I was three days into my first solo trip in Lisbon when the loneliness hit. Not the romantic, reflective kind you read about in travel essays — the real kind, where you are eating dinner alone for the third night in a row, scrolling through your phone, watching groups of friends clink glasses at the next table. I almost booked an early flight home. Instead, I walked into my hostel's common room, sat at the communal table, and said hi to the person across from me. That person was a teacher from Melbourne named Sarah, and within an hour we had recruited two Canadians and a German backpacker to join us on a day trip to Sintra the next morning. That was four years ago. Sarah and I still text every week. Learning how to meet people while traveling solo is not about being extroverted or charismatic or "good with strangers." It is about putting yourself in the right places and being willing to say the first awkward hello. According to Hostelworld's 2025 survey, 67% of solo travelers now use apps or social platforms to connect with other travelers — up from 32% in 2019. The tools and opportunities for making friends on the road have never been more accessible.
Here is the thing nobody warns you about solo travel loneliness: it is completely normal, and it almost always passes. The first 48 hours are the hardest. You are jet-lagged, disoriented, missing your routines and the people who know you. But once you crack through that initial shell, solo travel becomes the most social form of travel there is. Think about it — couples travel with each other, families stick together, friend groups have their own dynamic. Solo travelers are the only ones actively looking to connect with new people. That shared openness is like a secret handshake. A 2025 study found that solo travelers meet an average of 12 new people per week on the road, compared to just 3-4 for people traveling in groups. The trick is knowing where and how to find those connections. I have spent years testing different approaches across 23 countries, and the ten strategies below are the ones that actually work — not the vague "just be open" advice that sounds nice on a poster but helps nobody at a hostel check-in desk at 11pm.
Stay in Hostels With High Social Ratings
If you want to meet other travelers, where you sleep matters more than almost any other decision you make. Hostels are purpose-built for connection. The good ones have communal kitchens where someone is always cooking pasta and offering you a taste, common rooms where card games and travel stories happen nightly, and organized events that give you a reason to talk to strangers without the pressure of cold-approaching someone. Hostelworld is the main booking platform, and here is the trick that changed my hostel experience: sort by the "Atmosphere" score, not just the overall rating. A hostel with a 9.2 atmosphere score in Budapest's District VII is going to be wildly more social than a quiet guesthouse with a 9.5 overall score but a 7.0 atmosphere. Look for hostels that mention group dinners, pub crawls, game nights, or walking tours in their description — these are signals that the staff actively builds community.
Prices vary enormously. A dorm bed in Hanoi runs $4-8 per night, Chiang Mai costs $6-12, Kraków and Budapest sit around €10-15, and Lisbon or Barcelona charge €18-30 depending on the season. If sleeping in a 10-bed dorm sounds like a nightmare, book a 4-bed or 6-bed room — you still get the social energy without feeling like you are at summer camp. Some hostels worth specifically seeking out: Retox Party Hostel in Budapest (their name tells you exactly what to expect), The Drunken Monkey in Kraków (legendary pub crawls), Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem (nightly events and tours), and Lub d in Bangkok (rooftop bar that pulls in locals and travelers alike). The common thread is that these places treat socializing as part of the product, not an afterthought. Walk into the common area, sit down, make eye contact, and say three simple words: "Where are you from?" That question has launched more friendships than any app ever built.
Join Free Walking Tours in Every City
Free walking tours are the single easiest way to meet other travelers without any planning or commitment. You show up at a meeting point, walk around the city with a group of 10-30 people for two to three hours, learn something interesting, and by the end you have shared an experience with a dozen strangers — which is the fastest shortcut to friendship that exists. Companies like SANDEMANs (operating as Free Tour in most European cities), Guru Walk, and Free Tours by Foot run daily tours in over 100 cities worldwide, from Rome to Buenos Aires to Bangkok. The tours are tip-based, so you pay what you think the experience was worth — most people leave €10-15 for a good guide.
The social magic happens at two specific moments: during the tour itself, when you naturally cluster into small groups and start chatting between stops, and at the end, when the group disperses and someone inevitably says, "Anyone want to grab lunch?" Say yes. Always say yes to that post-tour lunch. I have made friends in Seville, Prague, and Kyoto this way. The guide often acts as a natural icebreaker, cracking jokes and asking the group questions that get people talking. In cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, and Edinburgh, there are also niche walking tours — street art tours, food tours, "dark history" tours — that attract people with specific interests, which makes the conversations even easier. A street art tour in Melbourne's Hosier Lane or a craft beer walk in Brussels gives you an instant topic beyond "so, where are you headed next?" If the idea of joining a group feels intimidating, remember this: everyone on that tour chose to be there alone or in a pair. Nobody is judging you for showing up solo. That is literally the point.
Use Apps Designed for Meeting Fellow Travelers
The app landscape for solo travelers has exploded since 2023. You are no longer limited to awkwardly asking your hostel receptionist if anyone wants to hang out. Couchsurfing's Hangouts feature lets you see who is nearby and available to meet up right now — grab a coffee, explore a neighborhood, share a meal. You do not need to host or surf a couch to use it; plenty of people are on the platform purely for the social side. Couchsurfing also runs local events and meetups in most major cities, from weekly pub nights in Munich to language exchanges in Medellín. Check the events tab when you arrive somewhere new.
Beyond Couchsurfing, Travello is a social network built specifically for travelers — you can see who is nearby, join meetups, and find group activities. Hostelworld's app now includes a social feature that lets you message other guests at your hostel before you arrive, so you can coordinate plans in advance. Bumble BFF works surprisingly well in bigger cities for finding locals or long-term travelers who want a coffee companion. And Timeleft, which started in France and now operates across Europe, the US, South America, and Southeast Asia, matches you with five strangers for a dinner at a local restaurant — everyone shows up alone, the conversation flows, and you walk away with potential travel friends and a restaurant recommendation you would never have found yourself. For female solo travelers specifically, Tourlina and NomadHer connect women with potential travel companions based on destination and interests. The key with all of these apps is to actually use them in the first 24 hours after arriving somewhere. The longer you wait, the more you settle into solo routines, and the harder it gets to break out of them.
Book Group Tours and Day Trips for Making Friends While Traveling
Sometimes the easiest way to meet people is to pay someone else to organize the social situation for you. Group day tours, cooking classes, and multi-day adventures are essentially friend-making on autopilot. You share a van, a boat, a kitchen, or a hiking trail with a handful of strangers for several hours, and by the end, swapping Instagram handles feels natural rather than forced. For day trips, platforms like GetYourGuide, Viator, and Airbnb Experiences list thousands of options in every destination — a street food tour through Bangkok's Chinatown ($25-40), a sunrise hike on Bali's Mount Batur ($45-65), a wine tasting in Tuscany ($80-120), or a cooking class making fresh pasta in Rome ($50-70).
For multi-day group tours, three companies dominate the solo traveler space. G Adventures runs small groups of 12-15 people, offers "Solo-ish Adventures" designed specifically for people traveling alone, and often waives the single supplement so you are not penalized for not having a roommate. Intrepid Travel keeps groups to 10-14 people with a focus on cultural immersion — more than 50% of their travelers are solo. Contiki targets 18-35 year olds with faster-paced, more social itineraries and larger groups of around 45 people, which is fantastic if you want a party-meets-travel vibe. Flash Pack is a newer company carving out the 30-49 age bracket with adventure trips specifically for solo travelers in their thirties and forties. Prices range from $90-150 per day for G Adventures and Intrepid to $80-120 per day for Contiki. A 10-day G Adventures trip through Vietnam, for example, runs about $1,200 and includes accommodation, transport, some meals, and a group of people who are all there for the same reason you are.
Hang Out in Coworking Spaces and Digital Nomad Hubs
If you are working remotely — or even just pretending to work while you sip coffee and people-watch — coworking spaces are one of the most underrated places to meet other travelers and long-term expats. Cities like Chiang Mai, Lisbon, Medellín, Bali (especially Canggu), and Mexico City have developed entire ecosystems around digital nomads, and the coworking spaces in these places function as social clubs as much as offices. Punspace in Chiang Mai costs about $5-8 per day and runs weekly events, from rooftop barbecues to weekend hiking trips. Hubud in Bali hosts community lunches every Wednesday. Selina, a hostel-coworking hybrid chain with over 100 locations across Latin America, Europe, and Asia, bundles workspace, accommodation, and social programming into one package — think surf lessons in the morning, coworking in the afternoon, and a rooftop party at night.
Even if you are not a digital nomad, dropping into a coworking space for a day pass ($10-25 in most cities) puts you in a room full of interesting people who are living abroad, building businesses, and generally open to meeting new faces. The conversations tend to be deeper than hostel small talk because people in coworking spaces are usually staying in a place for weeks or months, not just passing through for two nights. Ask someone what they are working on, and you will get a story — the Australian building a surf school website, the Brazilian launching an online bakery, the Dutch couple designing van life interiors. These spaces also post events on their Instagram or community boards: language tandems, skill-sharing workshops, sunset yoga sessions. If you are spending a week or more in one city, a coworking membership gives you a daily routine, a "home base" with familiar faces, and a much richer social life than bouncing between tourist sites.
Take a Class — Cooking, Surfing, Language, Whatever
Shared activities break the ice faster than any conversation starter you can memorize. Signing up for a class while you travel puts you shoulder-to-shoulder with other people who are all beginners, all slightly out of their comfort zone, and all focused on the same task — which is the perfect recipe for easy, natural connection. Cooking classes are the gold standard. Making pad thai in a Bangkok cooking school ($25-35 per person through places like Silom Thai Cooking School), learning to roll handmade pasta in a Florence kitchen ($60-80), or assembling pierogi in a Kraków market ($30-40) gives you two to three hours of laughing at your own mistakes alongside strangers who are doing the same thing.
Surf lessons work the same way — falling off a board together in Bali, Taghazout, or Byron Bay creates instant camaraderie. A group surf lesson in Canggu costs about $25-35 for two hours. Language classes are another powerful connector, especially in Latin America, where Spanish schools in cities like Antigua (Guatemala), Sucre (Bolivia), or Medellín run group courses for $100-200 per week and often organize afternoon activities and weekend excursions for students. Yoga retreats and drop-in classes attract a reliably friendly crowd in places like Ubud, Rishikesh, and Tulum. Even a single pottery workshop, dance class, or photography walk creates a shared experience that makes "want to grab dinner after this?" feel completely organic. The key is picking something you are genuinely interested in rather than treating it purely as a social strategy. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and people can tell the difference between someone who actually wants to learn to make ramen and someone who is just there to collect Instagram contacts.
Eat at Communal Tables, Bars, and Street Food Markets
Solo dining terrifies a lot of first-time solo travelers, but it is actually one of the best opportunities to meet people — if you choose the right setting. Skip the quiet corner table with your phone as a shield. Instead, sit at the bar, the communal table, or the counter seats at a street food stall. These seating arrangements put you elbow-to-elbow with other people, and conversation starts without anyone having to make a grand social gesture. In Osaka's Dotonbori district, the tiny yakitori bars seat eight people in a row and practically force you to talk to your neighbors. Lisbon's Time Out Market has long communal tables where solo diners naturally cluster and start sharing recommendations. Hawker centres in Singapore and Penang seat strangers together at shared tables as a matter of course — it is built into the culture.
Street food markets are even better. Night markets in Chiang Mai, Taipei, or Marrakech create an atmosphere where everyone is wandering, sampling, and comparing notes. "Have you tried the stall over there?" is the easiest opening line in travel. Food tours combine the best of both worlds — structured socializing with built-in conversation topics (the food). A food tour through Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood or Istanbul's Kadikoy district runs $30-60 and typically includes 6-8 stops with a small group of fellow food-obsessed travelers. If you are staying somewhere for more than a few days, find the cafe or bar where other travelers or expats congregate — every city has one. In Chiang Mai it is the cafes along Nimmanhaemin Road, in Medellín it is the bars around Parque Lleras, in Lisbon it is the terraces in Bairro Alto. Become a regular, and regulars become friends.
Volunteer or Join a Work Exchange Program
Volunteering abroad is the slow-burn approach to making friends while traveling, and it produces some of the deepest connections. Unlike a hostel common room where people cycle through every 48 hours, a volunteer placement or work exchange keeps you alongside the same group for weeks, building real relationships instead of surface-level travel chat. Worldpackers and Workaway are the two biggest platforms, each listing thousands of opportunities worldwide — from helping run a hostel in Medellín to teaching English at a school in rural Vietnam to working on an organic farm in New Zealand. Workaway charges a $49 annual membership fee, Worldpackers runs about $49 per year as well, and in exchange you typically work 20-25 hours per week in return for free accommodation and sometimes meals.
The social dynamic at a work exchange is unique. You are part of a small team — usually 4-10 volunteers from different countries — living and working together daily. Meals are shared, days off are spent exploring together, and the conversations go far beyond "where are you headed next." I spent three weeks at a hostel work exchange in Valparaíso, Chile, and the seven people I worked with became a tight group within four days. We cooked together, explored the city's street art together, hiked the coastal trail together, and six of us still have an active group chat three years later. WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is another option if you are drawn to rural settings — you work on a farm in exchange for room and board, and while the social scene is quieter, the connections with your host family and fellow WWOOFers tend to be intimate and lasting.
Attend Local Events, Meetups, and Language Exchanges
Meetup.com is not just for your hometown networking group — it is active in hundreds of cities worldwide, and it is one of the best ways to meet both locals and long-term travelers. Search for events in your destination before you arrive: pub quizzes in London, hiking groups in Cape Town, photography walks in Tokyo, board game nights in Berlin. These events attract a mix of locals, expats, and travelers, which gives you a much richer social experience than hanging out exclusively with other backpackers. Language exchange meetups (often called "intercambios" in Spanish-speaking countries) are particularly effective — you help someone practice English, they help you with Spanish or Portuguese or whatever the local language is, and you both walk away with a new friend and a dinner recommendation.
Eventbrite, Facebook Events, and even Instagram location tags are other useful tools for finding what is happening in a city on any given night. In many destinations, there are recurring weekly events specifically designed for travelers and newcomers: Wednesday night trivia at a bar in Kraków, Sunday morning running clubs in Barcelona, Friday evening social dinners organized through Timeleft or local Facebook groups. Couchsurfing runs regular community events — their weekly meetups in cities like Munich, Bangkok, and Buenos Aires draw 20-50 people and are completely free to attend. The effort required is minimal: show up, introduce yourself, ask a question. Nobody at these events expects you to be charming or fascinating. They expect you to be present, and that is enough.
Say Yes More Than You Normally Would
This is not a logistical tip — it is a mindset shift, and it might be the most important thing on this list. Solo travel loneliness thrives on the word "no." No, I am tired. No, that sounds weird. No, I do not know those people well enough. No, I will just stay in tonight. Every solo traveler has a comfort zone, and expanding it by even 10% changes the entire trip. When the guy at your hostel says a group is going to a jazz bar you have never heard of, say yes. When the woman at your cooking class invites you to a beach day with her friends tomorrow, say yes. When the barista at your coworking space mentions a rooftop party on Saturday, say yes. You are not committing to a lifelong friendship. You are committing to three hours of your evening, and the worst-case scenario is a mediocre night and a good story.
The psychology behind this is straightforward: proximity plus repetition equals connection. The more times you show up in social settings, the more familiar faces you see, and familiar faces become friends far faster than strangers do. Researchers call this the "mere exposure effect" — we like people more simply because we have seen them before. So if you are spending five days in one city, go to the same cafe each morning, attend two or three hostel events, and join at least one organized activity. By day three, you will recognize people, and they will recognize you. That recognition turns into "hey, we should explore that market together" faster than you would believe possible. The solo travelers who struggle most with making friends while traveling are not the shy ones — they are the ones who stay in their room streaming Netflix when the common room is full of people doing exactly what they are doing: waiting for someone else to make the first move. Be the one who makes it.
Do's and Don'ts for Meeting People While Traveling Solo
| Do's | Don'ts |
|---|---|
| Stay in hostels with high atmosphere scores — sort by this metric on Hostelworld, not just overall rating | Don't book a private Airbnb for your entire trip if making friends is a priority — you are removing yourself from every organic social opportunity |
| Join a free walking tour on your first day in a new city — SANDEMANs and Guru Walk operate in 100+ cities | Don't wait until you feel lonely to start looking for social activities — build them into your itinerary from day one |
| Download Couchsurfing, Travello, and Meetup before your trip and set up your profile in advance | Don't just download social apps and wait for notifications — actively browse events and message people within 24 hours of arriving |
| Book group day tours, cooking classes, or surf lessons — shared activities are the fastest path to connection | Don't spend every day sightseeing alone and then wonder why you have not met anyone — you have to put yourself in group settings |
| Sit at the bar, communal table, or counter instead of a corner table when eating alone | Don't hide behind your phone or headphones in social spaces like hostel common rooms and cafes — body language matters |
| Ask "where are you from?" or "what have you done so far?" — simple questions that open doors | Don't lead with your life story or a monologue about your travel plans — ask questions first and listen |
| Say yes to spontaneous invitations even if they are outside your comfort zone | Don't turn down every invitation because you are tired or it was not in your plans — the best travel memories are unplanned |
| Spend at least 3-4 nights in one place to build familiarity and repeated contact with the same people | Don't move to a new city every single night — rapid itineraries kill your ability to form connections |
| Attend a language exchange or local meetup to connect with residents, not just other tourists | Don't limit your socializing to fellow backpackers — locals, expats, and digital nomads offer richer perspectives |
| Learn five phrases in the local language — even a clumsy attempt earns warmth and opens doors | Don't assume English is enough everywhere — making the effort shows respect and invites connection |
| Be the one who suggests "want to grab dinner?" after a tour or class — someone has to go first | Don't wait for other people to invite you — most solo travelers are just as nervous as you are and hoping someone else breaks the ice |
| Keep an open mind about who you connect with — age, nationality, and background matter less than shared curiosity | Don't write off someone because they do not fit your idea of a "travel friend" — some of my closest travel friendships are with people I would never have met at home |
FAQs
How do I deal with solo travel loneliness in the first few days?
The first 48 hours of a solo trip are almost universally the hardest. Your brain has not adjusted to the new rhythm, you miss familiar faces, and every group of friends you see reminds you that you are alone. This is not a sign you should go home — it is a sign you are human. The fastest cure is structured social activity: join a free walking tour on day one (they run daily in most major cities), eat in the hostel common room instead of your dorm, and check Couchsurfing or Meetup for an evening event. If the loneliness still lingers, schedule a video call with a friend or family member back home, write in a journal, or set a small goal for the next day that involves another person — even something as minor as asking a local for a restaurant recommendation. Most solo travelers report that by day three or four, the loneliness has been replaced by a surprising sense of independence and social momentum, where you are actually turning down invitations because your calendar is too full.
What is the best type of accommodation for meeting other travelers?
Hostels win by a wide margin, and it is not even close. The entire design — shared dorms, communal kitchens, common rooms, organized events — exists to connect people. Within hostels, look for properties that score above 8.5 on Hostelworld's atmosphere metric and that mention specific social programming (group dinners, pub crawls, movie nights). Selina properties, which combine hostel dorms with private rooms and coworking spaces, are strong options in Latin America and parts of Europe for travelers who want the social energy without the full backpacker vibe. Guesthouses in Southeast Asia and small family-run pensiones in southern Europe can also be surprisingly social, especially if they have a shared terrace or breakfast area. Airbnbs and hotels are the least social options because they isolate you behind a locked door with no communal space — fine for a rest day, but not ideal if meeting people is a goal.
Are travel social apps actually worth using?
Yes, with a caveat: they work best when you use them actively, not passively. Couchsurfing's Hangouts feature is genuinely useful for same-day meetups — you post that you are free for coffee or a walk, and people nearby respond. Travello and Backpackr help you find travelers in the same city at the same time. Timeleft arranges dinners with five strangers at a restaurant, which is a brilliant format because you bypass the awkward "should I approach that person" phase entirely. Bumble BFF works in larger cities for finding locals who are open to hanging out. The app that surprised me most was Hostelworld's social messaging — I messaged three people staying at my hostel in Tokyo before I arrived, and we had dinner plans before I even landed. The key is treating these apps the way you would treat them at home: actually open them, actually send messages, actually show up to events. Downloading five travel apps and never checking them is the equivalent of joining a gym and never going.
How do I meet locals, not just other tourists?
This requires different strategies than meeting fellow travelers. Couchsurfing events and Hangouts connect you with locals who specifically want to meet travelers — that is why they are on the platform. Language exchanges (search "intercambio" plus your city on Facebook or Meetup) pair you with locals for mutual language practice, and the conversations almost always spill beyond the lesson into genuine friendship. Taking classes taught by locals — a cooking class with a grandmother in Oaxaca, a pottery workshop in Kyoto, a tango lesson in Buenos Aires — gives you access to people who live in the place rather than just passing through. Volunteering through Workaway or Worldpackers often places you with local families or organizations. And the simplest approach: become a regular somewhere. Go to the same cafe, the same market stall, the same corner bar three or four times. The staff starts to recognize you, other regulars notice you, and small exchanges build into real conversations. Local friendships take slightly more time and effort than traveler friendships, but they give you a completely different understanding of a place.
Is it safe to meet strangers while traveling solo?
Meeting people is one of the best parts of solo travel, but basic safety habits matter. Meet in public places first — a cafe, a tour, a hostel common room — before agreeing to go somewhere private. Tell someone (a hostel receptionist, a friend back home, or another traveler) where you are going and who you are meeting. Trust your instincts; if someone makes you uncomfortable, leave. Avoid sharing your exact accommodation details with people you just met. Keep your drink in your hand at bars. Use apps with verified profiles and review systems (Couchsurfing's reference system is useful for checking someone's reputation). For organized activities — walking tours, cooking classes, group excursions — the risk is minimal because you are in a group setting with a guide or instructor present. The vast majority of people you meet while traveling are exactly what they appear to be: fellow humans who are curious about the world and happy to share a meal or an adventure. Use common sense, not paranoia.
What if I am introverted — can I still make friends while traveling solo?
Absolutely, and here is a secret: solo travel might actually be easier for introverts than extroverts think. Introverts tend to be better listeners, ask more thoughtful questions, and form deeper one-on-one connections rather than surface-level group friendships — all of which are advantages on the road. The trick is choosing social formats that suit your energy level. A cooking class with six people is more comfortable than a 40-person pub crawl. A one-on-one coffee from Couchsurfing Hangouts is less draining than a hostel party. A quiet coworking space where you can nod at the same people over several days builds familiarity without demanding constant social performance. You do not need to be the life of the party to make friends while traveling. You need to show up, be present, and have a few genuine conversations. Schedule "recharge time" into your days — a solo morning at a museum, an afternoon reading in a park — so that when you do enter social settings, you actually have energy for them. Some of the most connected solo travelers I know are self-described introverts who simply learned to be strategic about when and how they socialize.
How long should I stay in one place to actually make friends?
The sweet spot is three to five nights in a single city. One night is barely enough to unpack, let alone form a connection. Two nights gives you a quick overlap with other travelers, but you are gone before any friendship develops momentum. Three nights is where the magic starts — you see the same faces at your hostel, you bump into someone from your walking tour at a cafe, you have time to join a couple of different activities and invite someone to join you for a fourth. Five nights or more allows genuine friendships to form, especially if you are in a place with a strong social infrastructure (hostels, coworking spaces, recurring events). Digital nomad hubs like Chiang Mai, Lisbon, and Medellín are built for longer stays, and the expat and traveler communities in these cities are actively welcoming to newcomers because everyone there arrived solo at some point. If your itinerary has you changing cities every single day, you will see a lot of places but meet very few people. Slow down, stay longer, and let the connections come to you.