The easiest place to meet other backpackers is hostel dorms. You all have your base there and sometimes there are ten people to a room. Backpackers find comfort in the familiar backpacker questions:
Where are you from?
How long are you here for?
Where have you been?
Where are going?
These questions serve two purposes. The
first being to break the ice and give you something to talk about. The second
being to establish each other’s timelines. If you are staying for a week and
your new friend is leaving in the morning, you might wish to direct your
attention to someone who you can meet up with in the coming days. Also if after
talking, you both learn you will be in the same place in the future, you can always swap Facebook/email/phone details and arrange to meet them then.
However, many places you will visit on the backpacking trail won’t always have a hostel set-up. You might find yourself in a room by yourself. If this is the case, introduce yourself to the people staying in the rooms or huts around yours. They might be sitting out on the decking or heading out to the shops. Just say hi. The rest will flow from there.
In my experience most backpackers are keen to get to know other backpackers. They, like you, probably want to make some new friends too.
However, many places you will visit on the backpacking trail won’t always have a hostel set-up. You might find yourself in a room by yourself. If this is the case, introduce yourself to the people staying in the rooms or huts around yours. They might be sitting out on the decking or heading out to the shops. Just say hi. The rest will flow from there.
In my experience most backpackers are keen to get to know other backpackers. They, like you, probably want to make some new friends too.
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| I met these lovely people on a coach to Vang Vieng, Laos. |
Another good place to meet other
backpackers is on coaches and ferries etc. If you're heading in the same direction,
it’s likely you will find someone heading for the same place as you. Just say
hi and ask the familiar backpacking questions.
Be open-minded but trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling about someone this is probably for a good reason. Something in your unconscious has picked up on something not quite right. Listen to your gut feelings and move on to someone else who you feel comfortable with.
Remember to smile. This puts everyone at ease, and just ask if they want to hang out later for a drink or something. Do this a couple of times and you’ll have plenty of friends in no time.
As you continue on your journey, paths will cross and become uncrossed. But you’ll always bump into someone you’ve met before, even from one country to the next.
Meeting people leads on to meeting more people. You might have left your own country alone, but you’ll rarely be by yourself.
Be open-minded but trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling about someone this is probably for a good reason. Something in your unconscious has picked up on something not quite right. Listen to your gut feelings and move on to someone else who you feel comfortable with.
Remember to smile. This puts everyone at ease, and just ask if they want to hang out later for a drink or something. Do this a couple of times and you’ll have plenty of friends in no time.
As you continue on your journey, paths will cross and become uncrossed. But you’ll always bump into someone you’ve met before, even from one country to the next.
Meeting people leads on to meeting more people. You might have left your own country alone, but you’ll rarely be by yourself.
Connect with me:
Twitter - @Paul_LEstrange
