9 Tips To Make Friends In A New City

The one thing about moving is you bring all your belongings with you. But you leave your friends behind. We might think that moving itself is the hardest part. Admittedly, it’s no easy task. But I think the hardest part is knowing that you don’t have someone you can call up to hang out with. That is why I put together these 9 tips for how to make friends in a new city.

When I moved abroad, I literally knew no one. I had not one friend that was even driving distance away. So, I know how difficult it can be emotionally to move from one place to another. I ate a lot of ice cream during that period. Thank god, it was summer.

# Love dogs?

If you have a dog, well, you already have an advantage. You can go to a local dog park, or even use the app Meet My Dog. It’s easy to strike up a conversation when you are both animal lovers. So, use your pet as a way to meet people. I mean, technically your dog uses you to meet other dogs, right?

# Talk to coworkers

In terms of making friends fast, the easiest way to do that is through co-workers. You work with them every day, all day, so, the odds of you becoming friends are higher. Go eat lunch with them, if they have happy hour, join in. Eventually, you spend more and more time with them outside of the office.

# Use meeting apps

If you’re not aware of technology, well, I don’t know what rock you’ve been under. We have all these different apps available, so why not use them? If you want to date, use Tinder or Bumble. If you’re looking for events around you, check out the app Nearify. These apps are all based on meeting people, so use them.

# Stick to a workout routine

If you love to attend cycling classes *which sounds like a nightmare to me*, stick to a specific class. With time, you notice the regulars, and it’ll be that much easier to strike up a conversation when you both recognize each other’s faces. Then, you have a workout partner and eventually, a friend.

# Don’t say no

Okay, well, obviously, you’ll have to say no sometimes, I get that. But if someone invites you out for drinks, say yes. Sure, you work in the morning, but you also have no friends. Sacrifice one night of going to bed early, it saves your social life, trust me.

# What about your neighbors?

Ah yes, how quickly we forget about our neighbors. The easiest people to talk to are your neighbors. You can strike up conversations by the mailbox or when you’re both struggling to carry groceries up the stairs. Eventually, all those “hi’s” and small talk will get a conversation going.

# Ask your friends if they know people

It’s kind of like blind dating, but if your friends know people in the city you’re in, get them to connect you two. You’re alone! You need friends! If your friend knows them, they’re probably a nice person. So, take advantage of that. They can show you around, introduce you to other people, invite you out to parties.

# Volunteer

I know this sounds like a little bit of a cliché, but you can actually meet many people through volunteering. Choose something that you’re genuinely interested in and you’ll meet like-minded people, which is what you want. If you love animals, volunteer at a shelter. You can be a big brother or big sister, you have an endless amount of volunteer options to choose from.

# Go online

This is how I met most of my friends when I moved. I actually met them on forums on Couchsurfing. Yeah, I didn’t expect that to happen either. We met on a language exchange forum, so, the internet can be a pretty great place to connect people. Go on forums or Facebook groups.