How To Make Friends While Traveling The World Alone

What's not to love about traveling alone? You have the freedom to go and do what you want without worrying about anyone else. Sure, it can get lonely at times, especially if you're away from home for quite a while. However, you should see that as an opportunity to make friends with new people.

As terrifying as it can be to try and socialize with strangers in another country, it can lead to some incredibly fulfilling relationships. The people you meet may end up becoming friends that you stay close to for the rest of your life. However, you won't know that until you try, and we've found five excellent ways to help you do that.

1. Staying in a hostel forces you to get to know other people

One of the biggest considerations when it comes to traveling is where you're going to stay. The longer you're out there, the cheaper you want to keep things, which is why hostels are such a good idea. Not only will these places charge less than a hotel or Airbnb, but they'll also give you more opportunities to make friends. As these are very communal spaces, you can't really get away from others here, which forces you to take the plunge and strike up conversations with people. At least if you end up making plans with these fellow travelers, you'll all be heading back to the same place afterward.

2. Walking tours expose you to travelers in the same position as you

Walking tours are another thing that offers the best of both worlds. If you're new to an area, these can be great for helping you get to know the place in a matter of hours. Never underestimate how valuable a tour guide's input can be with these. Of course, along with getting to learn about a place, walking tours also put you in a position where you're surrounded by a lot of other people. Most of those people are likely to be as unfamiliar with the area as you, which can make it a lot easier to strike up a conversation. The longer the tour, the more of a connection you're likely to make, meaning you may well finish with several new friends to make plans with.

3. A small group tour is also great for getting to know others

You can find all kinds of tours when you go traveling, some of which may last for several days. These can be just as beneficial when trying to make friends, as they give you more of an opportunity to get to know the people you're with. If you opt for a tour that's on the smaller side, you should find that a rapport naturally develops between you and the others quite quickly. While you might not bond with all the people in the group, the chances are you'll make enough of a connection with everyone to ensure a pleasant time together. Even if you ultimately don't keep in touch after the tour ends, you'll always have the memories of those few days together to remind you of them.

4. Online communities can help you to find locals or other travelers

We're at a point now where there's an app for everything, and that may include making friends when you're traveling the world by yourself. If you look on the internet, you're bound to find apps, meetup groups, or online communities designed for situations like this. Of course, some of them may be more trustworthy than others, and you should always be cautious about anyone you agree to meet with online. However, as long as you're safe with this, you could end up connecting with someone that ends up being the perfect travel companion. Or, maybe they're a local who can help you to make the most of the area and experience the place in a way you wouldn't have otherwise.

5. Taking a class overseas doesn't always have to be that intimidating

If you thought that classes were just something you take at home when you're bored, think again. These can actually be a great thing to do when you're traveling the world, provided you can understand enough of the local language, of course. Then again, being a bit unfamiliar with what's going on could work to your advantage. It would certainly give you more of a reason to speak to other people and ask for a bit of help. Plus, if it's a small class, you could even get some one-on-one assistance from the teacher themselves. Once you get to chatting, who knows what you may learn about them and any potential similarities you share.

If you're an outgoing person, making friends while traveling the world is probably easy to do in any situation. However, if you find it tough to connect with new people, one or more of these methods will hopefully make things a lot easier for you. That way, you can enjoy the solitude of traveling by yourself without having to be alone the entire time.