How to Meet People While Travelling

On my first Europe trip, I met up with a friend living in Ireland to do a bus trip around the country.  Our first stop was Cork, and we had arrived a bit late in the evening.  As we went to the local corner store to grab some beer for the evening, we mused how it might be difficult to meet people to go out with this late in the evening. And then…I saw it.   It was glorious.  The (at the time) new Heineken mini keg, slightly sweaty and looking refreshing as heck nestled between cans of beer in the cold drink section. “We…we have to get this,” I said, awed.  My friend was not convinced, citing how it was more beer than we needed, more expensive, and that I didn’t even like Heineken. “It’s not about any of that!  With this thing, tonite, instead of trying to meet people, people will try to meet US!” He was still skeptical, but we bought the keg and my plan came to fruition.  It was more beer than we needed, but we ended up sharing with a ton of people in the hostel we were staying, hosting a bit of a party in the common area and then hitting up the bars with our new friends. Beer Not Required Meeting people comes naturally to me, but it’s a source of extreme anxiety for others.  In fact, talking to a lot of travellers and wannabe-travellers, it might be the number one concern that prevents people from heading off on their own. The above was my first foray into meeting people, so you’ll have to excuse me for using beer as a crutch.  In the years that followed I realized that there are a ton of ways to meet people while travelling, whether or not you’re providing beer or staying in a hostel. The only rule you need to follow: be open-minded! One of the biggest benefits of travelling is experiencing new things.  Don’t automatically say no to invitations because they are uncomfortable or unfamiliar.  Instead, try automatically saying yes to things to see where they take you. Meeting People: A Tactical List Here’s a list of my tried-and-true methods to meeting people on the road.  Try a few and see which work for you! “The Boasting Host” One thing I notice is that a lot of people on Airbnb who offer shared rooms are very interested...
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