Travel Tip #22: Make Friends on the Road
Traveling can be like the first day of college in that you get to reinvent yourself with people who don’t know you. Are you an introvert at home? Hit the ground running and be the life of the party at the first pub you can find. Are you prim and proper in your day-to-day life? Pack your skimpiest bikini and enter every wet t-shirt contest you can find. No matter what you do, don’t spent the entire time alone. Introduce yourself to people in your hostel or at the bar in your hotel. Ask locals where they go for fun and then invite them to join you. That’s called making friends and it will make your trip a lot more fun than if you just purchase a bunch of hentai and order in-room porn.
You can make friends anywhere. The trick is not to be shy and never turn down an invitation to drink with someone. Not a drinker? Why not break bread with a new friend and get to know each other in a more intimate setting? Or, keep things really simple. Everyone knows you when you wear your name on your shirt.
Solo travel can be great and I’m sure you’ll find yourself. But making friends on the road makes every trip more memorable. And remember: friends come in all shapes and sizes.