TLDR: Travelling alone is a right of passage for many people, but being lonely shouldn’t have to come with it – if you don’t want it too. I was reading about one person’s struggle in Vietnam on Reddit with making friends while travelling, and Redditors came out in droves to offer support. I thought I’d share their and mine best 10 tips on how to meet people while travelling solo around Southeast Asia or beyond.
Jump to: The Tips | Solo Safety | About Me | Group Trips | Winner
Small sob story here.
I separated from my wife a little while back, and in that time like anyone who has been in a breakup, I kind of had that “I must ground myself” moment which involved a lot of travel. When your life is going one way, and everyone else is in normal land, it’s not that easy to always have a travel partner.
So, I travelled alone a fair bit; and it can get really lonely, but, I learned a handful of ways to tackle this. Now, after seeing on Reddit someone else having the same problem, I decided to share my unwisdom.
Therefore, in the interests of paying it forward, here are mine and of course the rest of that Reddit thread’s top (realistic) tips for making friends while travelling alone.
As for me – applications for travel partners are wide open 🙂 If anyone fancies Budapest to Bamako, I need some volunteers. Seriously.
We are sociable creatures, it is absolutely normal to go a little bit stir crazy when the only conversation you have had for a few days is with a waiter or customer services at your bank who wonder what all these international transactions are for
In fact in a survey in 2025 by Condor, they said at least a third of all solo travellers admit to feeling lonely when travelling. So, you’re not alone, many people experience this, and for everyone else, they either want the solitude or have found some great social solo hacks. And in this guide, that’s what we are going to talk about.
Solo Travel Safety
No matter how much we want to make friends when we travel, the same rules of discretion and privacy protection should apply. Don’t give out personal details without knowing the person and avoid putting yourself in a position where you’re meeting someone without having verified who they are yet. Sadly, there are those out there who seek to take advantage of those looking for companionship and exploitation thankfully is rare, but does happen. Just, keep your head screwed on as much as you can is all.
The best tips for making friends when travelling alone
So diving into the r/solotravel world really reaffirms 2 things: 1.) there are some lovely fellow travellers out there who want to share realistic AND useful tips to help others make friends and have the best of times travelling, and 2.) I’m not daft. I have some useful ideas on this too.
So let’s begin.
NuMbEr 8 iS aMaZiNg 😂
1/10: The humble ‘Meetup’ app
Look for events on platforms like Meetup.com in the city you’re visiting. These gatherings (from language exchanges to hiking meetups) can connect you with locals and other travelers in a relaxed space. One solo traveler recalled that after feeling extreme loneliness abroad, “I ended up going to a Meetup, and that was one of my best days”
My Take: I can add to this, I used this app when in Valencia over Christmas and they had a digital nomad event. It was really well attended and if I’m not mistaken, there was about 120 people, of which 50+ it was their first time.
The best thing about the Meetup app, is you can see those details; which gets rid of the angst around being the only newbie.
Don’t get me wrong, there were still nerves, but I had a really good time and 8 of us ended up in a tapas restaurant carrying on after. I even got propositioned by one on Whatsapp the next day, lol.
Some cities it’s hit or miss, but popular tourist or nomad towns, are always going to throw up some ideas.
Love this tip, legit.
2/10: GuruWalk / GYG Walking Tours
Free walking tours are not just about sightseeing; they’re a decent shout to meet fellow travelers. A lot of hostels and websites like GuruWalk or Get Your Guide, list free city tours guided by locals (you typically tip at the end).
These tours naturally bring solo travelers together. As one Reddit commenter suggested, trying a platform like GuruWalk can be an instant social boost – “you will meet tons of new friends there”
My Take: I think sometimes, when you travel alone you just miss the companionship of a shared comment. Talking to only waiters gets pretty heavy sometimes. So I think this is a great tip from Redditland. I went on one recently in Munich, and it ended up at the Beer Halls – like the HofBrau. So you immediately have a drinking team. Are they going to be your forever people? Maybe not, but it’s a beer, or it’s a bubble tea, or whatever. Worst comes to worst, duck out.
But know this, others are doing this too, so they are looking for people in the same boat as them.
If nothing else, you can talk to the guide and learn about the city and not only have you done some exercise, you’ve done a bit of culture.
3/10: Work-Exchange or Volunteer
These are a bit tougher to come by but you can find opportunities for these on sites like Workaway and Worldpackers. You’ll definitely meet people but it’s just not a drop of the hat arrangement. You need to plan etc. If you have time to do the planning and spy out a good opening, then brilliant, you will definitely make mates. For me though, it’s less useful as tips go, just because it isn’t a short notice move.
But that being said, Reddit reps it and for people with a bit of time to plan, it’s a great idea.
4/10: Hinging your way around
You see that guy in the photos with me sometimes – he travels the world pretty much on his own. He packs a passport, a dating app and a permanent hard-on in his trousers. If you want to know how to travel the world and put members of your preferred dating sex in the friend zone – he knows a thing or two.
If you’re up for it – literally – grab an app that is still popular and try setting your location in your destination area ahead of time. This means you can get chatting to those who are already there and line up a date or two.
5/10: Timeleft
The not a dating app, friend-dating app. This is great, I came across this when in Alicante listening to a podcast and there are a few more apps like this now. But it lets you meet up with 5 strangers for dinner. It’s really well put together and is a fun way to meet people who, like you, want to meet people too.
It aims to match people with similar value sets etc, and a recent one I went on in London, had us meet at a place called The Chophouse.
OMG…Amazing food!
And, that is something I guess that gets lost in this focus on friends. Part of having a social experience travelling, is being more able to go to places you’d like to go to.
I would never have gone to Chophouse, and never had their amazing steak, or insane chips and not had a great recommendation for food, I know I will 100% want to go back to.
The app isn’t free but it’s not a ton of money either, and it even tries to determine what your desired spending budget is too for your dinner out. Really rate it. Get a discount trial here
6/10: Take a class
Signing up for a short course or a daily class like Hyrox/Crossfit can provide a ready-made social circle. These draw in like-minded people and involve structured time together, so bonding happens naturally. Whether it’s a fitness class like F45, or it’s a local taught language lessons for people of your own language, you’ve got that united passion or desire to learn.
Over to Reddit – one 50-something solo traveler said she now intentionally stays in places that offer things like group yoga or surfing classes, because that way “there is always connections made” while still allowing for some personal downtime.
I can’t knock this tip. I found myself doing Hyrox in NYC last year for this very reason.
SEEN THIS? Vietnam 3 Week Travel Itinerary7/10: Follow Your Hobbies
Another Redditor suggested you should treat your time abroad as a way to further an existing hobby.
“When I solo travel, I intentionally pick places where I can do [my hobbies]”
I like this. I used to box and I found myself visiting a lot of boxing clubs around Cali, Spain and Australia on my travels. It’s nice, you get to see how other countries do something that you love. But you also see there is a base unity amongst all followers of your ‘thing’ globally. It’s really humbling, I think is the word.
You realise it’s a language that transcends all barriers. I love that.
Shout out to Bulldog Thai-Boxing gym in Sydney.
For you, maybe you like chess, go see if there is a chess club or meet up in your new temporary home. You get the point. Go do your own type of boxing.
8/10: Do The Loop
I named this after the Ha Giang Loop, because it’s known as a popular backpacker circuit. But the principle stands for all similar journeys. Certain routes and activities in Southeast Asia are famous for bringing solo travelers together. By joining one of these, you’ll automatically be in a small temporary community. So, that Ha Giang Loop – which traditionally is a 3-5 day motorbike circuit through northern villages, is a classic example of this. There are others though, such as the route from Kandy to Ella in Sri Lanka, the slow boat from Thailand to Laos, group jungle treks in Chiang Mai, or liveaboard dive trips in Indonesia
Reddit: “you WILL make friends if you do the Ha Giang loop”
You’re experiencing so much together in these mini communities, you just can’t help but make bonds. Invariably you’ll end up accumulating mates for the next leg of the journey.
Best of all – you can do this on your own to start with. You’ll have made mates within minutes of sitting on a shared bus, taxi or boat.
It wouldn’t be as popular as it is otherwise. Trust 🙂
9/10: Social Challenges
This Reddit suggestion tickled me, as I’ve DEFINITELY done this. I started it in Daytona Beach on my US Coast to Coast Roadtrip a couple of years ago. The rule was – have a conversation with a stranger each day. The rules of that conversation.
It had to be an open question to be a completed task.
For others it may be talk to 5 people a day, or ask a question over dinner at your hostel once a day. Whatever it is that can help overcome inertia and feels a bit of a personal challenge. “Travelling with purpose” is how this Reddit recommendation was framed.
It’s not easy, but it is impactful, and it’s actually a really useful skill to be working on. It won’t do anything but help you.
10/10: Group Tours
These are a more elaborate extension of a walking tour with Get Your Guide, but someone like Flashpackers or G Adventures offer ‘solo-ish’ trips for people who are travelling on their own and want a ready made circle of similar people to explore with.
These companies are for exactly this purpose.
They carry a heavier price ticket than downloading Tinder, or talking to 5 strangers, but they are a social circle at the end of a price ticket.
Check out the deals page for a bargain mega trip with G Adventures.
SOLO TOUR DEALS: Up to 25% Off Solo-ish Tour Deals – G AdventuresThat’s it – Friends on tap now eh?
As well as these Reddit suggestions, a few others like Facebook/Expat groups are a pretty solid bet. If you’re a Nomad, you could probably search Nomads in Vietnam on Facebook and you’d find something to work with. Hostels were left off here because it’s a known tip, and not all hostels are lively. But if you want to find others who are hostelling who want to keep it social, you’d be wise to book via the Hostelworld app where you can talk to those staying at the same hostel you’re heading too.
I’m biased, as I used to work there but they are constantly trying to make it better and I hugely recommend them as a decent company who care about your security when using the app.
Other recommended resources:
- Travello
- Couchsurfing Hangouts
- Coworking Events
- And of course…Reddit’s Solo Travel Callouts or Facebook’s Travel Squad
Now, check out some flight prices with our thank you link 🙂
NEXT UP: Southeast Asia 3 Week Itinerary