Traveling alone can be a daunting prospect, especially when going to unfamiliar destinations for the first time. Finding other like-minded travelers that meet your Travel Persona will help create a lot of synergies. Here are five ways to branch out and make new connections wherever you go in this article.
5. Apps
In this day and age, apps have made it easy to reach out and connect with strangers worldwide. From dating, music festivals, or just straight following groups or individuals on social media to joining group outings and attending events, apps offer many opportunities for solo travelers to plan encounters even before they’ve boarded a plane to their destination.
4. Couchsurfing
Per their website: “Couchsurfing is a global community of 14 million people in more than 200,000 cities who share their life, world, journey.” The premise is simple. You create an account and search for users in the location you plan on traveling to and see who is willing to host you. Hosts are usually individuals interested in meeting people from around the world. While monetary payment for the stay is not typically a requirement, sometimes hosts request guests bring souvenirs from their home country. Accommodations can vary from a mat on the ground to the residence of an entire house and, in most cases, will save money vs. booking a hotel or Airbnb while introducing you to someone new. Connect with people in our community and maybe you can couch surf with another Travel Wise adventurer!
3. Hostels
So long as people are willing to share rooms to save money on room and board, there will always be a demand for hostels. In addition, when sharing a room with other people, it is much easier to introduce yourself as a fellow bunkmate and stay involved with their plans and activities. The downsides, of course, are the high potential for interrupted sleep from roommates coming in and out at odd hours and having to wait to use the shared bathroom in many cases. However, a lot of times, hostels may also have private rooms available for booking that are still cheaper than booking a hotel room, allowing the solo traveler to retain access to the same lobby, bar, outdoor area, etc. as the other hostel guests without the hassle of leaving the premises altogether.
2. Classes
Most destinations will typically offer classes for tourists to learn more about subjects they’re interested in. Whether learning to cook a new dish, picking up a new language, some outdoor activity, etc., classes are an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded individuals who seek the same new knowledge that a solo traveler hopes to gain.
1. Volunteer Events
From billionaire philanthropists to the neediest homeless, helping those in need has always been rewarding. Banding together with others to share this experience is an easy opportunity for a solo traveler to show off their kind and giving nature indirectly and meet others looking to help those disadvantaged in life.
Check out other itineraries people have made and maybe you’ll meet someone else from the Travel Wise community on the same trip!