How to meet people when traveling: 7 ways that actually work
Published: 2026-07-06
The best travel memories are rarely about landmarks. They're about people: a random conversation in a hostel kitchen, dinner with someone you met at the airport, a friendship that outlasted the trip by years. The catch is that meeting people on the road doesn't just happen by itself – especially when you travel alone. Here are seven approaches that actually work.
1. Start before you even take off
The best time to meet fellow travellers is before the trip, not during it. When you know in advance who's on your flight or heading to the same city, you can arrange a shared taxi from the airport or a first coffee in a new place. That's exactly what MeetInPlane is built for – add your flight and see other travellers on the same route.
2. Pick accommodation with shared spaces
A hostel with a big kitchen, or a hotel with a lobby where things actually happen, beats most apps. Cooking together is the easiest conversation starter ever invented.
3. Join free walking tours
You'll find one in almost every major city. It's two or three hours in a group of people who just arrived, know nobody, and are happy to chat. Perfect starting conditions.
4. Eat at shared tables
Counter seating, breakfast markets, food halls – choose places where you sit next to people rather than across from an empty chair.
5. Book a class, not an attraction
A cooking class, a surf lesson or a pottery workshop gives you something sightseeing can't: a shared experience and a natural topic. The group goes for a beer afterwards far more often than you'd think.
6. Don't hide in your headphones
It's a cliché, but it works: open posture, a book instead of a phone, asking someone for a lunch recommendation. People approach those who look present, not sealed off in their own world.
7. Say "yes" more often than usual
An invitation to explore together, a board-game night at the hostel, a sunrise beach trip – the people who lose the most while traveling are the ones who decline on autopilot. Simple rule: if you don't have a hard reason to say no, go.
And if you want to start before boarding – join the MeetInPlane waitlist and meet the people on your next flight.