Staying in hostels is a great way to meet new friends and find lots of other people who might be solo travelling. When I was 18 I loved hostel life, it brought me so many new friends, there was always some kind of event or activity happening and even though I was travelling alone I was never lonely. I didn’t mind sharing a room with a bunch of strangers and sleep definitely wasn’t my first priority, as I wasn’t working. Fast forward to my mid-twenties, the dorm and hostel life aren’t always for me anymore. The bright side is I have done a lot of socializing without hostel dorms while travelling, so I’m here to break that down for you.

A tiny sliver of all the amazing people I’ve met through my travels.

Lots of people think hostels are the only option to meet people, and that is definitely not true! Solo travel without hostels doesn’t mean you’ll be alone all the time and never meet anyone. I still love the vibe of hostels and the community feeling they create. However, since I travel full time I of course have to work and hostels definitely are not always the most productive spaces. I also need my sleep. I can’t party every day and night on minimal sleep like I used to. I’m also a slow traveller so I tend to stay in one place for awhile, and private rooms in hostels can be pretty expensive sometimes. So normally my solo travel accommodation choice is to rent an apartment in order to have my own space and a quiet area for work.

Lots of people always ask how I meet so many people travelling if I don’t stay in hostels. People assume I spend all my time alone, I go out alone or try to meet people in random public places, and that is definitely not true! I’m like most of you, when I solo travel I don’t want to be alone all the time. I don’t mind going out for a coffee or a meal alone, but definitely not all the time. I also never go to parties or clubs alone, just not my idea of fun. The good news? Meeting people even if you don’t want to stay in hostels isn’t as hard as you think! Let’s talk about some of the most common ways I use for meeting people while travelling solo and not staying in hostels.

Facebook groups will be your new best friend.

Facebook groups exist for almost every location you can think of. Search the city or town along with expats, community, foreigners or something along those lines and you should be able to find groups for that area. What I normally do is write a quick post introducing myself and inviting others to do the same in the comments. Make sure to have a look through the group and comment on others posts as well! I’ve made tons of solo traveller connections this way as there’s always others in a similar situation who want to meet people.

Of course, make sure when making plans they are in a public place and check the other person’s profile to make sure everything seems legit. I know some people think this seems a bit sketchy as it is meeting a random person online, but I’ve never had any issues. Like anything when solo travelling, be smart. Often I try to get a group together, which makes it a bit safer and gives you the chance to meet more people!

At the time of writing this, I’m in Mexico and WhatsApp groups are a huge thing for finding events and meeting people. I found these through Facebook groups so definitely keep an eye out for any links to WhatsApp groups and join them! I actually found all my good friends here by doing this. There are tons of solo traveller networking events around here and they are usually announced through these groups. I didn’t find this was overly common in Asia though, so they won’t exist everywhere you go.

The Travel Squad is a hidden gem that I recommend to all travellers.

I use the group to post my own travel plans and see if anyone else will be in the areas I am in. It’s a great way to make connections before you ever arrive, and its great even if you are staying in hostels as you can meet people staying in different accommodations easily. Just make a post that tells about you and your interests, share your dates and locations and watch the comments pour in! Lots of people use this to plan trips with other people as well, so if you’re nervous about going solo this is a great place to look for a travel partner.

I find the most common areas people tend to be visiting in TTS are Central/South America and Southeast Asia, so if you’re going to one of those areas its a great group to use. Not that it is specific to those areas, but they are very popular among travellers so there will be lots of people who always have them on their itinerary. I’ve seen posts for all different kinds of locations though, so don’t be afraid to post and see if there’s anyone heading to the same place you are!

Classes are a great place to connect with likeminded people.

The next thing I like to do is to join a class of some sort. I love yoga and Muay Thai personally, so I often join some classes when I arrive in a place. Classes are great because they are full of other people with the same interests as you. After class, don’t be afraid to say hi to your neighbour or even the instructor. I’ve accidentally made tons of friends during classes like this, and I say accidentally because I only went for the fitness part, not to meet people. One thing leads to another and people get talking and all of a sudden everyone is going for a coffee or to the beach!

Bumble isn’t just for finding dates.

This one is more Asia specific, but nonetheless a great way to make friends. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Bumble dating app, but did you know there is a Bumble BFF feature that is super popular for meeting people? When I lived in Bangkok this was how most people found their new friends, and it brought together a big group of us that loved to do things together. In Central America, I find it to be much less common but still worth a shot. If you have used it in any other parts of the world with great success let me know in the comments! Just like the Facebook group option, make sure to do your due diligence here as well.

And that’s it! These are my top ways to meet people while I’m travelling and not in hostels. Don’t forget you can always reach out with any travel related questions on my Instagram (@travellingaly). Thanks so much for reading and being a huge part of what I do. Have you used any of these techniques? Is there anything else you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!