by Anne StClair

Created on: March 25, 2007   Last Updated: July 13, 2008

Meeting people when traveling alone is actually easier than meeting people when you are in a couple or a small group, because you tend to stick with the people you are traveling with. When you're on your own you are much more likely to seek out opportunities to meet other people since you do not have the comfort of a group to stick with.

Some people traveling alone find guided tours are the best way of meeting people, and they may prefer to hang out at big tourist areas and stay in hotels where everyone speaks English. This is a good way to meet people who speak the same language as you and who have similar backgrounds and share an interest in travel. Many a romance has started on a guided tour too! You in effect become part of a group, and no longer traveling alone.

Other tourists prefer to really travel alone and to meet the locals rather than stick with a group of other tourists. If traveling to another country, they prefer to have a more authentic experience of the country and its culture without the protection of a "guided tour bubble".

If you want to meet locals and experience their culture it is usually better to avoid the guided tours. Stay in smaller, local hotels that you find yourself, rather than booking everything before you leave home (because most travel agents are linked to hotels geared to English speaking tourists).

This kind of solo travel can admittedly present some difficulties, and in many countries it will mean that you need to spend some time and effort in learning some of the language. You don't have to spend years becoming fluent, but you do need some basic phrases. The benefits are enormous, however.

If you know some of the language you can stay in hotels the locals stay in (which are often much cheaper than tourist hotels), and you are able to get to areas away from the tourist traps. Quite apart from that, it shows the people of the country you're visiting that you have at least put some effort into learning to communicate with them. With the proliferation of English, you can often find people (in cities at least) who know enough English to communicate with you, but locals really appreciate it if you try to speak their language first. Meeting people native to the area you are visiting can provide a much richer and more memorable experience than any guided tour.

People are often friendlier and easier to meet away from the big tourist areas (where everyone is out to get your money). Traveling to smaller, out-of-the way places is usually

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