“Just yesterday on a free walking tour of London, I met a 22-year-old student from Brazil when I started talking to her about how cold it was. She\u2019s wonderful and we had dinner after the tour and are now connected on Facebook.”<\/p>\n
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“That same night I \u00a0managed to get a last minute 20 pound ticket to see the show Kinky Boots and struck up a conversation with a woman in my row who it turns out is in the band Girls Aloud,” adds Teha.<\/p>\n
“You really never know how or where you\u2019ll meet new people who you can connect with!”<\/p>\n
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Frankie Flower (above), who\u00a0 recently left her corporate career to train as a ski instructor in British Colombia, feels the same way.<\/p>\n
“Three\u00a0weeks in and I\u2019ve already met many new people, of all ages and from many walks of life, local and foreign,” she says. “I think I’ve made more connections this year than I have in the last ten.”<\/p>\n
Read more: Solo travel fuels this major happiness habit<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Meeting new people on the road is easy – but it takes a little getting used to your first time around.<\/p>\n So, in the spirit of adventure, here are a few tips from fellow travellers to help make you the leap:<\/p>\n Start small, and be funny<\/strong><\/p>\n “Small comments can strike up conversations, which in turn could lead to lifelong friendships,”\u00a0says Canadian Dennon Stein<\/a>, who loves to travel alone.<\/p>\n “Case in point, I was sitting in my dorm room in Patong, Thailand, ready to check out because I was the only one in it. It was boring and I had no one to talk to for three days. I made the decision to leave, went and had a shower but when I came back, my dorm was packed and I had missed the initial meeting.<\/p>\n Read more: The life-changing magic of meeting new people<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n “I kinda came in under the radar, so no-one really noticed me. Two guys from Canada, three Brits, one German, one Belgian and a French guy. They were asking the Canadians about Moose Milk ice cream and the Canadians looked baffled. They had no idea. Why? Because I\u2019m Canadian and Moose Milk ice cream does not exist, so I had to add my quick wit to the convo… I said, ‘Seriously guys’ as I raised an eyebrow, ‘And how in the hell can you milk a moose?!’<\/p>\n “It was a hilarious ice breaker and it helped start an epic night with a dozen people, 30 days of having a couple of travel buddies and a friendship that continues to this day. When you\u2019re travelling, we all have that in common. That\u2019s your common ground to strike up a conversation and it doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re from, what colour of skin, sexual orientation or creed. Get involved, be yourself, share your thoughts, and when in doubt, drink until you\u2019re funny.”<\/p>\n Let travel be your opener<\/strong><\/p>\n Like Dennon, traveller Robyn Hathaway thinks the common ground of travelling is a natural route in.<\/p>\n “I think talking to complete strangers while travelling is easy in the end, despite the nervousness, just because everyone is in the same boat,” she says.<\/p>\n Read more: One trick to overcome your fear of travelling alone<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n “Having the experience of travelling together means there\u2019s the opportunity to skip the small talk and go straight to the one thing everyone has in common – travelling, even when it\u2019s your first time.”<\/p>\n On a group trip with Flash Pack, Robyn says she and her fellow travellers broke the ice on an overnight train<\/a>,\u00a0by playing a game of \u2018if you were on death row, what would your last meal be?\u2019<\/p>\n “I think we all knew each other better after that!” she says.<\/p>\n Create the opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n “Instead of renting a car on your own, take public transport,” says London-based designer\u00a0Arabel Lebrusan<\/a> (above centre), who took a sabbatical\u00a0 last year to travel the world.<\/p>\n “You will meet other travellers guessing if it’s the right bus\u2026 so, it’s the perfect set-up to start a conversation.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/friends-7.jpg\")
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