared ground. Ask about their trip, their plans, or if they’ve been to your destination before. Even if it doesn’t turn into a full-blown friendship, it’s practice for engaging with strangers without pressure.

8. Sign Up for Hobby-Based Classes

If you’re into yoga, pottery, salsa dancing, or even surfing—sign up for a local class. It’s one of the easiest ways to connect with people who already share one of your interests. Plus, having a shared activity removes the stress of keeping conversation going.

9. Respect Boundaries

Not everyone you meet will be open to friendship. Some people travel for solitude or are simply not in the mood to talk. Don’t take it personally. Approach people with kindness, but also with awareness.

This respect makes genuine connections more likely, because it shows emotional intelligence and sincerity—qualities that attract like-minded travelers.

Final Thoughts

When you travel alone, the world can feel both thrilling and intimidating. But people are people everywhere—curious, social, and often more willing to connect than we think. From chatting with your hostel roommate to joining a festival crowd, each interaction is a door you can choose to open.

And here’s the thing: friendships made on the road often come without the baggage of everyday life. They’re built on shared moments, mutual discovery, and a willingness to say yes to the unexpected.

The more you put yourself out there, the more the world responds in kind. After all, traveling solo doesn’t mean being alone—it just means you get to choose your company, one encounter at a time.