The main thing that seems to put people off from travelling solo is that they worry they’ll spend the whole trip alone. But actually, travelling solo is the best way to make friends. You’ll find a new best friend in every city you go to. It can be great but for the ones of us that are shy, making friends can be daunting. I know it’s something I struggled with at first but if you can overcome this then you’ll gain a confidence you can take back home and use in your everyday life.
So how do you take that step to making friends? Here are 10 tips on how to make friends in hostels. They are great for those worrying that they’ll spend their whole solo adventure alone, or even a couple or group that want to make friends.
Helpful Tips To Make Friends in Hostel
1. Choose Your Hostel Carefully
The hostel you choose will have a massive impact on who you’ll meet. Pick a quiet hostel with no social area and you can’t be surprised to turn up to a place where people aren’t interacting with each other. Or too small a social area with limited seating and people will be forced to find somewhere else to hang out. When I first started solo travelling I used to always pick the cheapest hostel but I quickly learnt that it’s worth paying the extra couple of pounds (or dollars) a night for a decent social area.
2. Hang Out In Hostel Social Areas
After taking the time to find a hostel with a good social area it’s important not to forget to actually use it. Whenever I travel solo I usually disappear in the morning and then return to the hostel in the afternoon for a break. This can be a great time to meet people as the social areas tend to be a little quieter. Then in the evening I’ll return and have a drink (or 2) in the hostel bar. It’s these areas where everyone wants to be social so they are good places to be.
3. Stay In A Dorm
Staying in a dorm is also a great way of meeting other travellers. I think most of the friends I have made in hostels have been people from my dorm. If a group is getting ready for a night out it’s quite common for them to invite some of their bunk mates out with them. I made some great Australian friends in Amsterdam by going on a dorm room night out. I ended up spending the rest of the trip with them even after I changed hostels!
4. Sign Up To Events
A lot of hostels organise events for a number of things. Ok, so most are organised pub crawls but you can come across other things too. I’ve seen movie nights, walking tours, even hostel organised yoga sessions! But the pub crawls are great when you want to have a few drinks but feel safe. Obviously you can’t get yourself in too bad a state but the organisers will generally make sure you’re having a safe night so you can relax and make some friends.
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Talk First
When you’re the shy type the thought of going up to strangers and starting a conversation can be terrifying but people at hostels are generally relaxed and looking to meet new people themselves. If this really worries you though, you can find a reason to talk to someone and start a conversation. Even something little like “hey I love that (insert item of interest here)” can work wonders at starting a conversation. And if you’re really stuck just remember the basic questions all travellers ask / get asked:
“Where are you from?”
“How long have you been here?”
“Where have you been so far?”
“Where are you off to next?”
6. Don’t Be Afraid To Take It Further
So you’ve managed to strike up a conversation and things are going well. Great!. If you like this person and want to head out for a drink or activity, don’t be scared to ask. If they are the shy type too, you may end up missing out on a great night or a great friend. Just remember that, dig deep, fight the nerves and ask what their plans are for that night or the next day. Worse thing they can do is say no and when you’re going to be heading off soon anyway who cares!
But remember, just because they do say no doesn’t mean they don’t want to hang out with you, it might just mean that the museum you invited them to join you to isn’t their thing. I had some guys in Oslo ask me to join them for dinner but I had already eaten so politely declined. The next day one of them was after a chilled day in a nearby park and asked if I wanted to come too. It sounded like a nice way to spend the morning so I joined him and we had a fun day. I’m grateful that me saying no the day before didn’t put him off trying again.
7. Share Stuff In The Kitchen
It may sound stupid but offering food is a great way to get a conversation going and make some new friends. Everyone appreciates kindness and especially when you are cooking for one do you appreciate sharing food. You might even find someone to shop and cook with. Then not only are you making friends, you’re sharing the cost of your meals.
8. Smile And Be Approachable
You can sit in the common areas all day but if you have a face like thunder chances are no one is going to want to approach you. A smile on the other hand can go a long way. The staff are happier to talk to you at the bar, people aren’t scared to ask to sit at your table and smiling is infectious. Who doesn’t love someone who can make them smile!
9. Search For Friends Online
There are plenty of apps and websites based around the idea of meeting up with people while travelling. My favourite was Travbuddy (sadly closed down now) and I’ve made some great friends from this site. I’ve met people who I later went off travelling with, I’ve met some people who also live in London who I’ve become friends with and I’ve met up with locals who are from the place I’m visiting. I love the friends I’ve made from this site!
Some options you might consider are Facebook groups either for the location you’re travelling to or a generic travel lovers group. There are also apps like MeetUp that have regular events you can attend. I’ve also heard of people using dating apps to make friends too. I’ve never tried but I would advise you to make sure your profile makes it clear you’re only looking for friendship!
10. Don’t Be The Traveller Everyone Hates
The easiest way to alienate yourself from your fellow travellers or roommates is to be the person everyone hates. Little things like being the drunk one who turns the light on at 3am or not washing up after yourself in the kitchen are easy ways to make people’s enemy list. Sounds harsh? Maybe, but after travelling long distances and having busy days you can’t help but want to kill the person who packs their bags loudly while wearing a noisy raincoat that squeaks with every movement at 6am.
There you have it, 10 tips to help you make friends in hostels. Hopefully these tips will help make solo travel seem less scary. You really do meet some fantastic people when you stay in hostels. For me, the most memorable were the Australians I met in Amsterdam and the French girl I met in Cambridge. She’s actually been to London twice since we met so we’ve met up a few times.
More Travel Tips
Looking for more travel tips? Why not check some of these out:
- Tips To Mentally Prepare For Solo Travel
- Clever Ways To Save Money For Travel
- Tips For Traveling As A Couple
- Clever Ways To Hide Money While Travelling
- Travel Bloggers Share Their Travel Mistakes
- Confessions Of My First Solo Trip
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