How To Socialize Easily And Safely When Traveling Abroad?

Traveling abroad can be incredibly fun, but it can also be quite lonely if you’re doing it alone. What’s more, even if you are not alone, meeting new people while on the road is often one of the best and most memorable experiences you can have.

How do you go about doing that, however? Especially if you’re alone – how should you approach socializing while traveling?

1. Mingle with other tourists  

Being taken advantage of by local scammers preying on tourists is always one of the major risk for anyone traveling abroad, especially alone. There is a strength in numbers, and socializing with other tourists is often a great idea.

If you’re sleeping in a hostel or another similar establishment, chances are that you’ll meet such tourists quite easily, but you can also increase your chances by researching which are the local establishments most often frequented by tourists ahead of time. Or, you can also join a tourist group ahead of time too, of course.

2. Try couchsurfing

Couchsufring is not only one of the easiest ways to make your travels much more affordable, it’s also one of the best ways to meet up with new people.

Yes, there is an inherent risk in going to sleep in a stranger’s home, however, couchsurfing isn’t nearly as dangerous as it sounds at first. In fact, if you’re using a trusted couchsurfing site and you’re only visiting people who have long-established and high-rated profiles, you’re statistically much safer couchsurfing than sleeping at a hostel.

It is always advisable to have a back-up plan, in case your couchsurfing arrangement falls through, of course. Aside from that, however, this is a fantastic way to not only lower your travel expenses and find a place to sleep, but to also socialize with local folks in the most authentic way possible.

3. Social networks for strangers looking to meet up with like-minded people

Sites such as Meetup are great for finding like-minded people to meet and interact with, both while traveling and when you’re at home. Unlike dating sites, these networks are meant to help folks find out people who share their hobbies and interests.

Tourists and “nomads” use such sites quite extensively, as that’s a great way to find folks to hang out ahead of time. What’s more, standard dating apps can also be used for this purpose – if you know you’ll be in a particular country and city in a couple of weeks, why not open your preferred straight or LGBTQ app and find someone to start chatting with who is already there?

4. Look for expat groups online

Expat groups on social media sites can be a great resource for travelers. Such groups are a great way to find useful tips for the city and country you’ll be visiting, to get useful contacts, as well as to potentially find someone cool to meet up with while you’re there.

As usual, there are the same standard risks of meeting with people you’ve only interacted with online, so, standard safety practices apply here too.

5. Visit a Language Exchange group

Another thing about expats is that there are expat language groups in almost all major cities around the world. This is a fantastic and generally safe way to socialize with people, get language tips, as well as lots of other useful information and advice while on the road.

Of course, we aren’t saying that you should refrain to talking with folks in bars while traveling. Interacting with the locals and getting to know them and their culture is one of the greatest joys of traveling abroad. It’s just important to be careful when doing so.