The secret to making friends on the road, according to these solo travellers

These solo travellers share their bramhastra or mantra when it comes to making friends while travelling while also keeping yourself safe

Here's how to make friends while travelling solo. (Source: Still from Queen)

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I had a near-death experience once (or, I like to think of it that way) when I was on a hike (kind of) in the middle of a jungle on a mountain at 1 AM with my best friend and 20-odd strangers. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not the sort of person who goes on a hike. Ever. But this one time I did and I cannot, in good conscience, sully my name by telling you the number of times I had the thought of just laying there and letting a JCB carry me up — to the mountaintop or heaven. (Honestly? I wouldn’t have minded either.)

Though it helped that I had my best friend for company, the strangers in the group also became my comrade-in-arms that night. One couple proffered their hiking stick, some smiling words and spurring chats while others their quiet motivation. Nothing like almost dying to bring a bunch of people together.

I’m not suggesting you try this extreme method to make friends on the road while travelling solo. It helps on nights like these to have a smiling face supporting you, even if it does belong to a stranger. 26-year-old Sejal Ved, who has been travelling for the last 9 years, agrees.

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“I’ve met the nicest people while travelling solo who went out of their way to help and so many families would invite me for tea at their homes though I was a virtual stranger,” she tells indianexpress.com.

Dinesh Bhatt, a 30-year-old IT professional, who has been travelling solo on his bike since March this year, stresses about finding common stuff to talk about. “Be it your hometown, permanent whereabouts, common itinerary, and definitely vibes.” The vibes need to match, as Gen Z would say.

Here's how to make friends while travelling solo. (Source: Freepik)

Here’s how to make friends while travelling solo. (Source: Still from Queen)

Ved revealed her ‘brahmastra’ or her mantra while travelling solo is engaging with the locals. “The locals are always the happiest to guide you about their homes and would even know of many places these online guides won’t be able to tell you.”

Even in the places where the locals were not quite accustomed to seeing women travellers going solo like some parts of south India and Kashmir, Ved shared that the people slowly warmed up to her and were more than willing “to go out of their ways to help”.

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Another tip she shares is staying at backpackers’ hostels. “Bigger names like Zostel tend to attract crowds in groups whereas smaller backpacker hostels tend to have a lot of solo backpackers you can mingle with.”

However, she does advise being careful. Choose the people you interact with wisely and know where to draw the line. “My mantra is being nice yet firm.” You don’t want to be in an uncomfortable situation where you might feel unsafe so it is better to handle these situations with care. “Be firm yet polite and don’t wait for their response. If you’re uncomfortable, exit that situation.”

ALSO READ | Travelling solo for the first time? Follow these handy tips for a memorable experience

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