The one thing I’m confident about myself is that- I’m good at making friends. Even if you don’t feel the same- solo travel can be incredibly rewarding. My confidence was obviously put to the test when I decided I was going to study in France, backpack around Europe and soon(!) take off on a working holiday visa to Australia- all solo. I realize that this isn’t always as easy for everyone else so, here are some of my favorite tricks to meeting people on the road…
So, you decided to take on this huge adventure and book a couple nights in whichever hostel. The first thing to remember when you’re alone in this big new city… so did everyone else in your room! Connecting with strangers can be hard and really intimidating. But it’s important to remember the common thread you have together right off the bat. Smile, say hello and introduce yourself to your new temporary room mates. Even if you don’t vibe, you break the ice.
Often you’ll have the chance to book in rooms based on your gender. Most of the time I go for the cheapest because I’ve lived with tons of people at this point and living with boys doesn’t phase me. The first time I opted for a all female dorm I was in Prague. What I found myself in was a 12 person tripled bunk-bed set up. Every, single, one of the 12 girls was a solo traveler, talk about badass. Be confident! That wonderful room in Prague was filled with awesome chicks who were all looking to make new friends, just like me.
On the opposite side of the coin, booking co-ed rooms offers different experiences for socializing. I’m sensing that you’ll be out of your comfort zone a lot in this trip so talking to that cute German dude in your dorm should be nothing for you at this point, right? You never know where he was before this. In Galway, I met a 19 year old Australian who had been traveling by himself for a better part of the year. He’d been everywhere, and like most Australians he was a complete character who I hope is still vagabonding safety around the globe.
If you haven’t caught on to a theme.. your hostel will be a Mecca for friend making. Travelers love talking about traveling. And the people you meet along the way WILL be best source of information out there. When I got to Scotland everyone I was meeting was stressing about how they would be able to tour the Highlands. But for me, without realizing it I’d already received awesome advice from a new friend in Ireland about the perfect, affordable tour to take( Mac Backpackers). It’s not an exact science but being confident enough to introduce yourself will get you further than expected. Talk about where you’ve been and where you’re headed, you never know what you could learn. One of the best friends I’ve made traveling was because we realized we had plans for a very similar path.. we met up in three different countries and still keep in touch about our travels to this day (Hey Dayna!!).
I don’t mean to sound like a broken record and repeat once again to say hello to people, but it’s true. I always use the rule of thumb that the other person may not say hi first. For me, I assume the other person is just more shy than I am ( this is the extrovert’s guide after all). Hang out in the common area and just say a small hello to the people who walk in the room. Or, at the very least make eye contact and smile. I promise that little bit will go a long way. Once while hanging in a hostel in Budapest a new friend of mine started laughing at the way I was saying hi to everyone who entered the basement common area. We started making a game of it. Who could say hi first, how many more people could we collect. Sometimes you just have to be the one to break the ice. If they aren’t interested in your kind regards, well it’s their loss. Even if you want some alone time to write home, watch Netflix, post on your blog.. try doing it in the common area. I met several people in multiple places just because I was watching Game of Thrones on my laptop. People were interested in talking about our similarities, even if I had headphones in.
Being bold enough to say hi or start a conversation absolutely goes for outside the hostel too. For the love of God, don’t just bop around from tourist trap to tourist trap and call it living. Lonely Planet has nothing on the Greek bartender who can tell you the REAL best spot on the island for a sunset cocktail. If you’re in Mykonos, it’s 180 Degree Sunset bar 😉 . This was insight my friend and I received after just simply talking to the staff at a bar about how much we loved Greece and it’s amazing views.
After a while, making friends along the way of your solo adventure will just seem normal. Honestly, if anyone out there has a story about your solo travels and how you made absolutely no friends, I’d love to hear about it so I can ask how ?! Traveling solo will surprise you, often I found myself wondering when I was actually going to fit in some alone time. Even for a self described extrovert, I was amazed how quickly others were interested in exploring this new world we’d found ourselves in together. Always remember: smile, be yourself, and never let anyone break your spirit.