Shy Guide to Making Friends on the Road: Interrail and Travel
Before you set out:
Book into popular hostels that are known to be social. Good way to find out is to check if they have a bar, and look through reviews to see what past travellers got up to.
Reconnect with old friends that you may be passing, and see if you can stay at their home. Gives you a chance to catch up and go out with their friends as well as save on money.
Download backpacker apps that connect you with your fellow travellers. Look into social apps like Backpackr and Tripr. Couchsurfing is an app that connects you to locals who can offer you accommodation and show you around.
Hostel Reception:
Soon as you get to your hostel, make sure you are friendly and chatty to the staff. Get all the insider goss on where to go, excursions and pub crawls. Staff are potential friends, if there’s a bar, you will often find them hanging around after their shifts, and they are usually really easy to chat to.
You can always ask if they know any travellers with a similar itinerary to you, and they might just introduce you to them, and help you get involved.
-Hostel Dorms
Book yourself into a dorm. You’ll be sharing a room, so don’t be awkward. Be friendly from the start, and initiate an introduction.
You’ll find simple questions like; Where are you from? Where are you heading? Where have you been? Will be enough to spark a lengthly conversation.
Take a bit of time to hang around your dorm or the common room areas, and chat to people. There are always solo travellers who will be keen to make friends so scout them out.
-Hostel Bar
Always check out the hostel bar, its usually cheaper than local bars, and a great way of meeting your fellow travellers.
If your hostel doesn’t have a bar, then make sure you find out where the ‘party hostels’ are at. You can usually walk straight in and engage with the residents.
A couple of well known ‘party hostels’ in Europe:
Flying Pig Downtown Hostel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wombat’s City Hostel, Berlin, Germany
Retox Party Hostel, Budapest, Hungary
Greg and Tom Party Hostel, Krakow, Poland
Go down for breakfast during the rush. Gives you a chance to sit down and chat to people.
Join pub crawls
If your hostel is organising a pub crawl, be sure to join in, not only will it save you trekking the streets at night trying to find a decent bar, it gives you a chance to get to socialise more with your dorm buddies and neighbours. It’s also a easier way of talking to people travelling in groups, who may seem more intimidating in their pack, back at the hostel common room.
Also look into cultural excursions and join walking guides with fellow tourists.
Transport
There’s bound to be backpackers on your trains, heading in the same direction.
Final Tips:
Make a goal of making friends at every stop. Keep throwing yourself into social situations. Your only in each place for a few days, so
If you make friends with travellers don’t be afraid to whip out your map and see if you meet up again along the way.
Don’t be picky. People you make friends with travelling, might not necessarily be the people you would approach back home. Try not to judge and you will find that you can get along really well.
Be open to changing your plans in the city, if you meet up with people.
What traveller doesn’t want to make a new friend? So don’t be shy or embarrassed about approaching anyone.
You are only in each city for a couple of days, so enjoy it as best you can!
