When you're travelling and you are new to a certain area, it's not always easy to get to know people. I moved to San Jose two and a half months ago, and since I work in the city, it's hard to find people to hang out with in the area where I live. So today, I would like to introduce to you some ways of getting to know people that don't cost anything.
If you're a backpacker and you're moving from one place to the next, it's a lot easier to find people to hang out with. When I travelled through Australia I found it super easy to find people that are easy going and have a similar mindset. Especially in hostels everybody socializes and wants to do stuff. A lot of times, hostels also offer tours or pubcrawls or stuff like that. Even when you're travelling all by yourself, it's really easy to overcome shyness. People will come up to you and start a conversation with you. The next things you know, you have a beach date with some great people. So easy!
Another thing I tried two years ago, is couchsurfing. You sign up on couchsurfing.com and can browse through people that offer their couch for strangers to sleep on. Most of these people are interested in learning about other cultures and expect you to hang out with them when you crash their place. But watch out for the creeps! If you're a girl traveling by yourself, it might not always be the best idea to stay with a single guy. I'm not saying that all single guys that offer their couches/beds to random girls, are creeps, but unfortunately there are people out there who take advantage of the situation. There are recommendations for hosts on the website and it also tells you what the average reply rate of a person is. So you get an idea of who you're talking to and trying to stay with. The awesome thing about couchsurfing is that you get to see a place from a local's perspective. They show you places the tourists don't usually go to and that's definitely a plus. Of course since you're staying with the person for free, it is polite to return the favor by cooking for them from time to time or maybe bringing a host present like some coffe/beer/chocolate from your country or something like that.
Last week I tried something called meetup.com. It's a website where you sign up and get asked for your interests and the area you live in. They then show you groups in your area that do stuff based on those interests. So for example, since I like working out, I signed up for a group called 'Hiking, biking, anything fun'. Different organizers put together events and you get invited to them. Of course you can decide freely which events you want to attend. Some groups organize events every day, some only organize one in a month. The idea of this is to find like-minded people in your area that you can do stuff with and make new friends. The meetup I went to last week was a mixer at a restaurant where people just got together and hung out. It was super nice and I'll definitely do something with them again!
So through meetup.com I got an invite to a free yoga class at Sports Basement. Since I am traveling and on a budget, I thought it was a great offer. I wasn't entirely sure how the atmosphere would be since it was a class at a big store with lots of customers walking around, but it actually was awesome and I loved it! I didn't get to know too many people but I loved the workout and as an added bonus, for participating in the class, you get 10% off your purchase at the store. Loves it!
Be bold! If you're a little shy like me, you're probably having a hard time walking up to random people and starting a conversation about something. It's just not my personality. BUT I kinda wish it was! Think of all the amazing people you could have met and talked to if you had had the courage to approach them. There's someone sitting next to you on the bus reading a book that you heard about? Ask them how it is! Most people are actually friendly and like to make conversation. In America I find it relatively easy to start conversations with random people because Americans are a lot friendlier than Germans. 'I like your dress', 'Your lunch looks tasty'....I get approached a lot of times and I always feel flattered and it puts me in a good mood. Try it some time and I'm sure you won't regret it!
If you're a backpacker and you're moving from one place to the next, it's a lot easier to find people to hang out with. When I travelled through Australia I found it super easy to find people that are easy going and have a similar mindset. Especially in hostels everybody socializes and wants to do stuff. A lot of times, hostels also offer tours or pubcrawls or stuff like that. Even when you're travelling all by yourself, it's really easy to overcome shyness. People will come up to you and start a conversation with you. The next things you know, you have a beach date with some great people. So easy!
Another thing I tried two years ago, is couchsurfing. You sign up on couchsurfing.com and can browse through people that offer their couch for strangers to sleep on. Most of these people are interested in learning about other cultures and expect you to hang out with them when you crash their place. But watch out for the creeps! If you're a girl traveling by yourself, it might not always be the best idea to stay with a single guy. I'm not saying that all single guys that offer their couches/beds to random girls, are creeps, but unfortunately there are people out there who take advantage of the situation. There are recommendations for hosts on the website and it also tells you what the average reply rate of a person is. So you get an idea of who you're talking to and trying to stay with. The awesome thing about couchsurfing is that you get to see a place from a local's perspective. They show you places the tourists don't usually go to and that's definitely a plus. Of course since you're staying with the person for free, it is polite to return the favor by cooking for them from time to time or maybe bringing a host present like some coffe/beer/chocolate from your country or something like that.
Last week I tried something called meetup.com. It's a website where you sign up and get asked for your interests and the area you live in. They then show you groups in your area that do stuff based on those interests. So for example, since I like working out, I signed up for a group called 'Hiking, biking, anything fun'. Different organizers put together events and you get invited to them. Of course you can decide freely which events you want to attend. Some groups organize events every day, some only organize one in a month. The idea of this is to find like-minded people in your area that you can do stuff with and make new friends. The meetup I went to last week was a mixer at a restaurant where people just got together and hung out. It was super nice and I'll definitely do something with them again!
So through meetup.com I got an invite to a free yoga class at Sports Basement. Since I am traveling and on a budget, I thought it was a great offer. I wasn't entirely sure how the atmosphere would be since it was a class at a big store with lots of customers walking around, but it actually was awesome and I loved it! I didn't get to know too many people but I loved the workout and as an added bonus, for participating in the class, you get 10% off your purchase at the store. Loves it!
Be bold! If you're a little shy like me, you're probably having a hard time walking up to random people and starting a conversation about something. It's just not my personality. BUT I kinda wish it was! Think of all the amazing people you could have met and talked to if you had had the courage to approach them. There's someone sitting next to you on the bus reading a book that you heard about? Ask them how it is! Most people are actually friendly and like to make conversation. In America I find it relatively easy to start conversations with random people because Americans are a lot friendlier than Germans. 'I like your dress', 'Your lunch looks tasty'....I get approached a lot of times and I always feel flattered and it puts me in a good mood. Try it some time and I'm sure you won't regret it!
My name is Mattea, I'm in my late 20s and I am from Germany. I moved to San Jose, CA in February as I am doing an internship at an event management company. In Germany I go to school and study International Tourism Management (it sounds way more interesting than it actually is). I started blogging only three months ago and have been enjoying it very much. My blog posts are about all kinds of things, obviously travelling but also food and girl problems/survival tips. If you enjoy or hate my posts, feel free to shoot me a comment or message me on facebook. I always love getting to know new people! Social Media Links: My Blog Facebook