How to Overcome Being Alone & Meet People When You Travel

Before traveling for the first time in 2006, I had these expectations in my head based on nothing more than my imagination and popular culture.

My trip was going to be an adventure without stopping full of colorful and exciting people. The follies were going to happen to me. I would make friends everywhere. I would be talking with strangers in buses. The locals would invite me to take something. I would be drinking coffee with milk, I would establish a conversation with my beautiful waitress, and then the next thing I would know, we would be in a wine bar, looking into my eyes while teaching me French.

It was going to be like those articles that I read or travel the movies I saw. An adventurous scene after the next.

Then I went abroad.

There he was in the shelter, along the way, seeing incredible attractions in historical cities. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted. I was finally marching to the rhythm of my own drum.

At first, it was exciting, since I established my daily schedule and did things for myself. I was so busy those first or days that I had forgotten that I was alone. And that was fine, until it was.

As the days passed and my tongue forgot how the speech sounded, that emotion dissipated. I began to yearn for human interaction and the company.

Suddenly, I was alone, and in the bad way.

Loneliness It had become solitude.

Where were the locals who were supposed to show me? The great travelers with whom it would spend nights? Once I ran out of things to do, I could no longer hide my loneliness.

Of course, I could go to another city, hoping that magic occur there, which was the fault of destiny and not me.

But wax me. Life not only happens to you, you have to make up It happens.

And I was.

I began to realize that the only reason I was alone was for fear.

As introverted, it is natural for me to simply walk towards strangers and talk to them. That was especially true in 2006, when I started traveling. (Devils, it takes me a lot to overcome that today).

But that fear was taking away from living the dreams I had in my head. If I wanted those dreams to happen, I would have to make them happen.

Many people ask if traveling only means that they will always be alone. How will they make friends? Is it difficult?

It is a valid concern and, for us, to whom socialization does not come naturally, it is a challenge. But let me tell you: it’s much easier than you think.

There are many people who travel alone.

People like you.

People looking for an adventure.

People who yearn for interactions with others.

And that other is You.

I overcome being alone when people in my hostel in Prague began talking to me. They were the first to arrive, luckily. They broke the barrier that was too afraid to break, sitting there, waiting for “something happens.”

But, after they broke the ice, I realized that it was really easier and less scary than I thought. Those travelers were like me and were looking for a friend.

Things rarely bite unless it makes them happen. You need to leave and Talk to strangers Yourself.

I took the introvert for a while to learn that truth, but once I did, I had no trouble meeting people. After those travelers said Hello and showed me how easy it was, I realized that I was doing a mountain with a Molehill. There was nothing to be afraid or. I just had to greet.

Because we all start in the same boat: in a foreign country without friends, without speaking the language and looking for people to spend time. Once you realize that, you also realize how simple and easy it is to make friends … because they are all like you.

That is the great secret. There is nothing more to overcome than to overcome and say “Hello.”

The key is to start by little and get out of your shell. Talk to the person in your bedroom. Greet. Ask them them. Trust me, they will answer. They will ask you about you, your home, your travel plans and more.

From there, just do the same with other travelers you see. Look for a group to go to the bar and ask: “Can I join you?”

Walk to that pool table in the shelter and ask: “Who is the next one?”

People will say yes. The conversation will begin. Friendships will flourish.

And thanks to the shared economy, there are many more ways to meet people beyond knowing them in the shelters,

For example, I’m sure you have something that is passionate about, right? Well, people around the world have that same passion. Use a website like Meetup.com to find local groups that form around that passion. Maybe it’s swing dance, maybe it’s pickleball or dungeons and dragons. Whatever it is, I am sure they are local ones that do it too. Finding local groups with a shared interest is an excellent way to break the ice because you already have something to talk about, something that creates an instant connection.

Moreover, you can try the couchsurfing website. It is not just a place to find accommodation; It also has tons of meetings that you can attend to find other travelers and people of related ideas.

In addition, there are many Facebook groups where you can find people to meet. I know it, it sounds incomplete, but I have used them a recent pile and they have become great. Some groups that are worth visiting are the girls who love trips, find a solo travel and travelers and travelers.

I will be honest, at first, I found it difficult to talk to others. The conversations stumbled occasionally. But you sink or swim along the way. My options were to be alone (and run the risk of going home early) or to take my fear, take the step and talk to people.

I choose the latter.

And on the occasions I was sinking instead of swimming, other travelers approached me and told me Hello. They made the first movement, so I didn’t have to do it.

Because? Because they also seek to make friends. Like me, they understood that if they did not do something, they will have bone alone.

Travelers are a friendly group. They want to meet new people and make new friends.

And one of those friends is You.

For that reason, you are never alone on the way. There are people everywhere who will constantly talk to you and invite you (as special if you stay in the shelters).

So no, traveling alone does not mean you are alone.

Take it from this introvert: you will meet more people than you will know what to do. (In fact, there will be points when you want to have a personal time “I”).

Possible, he will realize that there was never a reason to worry first. And you will never be alone.