Find Friends to Travel with

If going solo isn’t your thing, meeting travel buddies is a great way to enjoy a shared adventure. Social networks and online platforms are the easiest ways to find friends before your trip. Once you’re there, meeting people can be as easy as taking public tours or just going out alone and striking up a conversation. Look for certain traits in a travel buddy so you know you’ll both have a great time exploring a new place together.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Finding Travel Buddies Online

1. Post your plans on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Simply post about your trip on your Facebook timeline, Twitter feed, or Instagram story and express you’re looking for a travel partner. You can also create an event page on Facebook for your trip and invite your friends to see it. Let people comment on the post to ask questions or express their interest in joining.^[1]
   • Be sure to include the dates of your trip, the destination, and some info about what you’d like to see and do.
   • Encourage friends to tag other people who might be interested in the comments section.
   • You can also search for existing travel groups on Facebook to see if anyone is up for an adventure.
2. Ask your friends and family if they know anyone at your destination. Ask around to see if anyone you know happens to have contacts in the place where you’re going. Your friends and family know you best, so they’ll probably recommend someone who they think you’ll get along with.^[2]
   
   • If you’re going someplace close to where an extended family member lives, you might consider planning a day to go see them or, if it’s not a hassle for them, extending an invitation for them to join you.
3. Sign up for a free online travel-buddy platform. Travel platforms have made it super easy to find friends to travel with. You’ll need to provide your name, age, and contact information to sign up and start searching for friends. You can also post your itinerary or create a “trip” for your profile that others can view and contact you about. Some popular platforms include:^[3]
   
   • GAFFL connects you with potential travel buddies who share a similar itinerary with similar costs and experiences.
   • TripTogether allows you to find travel buddies based on your itinerary and meet locals at your destination.
   • Trip Giraffe is a website and app that lets you search for travel buddies by gender, age, destination, and dates and filter the results by interests.
   • TravelSisters is a female-only platform that connects you to other female travelers who share the same interests.
4. Use Global Greeter Network to have a local show you the ropes. This platform will connect you with a local volunteer who can show you around your destination via a tour or just by hanging out at local spots. It’s a great way to make new friends and to get to know the true personality of a city.^[4]
   
   • It’s free to book a greeter—they’re excited to show off the hidden gems of the city!
   • You’ll need to book a greeter at least 14 days in advance.
5. Search for events in your destination on Meetup.com. If you’re going to a certain city to attend a particular event like a game or concert, look it up on Meetup’s website or app. You may discover there is a group going to that particular event as well. If not, create the event yourself a few weeks before your trip and wait for others to sign up.^[5]
   
   • You can also search for meetup groups to find people to go out to dinner or drinks with. For instance, if you’re vegan but don’t know the plant-based spots in Montreal, join a vegan dining group based in Montreal.
6. Search for events on Facebook in the area where you’re going. Facebook’s “Events” feature is a great place to find something to do in a new city. Find an event you might be interested in by filtering the results by the date, time, and location. Once you find an event, you’ll need to select “attending” before you can see who else might be going.^[6]
   
   • If you discover you have lots of shared friends with some of the people going, don’t be afraid to reach out to them.
7. Rent a room on Airbnb to stay with a knowledgeable, friendly host. Staying with another person or individual is a great option if you’d like to get to know a local. Message your host ahead of time to see if they’re willing to show you around the city or if they’re more comfortable just making recommendations.^[7]
   
   • Be sure to read the host’s description on the listing to see if they’re the type of person you’d like to spend time with on your trip.

[Edit]Meeting People at Your Destination

1. Take a local day tour to meet other tourists. Sharing an experience with other travelers is a great conversation starter. It’s also highly likely that you share a lot of the same interests since you both chose to take a particular tour (e.g., if you’re touring botanical gardens with a group of folks, it’s safe to say you’re all interested in nature).^[8]
   
   • Don’t be shy about greeting others on the tour.
   • Asking someone to take a photo of you or offering to take their photo is a great opener.
   • It’s easier to meet more people on a tour that involves some type of physical movement because you aren’t limited to talking to the few people sitting around you.
2. Stay in a hostel and get to know other guests while in the common areas. Between the shared-rooming situation, the kitchen, and a living room, hostels are great ways to meet new people in foreign places. Hang out in the common areas and talk to your fellow travelers about their experiences of the city so far.^[9]
   
   • Ask others about what activities they plan on doing, if they know about any local events, or just make small talk. This is a great way to make lifelong friends while on a trip!
   • Some hostels have event calendars posted about movie nights, pub crawls, and site tours too!
3. Strike up a conversation as you wait for a walking tour to begin. Thousands of cities offer free walking tours so tourists can learn a bit about the city’s history and culture. Strike up a conversation with other people on the tour—ask where they’re from or what they think about the sites. You can also offer to take a photo of them or ask them to take a photo of you and then keep the conversation going.^[10]
   
   • To find free walking tours, go to freetoursbyfoot.com.
4. Take a class and get to know your classmates. Learn something new alongside potential friends by taking a class. Search online for classes that interest you and take place during your trip. It’ll give you a chance to chat with other people in the class. Ask them to show you how to do something or compliment them on their skills to strike up a conversation.^[11]
   
   • Dance, photography, cooking, and language classes will also give you a more intimate experience with a city’s unique culture.
   • If you’re staying at a hotel or hostel, ask someone at the front desk where you should look for classes or if they know of any classes.
5. Sign up to volunteer for a local cause to meet fellow volunteers. Search online for causes that speak to you and sign up to volunteer for a day or two during your trip. Approach another volunteer with open-ended questions like “Where are you from?” or “What led you to want to volunteer for this cause?”^[12]
   
   • You might also consider booking your trip with a travel organization that offers volunteer trips (most also incorporate leisure days).
   • If you have special expertise in particular fields (like nursing, teaching, cooking, or engineering) tailor your search to those topics.
6. Approach random people and be approachable yourself. See every solo outing as an opportunity to make friends. Whether you go to a restaurant, bar, museum, art gallery, store, or park—be friendly and willing to engage in conversation with others. Use open body language to make yourself more approachable (i.e., arms uncrossed, upright posture, relaxed smile).^[13]
   
   • Be cautious and wise about who you approach or who approaches you in particular areas or at particular times of the day. For instance, if a seemingly inebriated man approaches you in a seedy area of town and offers to squire you about, think twice before continuing the conversation.

[Edit]Ensuring a Good Match

1. Determine whether or not you share the same interests. Be clear about what you’re into and make sure your travel buddy has similar interests—at least make sure they’re not into the exact opposite of what you’re into. Hash it out before the trip so you can get an idea of how you’ll both spend your time.^[14]
   
   • It’s okay for you to not share all the same interests. For example, if they don’t want to go on a walking tour with you, let them know it’s cool for them to do their own thing and you can meet up later.
2. Compare your lifestyles (and traveling styles) to ensure a good match. Are you a go-with-the-flow kind of traveler or do you prefer to make a detailed itinerary for each day (and freak out if you don’t stick to it)? Make sure you and your potential travel buddy like to embrace new places in the same way so you’re not fighting or annoying each other. For instance, you might ask a potential travel buddy the following questions:^[15]
   
   • Do you get stressed out if you miss a train or do you laugh and enjoy the wait?
   • Do you like to plan out your days or do you prefer to walk around and see what happens?
   • If we meet a local, are you cool with joining up with them or would you rather keep to yourself?
   • Do you like to stay out late or do you prefer to wake up with the sunrise?
3. Confirm that your schedules work out so you can spend time together. Make sure your schedules align so you and your travel buddy can go on the trip at the same time and enjoy adventures together. If you meet someone there, make sure they’re available to hang out while you’re there. If they’re wishy-washy about their availability, take it as a sign that they’re not interested in hanging out.^[16]
   
   • Start by comparing the details of your trip that are not able to be changed easily, such as arrival and departure dates and times, check-in and check-out times, and any activities that you had to book in advance for.
4. Make sure your budgets align before you agree to travel together. The ideal travel buddy can share the same expenses as you. That way, you won’t be arguing about things like where to stay, where to dine, and what types of recreational activities you can afford to do. You don’t have to map out every expense, but agree on a spending range for your trip.^[17]
   
   • It’s ideal to split everything evenly or work out your finances before the trip.
5. Understand that there is no perfect travel buddy. No 2 people are alike, so don’t stress about finding the perfect friend to travel with. Accept that you’ll probably disagree about certain things and that’s okay—talk it through so you can enjoy your trip to the fullest!^[18]
   
   • Be open and honest and practice active listening when talking through disagreements.

[Edit]Tips

• Be considerate of your travel buddy’s routines and express that they respect yours.
• Do an equal amount of legwork when it comes to finding the cost and schedules for certain activities; don’t monopolize the program or rely on your travel buddy to do all the planning.

[Edit]Warnings

• Be clear about your personal boundaries with a travel buddy to avoid uncomfortable conversations.

[Edit]References