How To Make Friends During Solo Travel
One of the biggest reasons people refuse to travel alone is the fear of being alone. Visiting a completely new city or country by yourself can be incredibly intimidating. I can assure you though, there are SO many others doing the same exact thing, you just need to learn how to find them!
In my personal experience, I tend meet more people during solo travel than when I’m with friends or a group. And as Covid restrictions start to subside life in Italy (and across Europe) is slowly getting back to normal! Here are some methods I use in meeting new people when traveling solo:
MEETUP GROUPS
I love this. I join meetup groups all the time when traveling solo and I always meet new friends. You can find anything from happy hours, expat groups and all types of cooking classes. Some of these are free or
cost very little. You can find just about any type of meetup depending on your interests and even create your own group or event! Set this up well enough before your trip and you may be surprised how many
other solo travelers reach out.
TAKE A TOUR
There are countless tour companies with a variety of different offerings from planning your entire itinerary to tours surrounding specific monuments, museums or even tours surrounding food and
shared meals. I took a tour my first solo trip and met one of my closest friends to this day.
Do a little research before your trip to find something specific to your style. There are hundreds of different tours in just about every Italian region.
REACH OUT
Have friends or acquaintances who live in your trip destination? Or even friends or family of friends in your destined city? Reach out to them and make the connect or ask your friends for an introduction.
Most of the time they will be more than happy to provide you with tip and suggestions and even make time to take you around themselves. Something about these experiences and shared connections bring people closer than it would on a typical day in your hometown.
STAY IN A HOSTEL
I personally have done this once and was not a fan of the bunk bed situation. HOWEVER if shared spaces don’t bother you, this is another great option to meet other travelers. Even if you don’t want to stay overnight, hostels always have daily activities or nightly karaoke in house or close by.
There is so much freedom in taking a solo trip. The feeling of doing anything you want whenever you want and for however long you want. Your day, your tip, your TIME is entirely up to you. It’s a trip everyone should experience at least once. Enjoy it!
Already booked your trip? Check out my Styled for Italy packing guide for complete basics you will need on any Italian getaway.