How to find people to travel with when friends can't go
Finding reliable travel companions is difficult because friends often flake or relationships end, leaving solo travelers stranded. This forces people to either constantly search for new travel groups or give up traveling entirely to avoid going alone.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Traveling aloneDid this help you?
- 2Joining organized group toursDid this help you?
- 3Staying in social hostelsDid this help you?
- 4Going on free walking tours and day toursDid this help you?
- 5Finding digital nomad or travel groups on Facebook and WhatsAppDid this help you?
- 6Vetting the group dynamic informally through the inviting friendDid this help you?
- 7Asking about the itinerary, rooming arrangements, and specific activities beforehandDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I love everything about the process and experience of traveling, but I’ve always had to do it alone. I’m 22m and planning a trip to Sydney, Australia in the summer but I can’t find anyone who wants to tag along, anyone know of any ways I can meet people interested in traveling together or organizations or what not?”source ↗
“I put off traveling for years because friends would flake our, or relationships would end, or whatnot.”source ↗
“If I had to always wait for someone to go with me, then I'd never go at all.”source ↗
“My main concern is that the other friends don't really want a stranger to join, and its just my friend who wants me to join him.”source ↗
“I was just wondering whether it was awkward and was the person lowkey left out of conversations or does travelling make it easier to become close friends”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Where to find small group tours longer than three weeks
- 2Finding firsthand travel info for non-tourist routes
- 5Swiss Alps vs Dolomites for a multi-day hike
- 4How to find walkable small towns with nearby hiking and open water views
- 3Kid-friendly international travel recommendations from real parents
- 8Where to solo travel for warm beaches and good nightlife