Solo Travel: 7 Best Tips on How to Meet People When Travelling Solo

Solo Travelling is one of my favourite things to do and I think everyone should try solo travelling even if it's just once, it's a great opportunity to get to know ourselves better. I was one of those people that was intimidate by the idea of travelling alone and never thought that I would do it since it was out of my comfort zone, until I was out in a situation where I had to do it. I met amazing people while traveling solo and had the best experiences and the memories are great. This is a great opportunity to see the world and have a good time and meet new people from different countries, you can do what you want whenever you want, you have full freedom which in my opinion is one of the best things.

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1. Smile

Smiling is very important in order to appear approachable and friendly, if you don't feel comfortable going up to people and speaking to them, then smile so that they can come up to you. Don't be shy and try to be flexible especially if it is your first time traveling solo, but if you are a frequent solo traveler then I doubt this will be an issue.

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2. Learn a few words in the local language

First of all, learning the local language will make your life very easy, don't expect people to speak English every where you go, this is not realistic, you need to at least try and learn the basics of the language. Learning the basics will be helpful in restaurants, transportation, it will help you understand signs, and it will also help with miscommunication. Also learning the language is the best way to experience the culture, and besides, locals love to hear travellers speak their language.

Speaking the local language will help you meet new people you wouldn't of met otherwise, you don't have to be fluent, but this is a great way to meet locals and make some friends along the way.

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3. Go to independent coffee shops

A coffee shop with a good internet connection will be a hotspot for young backpackers and solo travellers, so it's a no brainer that this will be a great place to meet like-minded people and a great way to make new friends. If this is a flop then at least they all will be on their phones and you still get to have great coffee, but at least try.

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4. Stay in a hostel

This is the probably the easiest way to meet new people when traveling solo, if you stay in a hostel you get a shared room or if you don't feel comfortable doing that then you can get a private room, but either way you get to meet people there. There's always a common area in a hostel where you get to meet new people and talk to them, and also you get to hang out together. You can visit HostelWorld to find a hostel.

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5. Attend an event

Whenever you are traveling somewhere you are guaranteed to find an event, a workshop, or any type of activity you can attend. This is a great way to not only meet new people, but you will get to meet locals there, this will be great since they will be able to give you tips on where to go that isn't a tourist trap, and maybe even take you on a tour. You don't have to attend something if you don't like it, as long as the event or the activity you are doing is something you enjoy they will have fun.

Bonus tip: If you are staying in a hostel then you will be able to find hostel activities that you can sign up for.

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6. Establish a routine

If you are staying for a few days somewhere or even longer, then it is a great way to establish a routine, for example, you can find a cafe nearby where you can go have breakfast every morning or even just get coffee, it is very likely that you will find the same people there at the same timing every day because they will be mostly locals. You can get to know the workers there for example, you can also let people sit with you if the place is crowded. My point is, having a routine where you go to the same places frequently will be a great opportunity to meet people, but most importantly is for you to follow the very first tip which is to SMILE! As long as you are approachable and friendly then it should be easy.

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7. Go on day tours

This is my favourite way to meet new people when traveling solo, going on a day tours or even a guided tour is a great way to talk to people but also you get to explore. Going on a guided tour is a great way to start a conversation with others and get to know them a little bit, I've done that before and ended up hanging out with them after the tour ended. I like to book tours on GetYourGuide.

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