Travel Topic : Making friends in a new city

One of the comments that my clients make when we first start talking is the fear of making friends. Making friends on a vacation vs making friends when you are settling into a new city will evidently look different. As someone who has moved countries 3 times, these are the ways that I have managed to meet new friends.

Don't be too frightened, you will definitely find your crowd.

Your new job

Work will be a really great source of making new friends when you move to a new destination because you spend so much time with these people. Work a customer facing role? Post shift bevs can be a great way to unwind.

Try out a new hobby

That sounds really cliche and cringe, but when you move to a new city why not try out something new like a dance/yoga/pole class or something artistic. Bonus is that when you do something like that you guaranteed already have at least one thing in common with the people in the class :) Making breaking the ice much easier!

In person group meetups.

I can agree that it can be f*in terrifying to arrive at a pub/cafe/restaurant to meet a large group of strangers but if they are already there, they too are looking to make friends. It just takes a 'Hi I'm ____, what's your name?'

Don't take it as a defeat if you don't make a connection with the people, not everyone will match your energy but that is so fine, it's a little bit a game of numbers. You can find in person meetups through...

Facebook groups.

There are loads of different groups that you can join that are made for people connecting. Here are some of my personal favourites.

- Wandering with Chels

- The solo female travel community

- Yes Theory travel fam

- Global travellers

There are also location specific groups that I have had varying degrees of success using. If you message me the city that you are moving to I will make sure that you have a list of groups to join

Introduce yourself online

In one of the Facebook groups try posting on the main wall with an introduction about yourself and where you have moved from and your interests, this will allow other people to contact you who think that you would have common interests.

Dating apps.

When I first moved to Dubai years ago I joined the bumble BFF rat race. You know how they say you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, same kinda goes for friendships. Put yourself out there, invite people for a coffee or a wine or a riverside walk and see if there is any type of connection there and if the conversation is flowing, if not you maybe wasted an hour or two of your day and you don't have to plan to meetup with that person again.

Friends of friends.

When I first moved to London I absolutely lucked out because my younger brother was already living here. I was able to socialise with him and his friends. This forced me out of the house and into some uncomfy social situations where I felt completely out of my depth, but, I was able to make connections with people who already had a common ground - knowing my brother.

Just a few tips on safety

It may seem silly to add this bit but I just want you all to stay safe and meet great people

- As a rule of thumb I always meet people out in public for coffee/drinks where there are other people around. Just to make sure that they are who they say they are...

- Be trusting but don't immediately give away alot of information.

- Focus on your gut instinct, it's entire purpose is to keep you safe.

- Send a quick message to someone who you know whether that be someone from home or your housemates, just so someone knows what you are up to.