People always say that travelling bring many benefits such as making friends, adding connections, and experiencing new culture. While it is true to that travelling is one promising activity to gain such benefits, it is not always easy to do. Maybe for extroverts it is pretty easy. However, it often that introverts make harder effort to build new connection with strangers especially in their out of comfortable zone. However, it is possible to make yourself more interesting to others while travelling so you can start making friends and building new connections.
Make yourself more interesting while travelling
Many people often ask travelers whether it is easy or not to meet new people while travelling. The answer is subjective. Each traveler may experience different things when it comes to socializing and meeting new people. However, not everyone is as easygoing or comfortable to make interaction in social situations. Here are some tips you can try to connect with new people during your trip.
Opportunities to meet new people
During travel, there are many opportunities you can have to meet new people. It can be on bus, train, planes, local supermarkets, malls, museums, and more. However, sometimes it is not easy to find a way to to talk to them or give them reasons to talk to you. For this, you can use identifiers that identify commonalities between people such as clothing, objects, props, etc. For example, you can start the conversation by commenting on fellow traveler’s sport jersey with a team logo you are familiar with.
Try to be and look more approachable
There are body languages that shows you are not approachable for people to start a conversation. For example, you cross your arm, putting your bag in your lap, or busying yourself with reading during travel. These body languages cause a block or barrier to socializing during a trip. Thus, try to make your hands more visible, uncross your limbs, make eye contact with strangers. These can help you to look more approachable to others.
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Start conversation about travel
If you meet fellow travelers during the trip, you can start conversation about the travel itself. For example, you can ask some travel advice, their travel experience, or their favorite destination so far. This is also applicable if you meet the locals. you don’t have to searching everything on Google if there are locals in front of you. You can approach them and start asking politely.
Develop curiosity
Be more eager to learn new things like you are just discovering new world. This will simulate your curiosity. You will be more willing to talk to new people to gain more information. It will be easier for you to observe and focus to the conversations you have with new people. Connection can be established by showing your interest when others are talking. Hence, it is also important to find topic that you and others are interested in.
Applying those tips might not be easy in the beginning. However, you can just try from something you feel the most comfortable with.