How to Meet People While Travelling Alone Without Trying Too Hard

The advice to “just be open” always struck me as slightly useless — open how, exactly, and to whom? So here’s what I’ve actually found works, minus the vague encouragement.

Recurring places beat one-off events

Recurring places beat one-off events. The same little café for three mornings running does more for connection than any single “meet people” activity, because familiarity does the work small talk can’t. By the second visit, you’re not a stranger anymore — you’re the woman who orders the same thing, and that’s enough of a thread for someone to pull on.

Questions work better than statements

Questions work better than statements. Asking the person next to you what they’d recommend, or how long they’ve lived somewhere, invites a real answer in a way that announcing your own itinerary never quite does. People like being asked. It costs you nothing and it opens more doors than you’d expect.

Places where conversation comes easily

Some settings make connection far more natural than others, because everyone is already doing something together:

• Cooking classes and food tours. Sharing a table and a task gives everyone something to talk about straight away.
• Small-group walking tours. You’re side by side rather than face to face, which makes chatting feel easy.
• Counter seats and bar stools. The staff and the people beside you are within easy conversation distance. More on that in How to Eat Alone in a Restaurant and Actually Enjoy It.
• Guesthouses and small hotels. A shared breakfast room or a chatty host often leads to recommendations, and sometimes to company.
• Classes and workshops. A language lesson, a dance class or a craft workshop brings you back to the same people more than once.

Staying safe while meeting new people

Meeting people is one of the joys of travelling alone, and a little care keeps it that way. Meet new acquaintances in public places, at least at first. Make your own way there and back rather than accepting a lift. Keep your accommodation details to yourself until you know someone better. And if anything feels off, you’re allowed to leave without explanation. I’ve written more about trusting that instinct in A Woman’s Guide to Feeling Safe While Travelling Alone.

Saying yes, and no, gracefully

Some of the best moments of solo travel come from saying yes to something you didn’t plan: an invitation to join a table, a suggestion to see a local band, a walk to a viewpoint someone swears is better than the famous one. Being alone makes you more approachable, and these offers come more often than you’d expect.

I’ve learned to say yes more readily when it’s in a public place, during the day, or with a group. Those invitations are usually exactly what they seem: someone kind, curious, or proud of where they live.

I’ve also learned that no is a complete sentence. You don’t owe anyone your time because they were friendly, and you don’t need an elaborate excuse. “Thank you, but I’m heading back” is enough. A warm, clear no is far kinder than a vague yes you don’t mean.

The more you travel alone, the easier this balance becomes. You start to recognise the invitations that feel generous and open, and the ones that don’t, and you trust yourself to choose.

Stop forcing it

And I’ve stopped forcing it. Some trips are quieter, more internal, and that’s not a failure of the trip — some of my richest travel weeks involved almost no conversation at all. Connection, when it’s real, tends to arrive sideways — while you’re doing something else entirely, waiting for a table, lost near the same corner as someone else, both of you laughing at the same thing before you’ve even exchanged names.

You don’t need a strategy for meeting people. You need to be somewhere long enough, and open enough, that it has room to happen on its own.

If the quieter trips are the ones that worry you, read Solo Doesn’t Mean Lonely.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make friends when travelling alone?
Return to the same places, ask locals for recommendations, and join small-group activities like cooking classes or walking tours. Familiarity does more than forced small talk.

Is it easy to meet people as a solo female traveller?
Often easier than travelling with others. People tend to approach someone on their own more readily than a couple or group.

What are the best activities for meeting people while travelling?
Cooking classes, food tours, small-group walking tours, language lessons and staying in guesthouses with shared spaces.

Should I join group tours when travelling solo?
Small-group tours are a gentle way to meet people without committing to a whole trip with strangers. Choose day tours, food tours or walking tours, and you can enjoy company for a few hours, then return to your own pace.