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How to meet people while traveling solo

Join something that already has people in it. A hostel dinner, a free walking tour, a group day trip, a class or a plan in an app all hand you a reason to talk. Waiting for strangers to start a conversation almost never works.

10 ways that work

1. Go to the hostel's events, even if you're not sleeping there. Family dinners, pub crawls and quiz nights exist to mix strangers. Many hostels let outsiders join events or use the bar. What goes wrong: private rooms and quiet "boutique" hostels often skip events, so check the events board before you book.
2. Take a free walking tour on your first morning. They usually run on tips, take two to three hours and finish in the center, near places to eat. Ask whoever you walked next to if they want to eat. What goes wrong: tours of 30+ people break into couples and friend groups; smaller evening tours are easier.
3. Book group day trips. A boat trip, a volcano hike or a cooking class puts you with the same eight people for a day. By lunch you have plans for the evening. What goes wrong: private tours are more comfortable and completely unsocial.
4. Use an app that starts from plans, not profiles. Open Tablamigo or Nomadtable, see who's getting dinner or going for a hike nearby, and join. What goes wrong: chatting for days before meeting. Propose a time and place by the second or third message. Our roundup of apps to meet travelers compares the options.
5. Post your own plan. "Street food in Chinatown, 7pm, anyone?" gets more replies than "anyone want to hang out?" Be specific about the place and time. What goes wrong: posting for "sometime this week". Nobody commits to that.
6. Join a language exchange or Meetup group. These pull in locals as well as travelers, and they meet at the same bar every week. What goes wrong: groups are often scheduled days ahead, so look before you arrive.
7. Work from a coworking space if you're a digital nomad. Many run community lunches, workshops or after-work drinks, so ask at the desk. See how to find digital nomad meetups.
8. Take a class. Surfing, salsa, Muay Thai, cooking. You'll see the same faces for a few days, which is how travel friendships form.
9. Sit at the bar, not a table. Counters, shared tables at food halls and communal tables at hostels make talking to your neighbor normal.
10. Say yes, then say where. When someone mentions they're going to the night market, ask if you can come. Other travelers usually say yes.

See plans near you on Tablamigo

What to say first

You don't need a line. Ask something practical: "Have you been to the market yet?", "Is this the queue for the boat?", "What's good here?" The follow-up is always "How long are you here for?", and then you can suggest doing something. Travelers expect this. It's the easiest social setting most people will ever be in.

If you're shy or an introvert

• Choose structured things: tours, classes and group trips, where the activity does the talking.
• Pick small groups. A dinner for four is easier than a pub crawl for forty.
• Set a stop time. "I'll go for an hour" is easier to start, and you can always stay.
• Take rest days. Meeting people every night is tiring; nobody's keeping score.

When solo travel gets lonely

For a lot of people it hits a few days in, once the excitement of arriving wears off, or on the first night in a new city. Act on it early. Book one social thing for tomorrow: a walking tour in the morning or a group dinner at night. Call someone at home, then go somewhere with people in it, even if it's just a busy café. Staying in your room with your phone makes it worse.

Staying safe while you meet people

• Meet in busy public places for a first meetup, not a private home or hotel room.
• Keep chats in the app until you've met, so you can report anything that goes wrong.
• Tell a friend where you're going, and get yourself there and back.
• Never send money to someone you've just met.

Traveling as a woman? Read about women-only plans and safety tools. More tips in our safety guide.

Where it's easiest to meet people

Some cities make this easy: dense backpacker areas, lots of hostels, cheap group tours. Our city guides cover where travelers meet in each one, including Bangkok, Lisbon, Mexico City, Chiang Mai and Medellín. See all city guides.

Questions