How To Make Friends Whilst Staying In Hostels!

It can be scary staying in hostels for the first time. Especially if you are a solo traveller. But believe me, hostels are the best place for solo travellers! I remember the first time I stayed in a hostel alone. I was so intent on meeting someone the first person that walked into the room I latched onto (I’m glad I did we had a laugh). In my head, I thought it would be my only chance to not be alone. How I was wrong, it’s so easy to meet new people and make friends in hostels! Here are a few tips on how to do so.

1. Chat to People In Your Dorm!

This has got to be the easiest way of meeting new people at hostels. Your gonna be sharing the room for a night or two so why not have a chat! I talk in my guide to solo travel about how most people in hostels are also looking for new friends. So break the ice and strike up a conversation!

2. Break The Ice.

So how should you start a conversation with your newfound roommates? It can seem daunting I know, but I’m fairly introverted and I manage! Just ask them something even if you already know the answer and see where the conversation leads you. How long are you here for? What’s the password for the wifi? Do you know if there are any group activities here? Just ask anything to break the ice and try and start up some dialogue!

3. Join The Group Activities Laid on By The Hostel.

Most hostels will lay on group actives and excursions for guests to use (usually free of charge). These are a great way of meeting people and forming new friendships. Chat to people on the trip and when it’s over, see if they want to go and do something else or grab a drink somewhere. They probably will want to if they are alone as well! Just be aware there are a few different types of hostels and some of the larger budget hostels will rarely provide group activities. I have a section you can read about which type of hostel you should book in my guide to staying in hostels.

4. Sit At The Bar or Common Areas.

If nobody in your room is floating your boat take a seat at the bar or in the common area. Just observe for a while and if someone sits near you, break the ice! Don’t ever feel like your intruding in hostels, people want to talk, that’s a major factor of people choosing to stay in a hostel other than the price! You can meet some really cool people this way and I can tell you now that other people are probably doing the same thing! So go and sit near someone and strike up a conversation!

5. Meet People at Breakfast.

Most hostels will lay on some kind of free breakfast. There are two benefits of this, one being you can eat for free and save money on food (read my guide on saving money for travel here) and two being they are an ideal place to meet and chat with other travellers staying at the hostel. I have met friends I still have now at hostel breakfasts. Just get up go and have some food, and you might even leave with a couple of new friends!

6. Use The Communal Kitchen.

Believe it or not, you can make new friends in the communal kitchen. To be perfectly honest you can make new friends anywhere in a hostel. But in the kitchen people will ask what you’re cooking and if they can borrow some of your food and vice versa. It’s really a great place to meet other travellers and your sure to meet some great people in the kitchen. Here are some ideas of what to cook in hostel kitchens.

7. Choose A Dorm With A High Number of Beds.

Now, most people when booking would look at a 6-bed dorm as being better than a 12-bed dorm, especially when the price is the same! But if you’re a solo traveller and you want to meet new people I always recommend choosing a dorm with more beds. You considerably raise your chances of meeting someone you click with if you stay in a dorm with more people. Yes, it can be noisier but for every positive, there’s a negative. Just bring some earplugs and an eye mask, read more about what to pack on my post here.

8. Choose A Hostel With An Atmosphere.

Some hostels are just, well, disappointing. Seriously some have absolutely no atmosphere, nobody wants to talk and it’s just plain boring. You probably will stumble across these kinds of hostels at some point, but you can try and avoid them. Look at the photos of the rooms, read up on the reviews and my recommendation is to avoid large hostels.

9. Get Out Of Bed and Take Out Your Earphones.

Staying in your bunk and reading a book or listening to music makes you completely unapproachable. If you don’t want to talk to anyone sure you’re on the right track, but if you do want to make friends you need to put yourself out there. Personally, if I was looking to talk to someone new I wouldn’t approach someone in the common area wearing headphones. I would assume they are busy and don’t want to talk. So if you want to meet people get up follow the above tips and take off your headphones.

10. Help People Out.

If you see someone who looks like they could need some help, offer yours! This can be a great way to meet people and also do a good deed at the same time. Who knows you may even get some good karma out of it. Just offer to help people out if they look like they need it and you could find yourself with a new friend in no time.

11. Don’t get disheartened!

If you try and approach someone and they don’t seem interested, don’t take it to heart. It happens to everyone! Some people just want to be alone. There will be plenty of other people in the hostel that do want to do something with you! Anyway if they don’t want to talk to you that’s their loss!

In summary.

There are so many ways of meeting people in hostels, but the best and easiest way is just to be there. Get involved and put yourself out there and you will see how easy it is to meet people. Just remember it’s not just you that’s looking for new friends to hang out with, most people in hostels are solo travellers! Get out of your comfort zone and start a conversation, once you have done it a few times it will be second nature! If you are worried about safety in hostels read my guide here. Enjoy your stay!