How to Make Friends While Travelling (Without Being Cringe)

It’s no secret that making friends as an adult can be awkward, even in familiar surroundings. Throw yourself into a foreign country on your own, and suddenly, striking up a conversation can feel anything but natural.

But don’t worry—one of the great things about travel is that most people are a little outside their comfort zone. That shared sense of unfamiliarity creates the perfect setting to form genuine connections without coming across as a gap-year student endlessly recounting how they “found themselves” in Bali.

Choose Your Accommodation Strategically

Where you lay your head dramatically impacts your friend-making potential.

Hostels: Friend Factories on Steroids

Hostels remain the undefeated champions of traveller connections. Opt for smaller dorms (4-6 beds) rather than the cattle-class 16-bed dorms if you want quality over quantity. Common areas are friendship goldmines – that person making cup noodles at midnight might become your adventure buddy by morning.

The magic hostel question isn’t “Where are you from?” (yawn) but “Where have you just come from?” This opens the door to genuine travel tips (like how to get a Singapore arrival card) rather than the same tired conversations.

Co-living and Longer Stays

For trips exceeding a few weeks, especially if you’re working remotely, co-living spaces offer the sweet spot between privacy and socialisation. Places like Selina or Outsite attract like-minded digital nomads and extended travellers rather than the one-night backpacker crowd.

Activity-Based Connections (That Don’t Feel Forced)

Free Walking Tours: The Ultimate Ice-Breaker

These tours attract solo travellers like moths to a flame. The structured activity removes the pressure of constant conversation, while natural breaks between stops create perfect chatting windows: even if the conversation is about blisters and bunions.

Cooking Classes and Food Tours

Nothing connects humans like collectively making a mess. Local cooking classes give you 2-3 hours of structured interaction, plus the shared accomplishment of creating something edible (hopefully). The conversation flows naturally when you’re both trying to figure out why your dough looks nothing like the instructor’s.

Exercise Groups and Outdoor Activities

Running clubs, hiking groups, and yoga classes attract locals and travellers alike. Apps like Meetup list everything from casual football kickabouts to sunrise mountain hikes. The endorphin rush makes everyone more chatty, and the shared suffering of hauling yourself up a steep trail creates instant camaraderie.

Digital Tools (Without Dating App Vibes)

Apps That Actually Work

Contrary to what your parents might think, not all travel apps are thinly-veiled dating platforms:

– Meetup: Find interest-based gatherings from photography walks to pub quizzes

– Bumble BFF: Yes, actually for friends, not dates

– Couchsurfing Hangouts: Even if you’re not sleeping on someone’s sofa, the app connects nearby travellers

Facebook Groups for Real-Time Connections

City-specific groups like ‘Expats in Bangkok’ or ‘Brits in Berlin’ regularly organise meetups and answer questions. The key is engaging before arriving – asking specific questions about lesser-known spots shows you’ve done homework beyond the tourist traps.

The Solo Traveller’s Secret Weapon: Being Useful

Offering genuine help creates instant connections. Carrying extra sunscreen, plasters, or phone chargers makes you everyone’s hero. Knowing how the local transport card works or having the offline map downloaded transforms you from a random traveller to a valued resource.

Common Friendship Blockers (And How to Avoid Them)

• The Phone Shield: Nothing screams “I’m unavailable” like scrolling through Instagram in common areas. Keep your phone in your pocket in social spaces, even when it feels awkward to sit there unoccupied.
• The Over-Planner: While organisation helps, having every minute scheduled leaves no room for spontaneous hangouts. Block ‘nothing’ time in your itinerary specifically for saying yes to unexpected invitations.
• The Brit Abroad Bubble: It’s comfortingly easy to gravitate toward other Brits, bonding over proper tea and Marmite cravings. Resist this magnetic pull occasionally – you didn’t travel thousands of miles to recreate your local Wetherspoons.

The Introvert’s Guide to Travel Connections

Not everyone thrives in the chaotic energy of hostel common rooms or pub crawls. But there is hope for the introverts among you!

• Strategic Socialisation: Choose smaller group activities with built-in conversation topics, like cooking classes or photography walks. These provide natural structure without the pressure of constant interaction.
• Set Daily Interaction Goals: Rather than forcing yourself into overwhelming social situations, aim for one meaningful interaction daily – even just a proper conversation with a café owner or tour guide counts.

The beauty of travel friendships is their uniqueness – they often develop faster and dive deeper than relationships at home. Without the constraints of regular life, people share more authentically, creating connections that sometimes last long after everyone’s back to their normal lives.

Just keep in mind that the perfect balance lies somewhere between the cringeworthy “Hey, want to be best friends?” approach and silently experiencing a destination without human connection. With these strategies, even the most reserved British traveller can return home with both photographs and friendships worth keeping.