Backpacking is an experience better shared. But if you’re travelling solo or find yourself between travel buddies, you may be looking for some fast friends to share all the excitement and adventure with.
Making friends can be tricky as an adult, particularly for the more introverted traveller. The good news is that backpacker communities are famously social and welcoming, so even the shyest tourist should be able to pick up some friends along the way.
How do you do it? Here are seven strategies that will help you make friends while backpacking Oz.
1. Stay in backpacker hostels
Hotel or hostel? It’s often said that the extra ‘s’ in hostel stands for ‘social’, so the choice is obvious for anyone looking for travel companions.
Hostel communal spaces are potential goldmines for friendship. You and the other travellers are in the same hostel, seeking adventure far from home, so you share a lot in common! Head to the rooftop, the pool, the lounge or the games room and say hello to some friendly faces.
Better yet, head to the bar for a glass of social lubricant, strike up a conversation and see where the night takes you!
2. Offer to cook your hostel roommates a meal
Most hostels have cooking facilities for thrifty backpackers to boil their pot noodles – and the sadness of this classic backpacker meal presents an opportunity to find your way to a new friend’s heart via their stomach.
If you fancy yourself a cook, consider offering a family dinner to your fellow travellers. It doesn’t have to break the bank – a big old serving of spaghetti bolognese can be cheap to make and will be a big step up from instant ramen. And the friendships made around the table will be a tidy return on your supermarket investment.
3. Get on the apps
You don’t want to spend all day every day looking at screens – too much tech can distract you from the real fun of backpacking – but by using your phone just the right amount, you can open up opportunities to meet a huge number of like-minded travellers.
While Facebook isn’t perhaps the go-to social media platform for young backpackers, Facebook groups are still a super effective way to find other travellers. There are also a number of apps designed to help backpackers connect, like Travello and Bumble BFF, a platonic version of the dating app.
Throw up a post saying who you are, where you are and what you’re interested in doing in the area, and watch the potential buddies roll in!
4. Keep a flexible travel itinerary
While planning ahead can help you cram as much fun as possible into your backpacking adventure, the accidental, right place right time, spur-of-the-moment experiences are usually some of the best.
As such it’s wise to have a bit of flexibility and wriggle room in your schedule. If a super fun group at your hostel invites you on a day trip, you want to be able to say yes. If you find someone you really connect with, you also want to be able to tweak your plans so that you can keep travelling together.
5. Get a social job
If you’re a working holiday maker on a 417 or 462 visa, you can fund your Aussie adventures by taking jobs as you travel. And if you’re also looking to make a few buddies while you work, it’s best to target certain jobs and avoid others.
Some jobs are simply more social. Hospitality work in restaurants, cafes, bars and hostels is the most obvious example, but even fruit picking can be a really social job, particularly when you live with other backpackers on-site.
Office jobs, sales roles and cleaning positions, on the other hand, offer limited opportunities to socialise, while the remoteness of cattle station and mining work can limit your opportunities to party.
6. Jump on a backpacker tour
By keeping a group of backpackers together for a day, a weekend, or weeks at a time, an organised tour is a great way to get to know people on a deeper level than you otherwise might. The adventures and experiences you share will also mean you’ll have a lot to talk about!
Music and arts festivals like Splendour in the Grass, Dark Mofo and the Adelaide Fringe are also fantastic places to make fast friends with travellers.
7. Learn a skill
If you find someone with similar interests, it’s a good indication that you’ll get along, so ask around to see whether anyone would be interested in taking a class with you: things like a photography or cooking class, surfing lessons or a PADI certification.
How do I make friends while backpacking in Australia?Not only do the classes themselves help you form a bond with your fellow travellers, you’ll also have a new set of skills to refine, which can create even more opportunities to hang.
