Making Friends on a Trip: Ways to Start a Conversation
For people who are new to traveling, it can be hard to make friends on a trip. It is even more difficult if you have never been out of your comfort zone before and making friends with strangers seems terrifying. Whether you’re on vacation, traveling for work, or just looking to meet new people in your hometown, we have all the answers. This blog post will teach you how to start conversation with other travelers in order to make new friends on a trip!
The best way to meet new people and make friends is by going out of your comfort zone. Be adventurous, talk about pets, get off the beaten track- do something that you wouldn’t normally think of doing! People will be much friendlier in return if you’re giving off good vibes. Relax a little bit; it’s not such an awful thing when we have fun with our fellow human beings: just keep up some small talk while waiting for someone else to introduce themselves or ask them questions first? And please don’t forget this, exchange names ASAP so everyone knows who they are talking to and can start building friendships from there on end.
You don’t want to come off as rude or intruding, so start by asking a random but engaging question and observe the feedback. Start a conversation with someone who is alone, and ask for directions to your destination. “Hey, how’s it going? I’m new to the area and looking for directions”, “Hey, are you enjoying the view? I’m looking for my friend – he might be around here somewhere. Do you know how to get there from here? It’s a really amazing place with tons of cool things to see and do! Want me to take your picture while we’re talking so it looks like we ran into each other by chance?”
Strike up a conversation about the scenery or other people in the area (if this doesn’t work) share something you like about yourself – it can be anything from an interesting fact to what you’re reading at the moment.
If all else fails, ask them if they know of any good places nearby that would make for a great photo opportunity! I noticed you are by yourself – do you have any recommendations on where one could go that would be really cool to take a picture of?”. Starting conversations with others can be as simple as asking them if they know how to get somewhere! (I’ve been helped many times) Or strike up a conversation about what’s around us! You’ll find that people love talking about themselves so ask them questions about their lives – it could end up being a good way to make new friends too. If nothing seems like an option then take some pictures of your surroundings and try experimenting with different angles.
I hope you’ve learned a few new ways to get out there and start conversations with people. Whether that be in your day-to-day life or while traveling, it can really enrich the experience of being somewhere new. If this article has inspired you to try any of these methods for starting up a conversation, please let me know! I’d love to hear how they went. And if not, then maybe there are some other strategies we could use together? Let’s chat about what is working (or not) for you right now so we can figure out next steps in making a solo trip fun and making new friends, even if those tactics don’t include striking up random conversations in public places.