This summer while visiting friends in Maine one of them asked me if I was ever lonely living and traveling solo abroad.  I really did not have to give much thought to my response which was that my time was full of stimulating experiences and encounters with new cultures and people.  Along the way I have been fortunate to make new friends and acquaintances here in Bologna and extend my reach beyond.  I should clarify that I have been living on my own most of my adult life by choice and have always subscribed to the philosophy that ” living alone does not equate to being lonely”. But venturing out beyond the confines of your comfort zone can be daunting regardless of how you approach life.

Traveling solo tips

So I decided to share you with you some things that I have found to be helpful in making local connections, meeting new people as well as experiencing the cultures when traveling solo. And these tips pertain to anyone traveling, solo or not, for engaging in local cultures.

Stay with locals

Whenever I travel to a new location, I find the best way to learn about the area and engage with people is to stay at a B&B, guest house or small family run hotel.  People who run these types of accommodations typically are people who enjoy interacting with others and are enthusiastic about your learning about their locale. They provide the best tips for things to do and where to eat. Usually breakfast is shared in more intimate settings thus affording you the opportunity to engage with others.  This may lead to learning about what other guests found interesting or an invitation to join them for drinks, etc.  At a B&B  in Parma, the owner invited me to join her and her friends for an evening of music for a local benefit.  Another time I was invited to join a cooking class that others were attending that day. One evening I was at dinner and the owners of the hotel were eating there with friends and asked me to join them. My friend here who rents through AirBnB has invited me to meet her English-speaking guests at times for drinks to share our experiences and make connections.

Book a local tour

I discovered that booking local day tours or city walking tours not only gives you a great feel for the places you are exploring but you also benefit from insiders tips and meeting fellow travelers.  As I book English-speaking tours I meet people from a myriad of countries that speak English and also share highlights of their native countries.  In Venice I booked a cicchetti ( think Italian tapas) tour through the company Viator.  I have done several Viator tours throughout Europe and find them to be reasonably priced and well-paced.  Often they work in conjunction with local tour companies.  On this tour we visited several bars where we sampled the typical small plates of food and accompanying wine. It was a great way to learn about Venice, meet new people and have a fun night out. Emilia-Romagna here in Italy is a foodie’s mecca with tours of parmesan cheese making, wineries and the ancient production of aged balsamic vinegar.  While traveling through Great Britain this past summer I joined a free walking tour of Bath one evening, took a Rabbies day tour on a minibus with 15 others through the highlands of Scotland and on another traveled through the Cotswolds on a Mad Max tour. It is interesting to  exchange perspectives on our cultures especially how when viewed through others’ eyes. I remain in contact with some of these people, usually following their adventures through social media.  After one tour to several wineries I met up with some of the women later on in the week for dinner and a night out.  Always check out the local tourism office to see what is being offered for tours, especially walking tours where you tend to interact with people in a relaxed atmosphere.

York tour

Enroll in a class

This is another great way to combine learning about a culture and meeting people with similar interests. There are a myriad of classes to partake in that also gives you an opportunity to try out something you have been curious about but never had the time or opportunity to pursue. I also find that you engage more with people in classes as we all try our hands at things that may be unfamiliar to us.  The first time you try to make a tortellini you can be assured that everyone joins you in some good-natured laughter and a little bit of competition. Try a language class if you are going to be spending some time in a country. Often language schools will have a day or evening class in learning the basics for tourists.  I met a woman recently from New Zealand who took a mosaics class here in Italy which I found intriguing and have added to my list of things to pursue. And in Brussels a chocolate making class had most of us trying new techniques and getting to enjoy the fruits of our labors!

Cooking school- CIBO- Bologna

Eat at a bar or pub

After years of business traveling and dining alone, I was delighted when bars in restaurants were no longer places relegated to those looking for a pickup but became a social gathering point to enjoy a meal with fellow travelers.  While traveling in Europe I look to these social hubs to engage with others when possible. Searching for that fabled British pub experience my first-time in London, I sat down at a table next to some gentlemen.  Not knowing the protocol for ordering ( at the bar or through a waitress) I decided to ask these men.  That opened up the door to my being American and their travels to America (they were local professors) and we wound up chatting for several hours and through several rounds of beer. Recently in Germany I was seated at a table with others for dinner.  I am told this is not unusual but the others turned out to be recently retired Americans on their first European trip. We passed a pleasant evening exchanging travel stories and local tips.  In Italy and France I find it hard to engage people in this manner as drinks are usually shared with friends before dinner at outside tables and dinners are social events amongst family and friends. I miss the ability to just sit down at a bar for a drink and feel part of a social hub like I can experience in Germany, the Netherlands or Great Britain and Ireland. But go to a pub in Scotland and watch a local team on the TV playing a rival in football and you quickly become part of the cheering and booing!

Social Media, phone apps, etc.

Although retired, I am not unfamiliar with social media and the apps on smartphones that are popular today.  You can connect with friends of friends on Facebook in different countries, find a travel buddy on an app, attend an Instameet for photo posting on Instagram or couch surf to meet locals. There are also meetups of people sharing interests such as food, wine and hiking. Signup to meetup.com to see what is happening in areas in which you are traveling. These are all great ways to meet and engage people but I find younger people tend to look to these tools for meeting people more often than my cronies.  I am also a member of InterNations which is an organization comprised of expats living in cities around the world. Although the mix is multinational the common language tends to be English.  I have joined groups for movies, talks, and wine.  I find these lean towards those working or studying in a foreign nation and the age group varies though tends towards those in the late 20’s- 40’s.

For me, it comes down to what you are looking for when traveling solo.  You have obviously made a choice to do so and I must assume that you enjoy the benefits that solo traveling affords you. I travel not only to see new places but also to experience new cultures and interact with people from other countries.  I like the combination of these so my suggestions afford the ability to not only learn about a new culture such as on tours or cooking classes but to also meet new people from other countries.

I’d be interested to hear how others who travel solo make connections while traveling.  Please share any of your tips or methods that you have found to be successful.