Ok so you pulled the trigger on a weeks (or even months!) long trip to some distant part of the world and you’ve decided to go alone. You couldn’t be more excited, but there’s this voice in the back of your mind haunting you. It says, “What if I get lonely?”.
Solo travel can be a lonely endeavor at times. It really gives you a unique opportunity to gain confidence in yourself and to see the world through your own lens. But humans are community-minded creatures and sometimes you just need to find your people.
This post focuses on the many ways you can make friends, build community, and stay in touch with your loved ones as a solo female traveler. It’s easier than you might think, but it does take some concentrated effort.
Making Friends in the Wild
The importance of language:
This might not come as a surprise but, if you want to make friends in a new place, it’s quite helpful if you speak their language. While much of the world places an emphasis on English learning, locals generally appreciate your at least trying to communicate in their language.
Download Pimsleur as soon as you buy your plane ticket. Their 30-minute lessons will set you up for success. Duolingo is another fun language app that turns language learning into a game. Use one or both to gain some basic skills that will enable you to befriend the locals.
Put yourself out there:
Get out of your bubble and position yourself to meet new people. Go to plenty of lunch restaurants and coffee shops and go without a book. Challenge yourself to start up at least one conversation with an individual or a small group. You might feel awkward at first but what have you got to lose? Just remember to be safe and follow your intuition.
Lodging choice
Hostels: Hostels are one of the best ways to meet fellow travelers. Just like you, most people you meet in hostels are there to experience the place you’re visiting as fully as possible. So, you have some huge common ground already. We recommend staying in a bunk room with a few other people. If you opt for a private room, make sure to spend some good time in the common areas so that you have plenty of opportunities to make connections and join group outings.
Check out HostelWorld to find the perfect hostel for your trip.
Couchsurfing: Couchsurfing is a wonderful app that connects travelers to locals with an extra couch (or even an extra bedroom) to spare. Couchsurfing is free so the hosts you meet through it tend to be offering their space purely out of the goodness of their hearts and a desire to connect and share their culture with you. Let them show you the town!
Online Resources
Meetup:
Meetup is a platform that brings individuals together around common interests. Meet locals and fellow travelers for basketball, a tour of the best tacos in town, a run in the city, or a trip to a museum. Try to connect with one or two people in your group and see if they want to have dinner with you afterward. Why not?
Backpackr:
Backpackr is an app that works to connect fellow travelers and backpackers on their journeys. All you have to do is enter the dates of your trip and the city you’ll be in and Backpackr will pull up all of the profiles of members who will be there at the same time. Grab a coffee and/or enjoy the city sites with your new connection.
Bumble BFF:
Bumble BFF is an extension of the popular dating app. Instead of swiping for dates, you’ll be swiping for your potential new best friend, or at least someone to explore some museum with. You’ll get a nice mix of locals and other women traveling alone.
Airbnb experience:
Airbnb Experience is an online platform for locals to post and sell experiences that allow them to showcase their culture. From cooking classes to guided tours, Airbnb experiences are a great way to meet locals and fellow travelers who share similar interests.
Staying Connected to Loved Ones Back Home
Schedule phone calls. While meeting new people is exciting and a great perk of traveling solo, there will likely still be times when you crave the comfort of the deeper connections you left at home. Be sure to schedule plenty of phone calls and video calls with your loved ones (just remember the time difference).
We suggest downloading WhatsApp. So long as you’re connected to WiFi, WhatsApp allows you to send as many messages and make as many calls/video calls as you’d like without pesky international SIM cards/carrier fees.
Tell your story online: Documenting your journeys on social media or a travel blog can be a great way to feel connected to your community back home (and to help them feel connected to you). Post images and the stories behind them to create a travel journal that your loved ones can follow while you’re away.
A Note on Safety
Meeting new people can be a blast but it’s vital that you keep your safety at the top of your priorities list, especially as a solo female traveler. We’ve outlined some precautions to keep in mind in the context of making new connections below.
- Listen to your gut.
- Don’t advertise that you’re alone.
- If you’re drinking, don’t drink too much. You want to keep your wits about you.
- Never leave your drink unattended.
- If you make a friend (we hope you do!), keep your interactions public until you build trust.
Be on the lookout for our more comprehensive post on how to stay safe as a solo traveler, coming soon.
To wrap this up, one of the most beautiful pieces of choosing to be a solo female traveler is the connections you will make along the way. It’s not always easy to step outside of your comfort zone and meet new people in a faraway place (often in a different language) but it's so worth it. The friends you make during your travels will enrich your experience beyond belief and, hopefully, stick with you for years and decades to come. So learn the language, put yourself out there, and don’t be afraid to rely on some handy travel apps to get you started on the right foot.
