Is It Easy to Meet People While Travelling Solo? Ask a Travel Blogger!

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Last Updated on March 8, 2023 by Jon Algie

Welcome back to my “Ask a Travel Blogger” segment, where real people (hopefully one day!) write in and ask the travel question that has been bothering them the most. This week’s question is one I’ve had from heaps of people in real life. Doesn’t it get lonely? Is it easy to meet people while travelling solo? Despite actually being two questions, I’ll attempt to answer it…

Does it Get Lonely?

I’ve talked to heaps of people about travel over the last 10 years or so, and I consistently hear people say that they don’t think they could travel on their own for long periods of time. The reason is generally that they’d get lonely, or it’d be boring without other people. Does it get lonely? The answer to that question will vary from person to person, but I’d say you’d almost definitely be lonely or bored at some point on your trip. The same could be said for people travelling with friends, family or partners though.

Your personality is unlikely to change too much while travelling. If you’re an introvert and love spending time on your own, that won’t change just because you’re swanning around Bali. The same is true for very social people – you won’t magically change into a hermit because you ended up in some isolated mountain village where no one else speaks English. You probably just won’t have much fun!

Birds can be friends too!

I’m sure there are plenty of people who thought they were extroverted / introverted who changed that opinion after getting out of their comfort zone and into the world. So, does it get lonely? Of course, but that can happen in a crowded room in your own hometown, so it’s not something to worry about.

A dog we adopted in Chefchaouen, the blue town in Morocco
And dogs

What About Me?

Out of all the travels I’ve done roughly half of it has been solo, with the other half mostly with my wife. I’m a bit of an ambivert, so I like a mix of socialising and meeting new people with plenty of alone time to explore and relax.

It’s a great balance when you get it right, but there have definitely been times where I felt isolated. Those have mostly been my own fault though – I did plan a trip to southern India in the middle of the hot season after all. I went days without encountering another tourist and the heat and long travel days got frustrating. You won’t have that kind of issue in most touristy places though, and there’s always the locals to hang out with.

Is It Easy to Meet People While Travelling Solo?

Yes! I could end this article right here and call it a day, but I guess I’ll explain a bit further. There are so many opportunities to meet other travellers and your odds increase greatly if you’re on your own. Solo travellers tend to gravitate towards other solo travellers, and if you end up meeting the right people you’re suddenly not solo travelling anymore.

You tend to meet people at bus stations, restaurants, guesthouses, group tours or just wandering around tourist sights. If you’re on your own and you make any kind of effort, you won’t go long without making friends. You’ve also got the dating apps, and things like Meetup and Couchsurfing if you prefer the online approach.

Also, don’t worry if it takes a little longer than you thought – you’re not always going to meet people you connect with or even like all the time. You also might meet someone who you’d never otherwise get along with and end up being great friends with them. People you meet on the road won’t always be like your friends back home, but that’s often a good thing.

Are you planning a solo trip? Let me know in the comments below!

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Jon Algie

A travel blogger from New Zealand who hates talking about himself in the third person and has no imagination when it comes to naming websites.

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