← Back to ‘Best Places to Travel Solo`
If you arrive in a new place and you don’t meet anyone straightaway — don’t panic! We’re here to help and we have put together five great ways of meeting new people when traveling alone. From making new friends in hostels to taking classes or downloading apps, there are plenty of ways you can find awesome people to hang out with during your solo trip.
1. Stay in hostels
Staying in hostels is one of the best ways to meet new people when traveling solo. Backpackers gravitate towards hostels because of their social atmospheres, bars, and fun weekly activities. It is inevitable that you will meet like-minded travelers if you are staying in a dorm room. Equally, a lot of hostels have private rooms too, so if you prefer your own space you can have the best of both worlds: privacy and the social atmosphere of a hostel.
It’s always a good idea to check the reviews of a hostel before you book. While party hostels are the quickest way to make new friends, you might prefer to stay in a hostel with a more low-key vibe.
Read More: The Most Unique Hostels Around the World
2. Couchsurf
Couchsurfing is an enormous community where locals will offer you a couch to sleep on for free. The couchsurfing hosts are often some of the most generous and fun people you will meet during your time away – they love to show new people their city and culture. Offer to cook your host dinner or buy them a drink to say thanks!
We have tons of great couch-surfing options all over the world, from cool sofas to crash on in Amsterdam to spare rooms in Australia.
3. Take group tours
Sometimes it’s tempting to sightsee on your own and save money, but organized tours can be a great way of meeting people when traveling alone.
Whether it is a four-day-trek to Machu Picchu, or a one day tour of the Mekong River, you are guaranteed to meet others. If you book a tour directly through your hostel it is likely there will be other travelers signed up to the same trip. Meanwhile, if you book a tour through an agency or online site you might be placed on a trip with a family or a honeymooning couple – so be sure to ask the tour agency for details about who is already signed-up.
4. Use meet-up apps
Meet-up apps are a great way to make new friends when traveling alone. The best thing about using apps is you can figure out if you click with someone before meeting them in person – saving you the awkwardness of having to shake-off someone who you don’t connect with. Some of the best apps include Backpackr and Travello, where you can browse profiles of other travelers in the same area, chat and arrange to meet up. Take a look at these other great sites for meeting other travelers.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for something more than friendship, dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble are good ways of meeting people too. You must always take care when using apps. Make sure you arrange to meet someone new in a public place and tell a friend or family member where you are going.
5. Take a class
Whether you want to learn Spanish, dance salsa or cook an Indian curry, taking a class is a great way to meet new people and bond over a fun day of activities. Most hostels and hotels have information about nearby classes. You can also find out about classes online with a quick Google or Facebook search.
Once the class is over, why not suggest going for a beer with some of the people in your group?