Meet Travel Buddies easily with my help! I know that solo travelling can feel intimidating, and you might worry about feeling lonely or unsure of how to connect with others on the road. Trust me, I’ve been there! But one of the best things about travelling alone is the freedom to meet incredible people from all over the world.
From striking up a conversation in a hostel common room to joining a group hike or attending a local event, opportunities to connect with fellow travellers are everywhere. Social media groups, travel apps, and even coworking spaces can also help you find like-minded adventurers. Whether you’re looking for a short-term travel companion or a lifelong friend, the world is full of open, friendly people eager to share experiences. So, don’t let the fear of being alone hold you back, embrace the journey. You’ll be surprised at how easy it can be to meet travel buddies along the way!
7 Ways to Meet Travel Buddies When Overseas
There are countless ways to meet travel buddies while exploring the world, and the best approach depends on your travel style and preferences. Whether you’re a solo adventurer looking for occasional companionship or someone who enjoys sharing the entire journey with like-minded explorers, there are plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow travellers. In this post, I’ll share a variety of methods to help you easily meet and bond with other travellers abroad, from online platforms to social events, hostels, and guided tours. By the end, you’ll have all the tools you need to find the perfect travel buddy and enhance your adventures.
Meet Travel Buddies
1. Join a Group Tour
If you are unsure about travelling alone for the first time, Booking a group tour is the way to go. This is a great way to step outside of your comfort zone and connect with like-minded travellers. With the ease of an organised tour where all you have to focus on is enjoying yourself. I love to participate in group tours when I am only going overseas for a short time. Also when I want to see and do as much as possible. Also not have to worry so much about organising the trip itself.
My favourite group tour company is G Adventures; they are the perfect blend of freedom, activities and authentic experiences. If you want to go off for the day and do your own thing, you can participate in the recommended activities. You get to immerse yourself in the culture more than some other tour companies I know with what they call Your G for Good Moment. G Adventures offers tours for different age ranges, fitness levels, budgets and more! www.gadventures.com
2. Stay at a Hostel -Meet Travel Buddies
Hostels are a wonderful way to meet people when travelling; It’s a place where like-minded individuals are known to make friends while abroad. Many hostels hold social events during the days & evenings where you can meet travel buddies! Even if you don’t like sharing a room, most hostels offer private rooms so you can still socialise but also have your own space.
I don’t need my room but I do like to book hostels where I have a curtain around my bunk, so it creates a sense of privacy. I like to search for a hostel through Hostel World as it is super easy to use and shows the location of all the different choices and the reviews. Sometimes, I book through Hostel World, but most of the time, I’ll go onto the hostel’s website. I like to book directly because it is cheaper. https://www.hostelworld.com/
3. Book a day tour
Wherever you are in the world, I am 99% per cent sure that there will be companies or people offering day tours around the location you are visiting. I have made many friends from day tours. In Cape Town, I booked a couple of day tours to the wineries and the Cape of Good Hope to see everything I wanted to see and more while making friends to spend the day with. In Caye Caulker, Belize, I made friends with a German woman who became my travel buddy for the following week as we travelled through the rest of Belize and Guatemala.
My favourite types of tours to meet people on include: Snorkelling or boat tours, winery tours, hiking tours, and bar hopping tours. These tours are the type that bring people together and you all get excited to experience different things in amazing countries. I tend to book many tours with Get Your Guide!
4. Social Media
The power of social media, hey! I know it’s something that we all say, and we all have a love-hate relationship when it comes to social media, but I love to use it when I travel. Every time I am about to travel to a new destination, I find Facebook groups to join, such as Backpacking Central America or Travel Costa Rica. These are great groups to join to connect with people or find answers to questions you might have. Many people connect on these groups by posting that they are in a certain location and would anyone like to join them for a meal or the day. Remember though to have common sense because you still don’t know these people, meet somewhere public first.
If you are a female and looking to connect with like-minded females then Facebook groups like “Girls Love Travel”, “Women Who Travel” or “Host a Sister” are great ways to meet other ladies while travelling. I did this on host a sister in Mexico City and went out for dinner with a few local ladies and they showed me the coolest bars and places to eat.
For those of you who love Instagram or TikTok, why not post on your story and let people know that you are in what area and tag the area, see if anyone else is there that you can meet up with! There are endless opportunities to meet travel buddies through the power of social media these days!
5. Hostel World App -Meet Travel Buddies
Before last year I didn’t even know this existed or that I would make a friend through it! But here I am a year later and a wonderful friend from Germany richer thanks to the chat on the Hostel World App. This is handy when you are in a location and want to know who else is staying at the same hostel as you or in the same area.
I met my friend Laura via the Hostel World group chat on their app for Belize, started talking a few days before we both arrived on the island of Caye Caulker and then met once on the island together. Instantly we got along great and had plenty of things in common, she became such a good friend that we travelled together in Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia for a little bit too!
So if you book a hostel via Hostel World then definitely download the app and see if you can connect with any like-minded people and find yourself a few friends along your travels.
6. Dating Apps
I just love dating apps overseas, seeing what men are like in different countries is fascinating. If you are interested in a little holiday fling, definitely set yourself up a profile on the dating apps. I recommend using ones like Bumble or Hinge, as I find they tend to have other travellers and less of a sleazy selection than Tinder (But that is just my personal experience).
Remember to stay smart when it comes to meeting people from any form of social media/ dating apps. Always meet in a public setting for the first time and let someone you are with or back home know where you are going and what you will be doing. View my blog post about dating overseas here:
7. Volunteering
This is still something that I have yet to tick off my bucket list! Volunteering overseas is a wonderful way to give back to the local community and to also make wonderful friends while working and travelling. There are many different ways to volunteer and what areas you would like to volunteer in. I know that personally for I would always love to work with animals or do farm work and you get to meet many people doing the same thing. This makes it easier for you to connect with others as you are passionate about this area! In Costa Rica, the Jaguar Rescue Center is a wonderful place to volunteer with animals and stay with other travellers who love animals.
If you want something that doesn’t cost money to volunteer, Woofing which stands for working on organic farms is a program offered worldwide in different countries and allows you to work for your stay (Accommodation & food) in exchange for five days a week working (usually 5-6 hours). There is a small cost to join the program and after that, you can apply to different farms that are appealing to you and set something up.
There are truly endless ways to meet travel buddies when overseas, Sometimes it just requires us to step outside our comfort zone for a bit and maybe make friends with someone that we might not normally connect with. I have some of my greatest memories with friends that I have met while travelling and maybe I may never see them again but I will always remember those moments we shared. Sometimes the friends you make while travelling will become lifelong friends that you’ll speak to all the time or even a lover! I’m so excited for you to make friends while travelling!
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