An original way to meet people
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) – Where Goes Rose? How To Make Friends In A New City (Tried & Tested!) Moving to a new city or overseas? In this guide, I’ll cover how to meet people in a new city.
I won’t promise that making friends in a new city is
How To Make Friends In A New City (Tried & Tested!) Moving to a new city or overseas? In this guide, I’ll cover how to meet people in a new city. I won’t promise that making friends in a new city is always easy but I promise it is worth the effort! A year ago, I moved to Mexico City not knowing anyone and barely speaking a word of Spanish. From my window seat as the sprawling mega-city came into view, I had a ‘what-am-I-doing?’ moment. Was I really moving to Mexico City solo with no friends, job or plan aside from the first 7 nights in an Airbnb? You bet! We only get one chance at life so I’m keen to have all the experiences possible. It went pretty well. While continuing to work online (the world’s least social profession), I managed to build a community and successfully make friends in a new city. Within a few months, I had a group to hang out with at weekends and take trips away with. This guide is based on my experiences abroad but these tips can just as easily be used if you’re trying to find friends in a new city within your own country! My story of meeting people in a new city. After my experiences moving to Mexico City in 2019, I decided to write this blog post to help others in the same situation, regardless of location. Before moving to Mexico, I’d been solo travelling and working remotely for 18 months already, spending anywhere between a few days and a few months in a new place. Life was good but I was getting tired of transient connections. That’s why I was excited to move to Mexico City. The challenges of travelling solo include getting lonely and burnt out. I planned to spend longer than a couple of weeks to really get stuck into the city. I was craving friends I could get to know rather than leave behind. In 2021 and 2022, I spent 3 months living in Porto, Portugal then another 3 in Split, Croatia. I’ve updated this blog with some extra methods I discovered during this time. Making friends in a new city vs when travelling. When I started basing places around the world to work online, I hadn’t given too much thought to how I’d make friends in a new city. It had always worked out while backpacking, right? That’s the problem! It’s easy to meet people as a traveller thanks to hostels, tours and bar crawls. Other travellers are always up to socialise. When you’re living in a new city, it’s different. People you meet aren’t always looking for new besties, they may be busy with their existing friends and family, especially if it’s their home city. You certainly won’t meet people during a hostel card game! When answering the question how do I meet friends in a new city? , I’ll leave work colleagues out because a) as a remote worker I don’t have any specific tips and b) it’s kind of an obvious one! You probably want friends beyond work anyway. 1. Facebook groups. This was my first step when moving to Mexico City. I posted in several Facebook groups introducing myself and explaining I was new to the city. Consider something like this: ” Hey, I’ve just moved here and looking to meet other like-minded people! I’m 30, originally from the UK, and work online as a writer. Let me know if you’d like to go for coffee / check out some bars ” Tailor this to you. It’s good to mention activities you’re interested in. I went with bars and coffee but if you prefer hiking or photography, suggest that instead. How to find Facebook groups: Literally type into Facebook the name of your city followed by terms like newbies, expats, foreigners or whatever’s relevant. I even found a group for British and Irish people in Mexico City. Join as many as possible and fill out the requested questions so you get accepted. I tended to just reply to the comments where people told me something about themselves so I could tell we had shared interests and intentions. DMs from men saying they’d like to meet with no information about themselves were a hard no! Bonus point: As well as posting, search the group for similar messages posted in the last few months. They may still be looking to make friends and better yet, might have already met people they can introduce you to! Extra tip: see if any of the Facebook groups have dedicated Whatsapp groups. I find these better for on-the-day events. Once in Porto, some messages popped up from a few people organising a picnic. I was nearby so went along and made two friends who I still see months later! 2. Language groups (if applicable) This applies if you’ve moved to a new city where people speak a different first language. Firstly, you’ll want/need to know it but secondly, it’s a great way to meet new people in a new city. Consider: Language classes – formal settings with a teacher. Language meetups – informal social meetups where the focus is improving language skills. Often free. Both have their benefits! I ended up in a language exchange WhatsApp group in Mexico City with Spanish and English speakers of varying abilities. They held big group meetups but I also arranged a few one-on-one cafe meetups. This might be better if you’re shy about going to a meetup alone. A good way to find language exchange groups brings me to my next point… 3. Meetup app. Check out Meetup which is a website, and now a mobile app, based on… you guessed it… meeting people in new cities!- 0 Replies
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