Socializing In Spain: A Guide To Making Friends While Traveling

Making friends when you’re traveling abroad is one of the best experiences that you’ll cherish as long as you live – the feeling of connecting with people half-way across the world and being able to find things in common gives you a sense of belonging and unity that makes you feel at home, no matter where you are.

The best part is that making friends when traveling or moving to a completely new region is a lot easier than you think – all you need to do is have an open mind and keep an eye out for the right opportunities.  In this article, we’re going to be talking about making friends when abroad, particularly if you’re in Spain, since it’s summer and most people love visiting and exploring Spain around this time of year. Without further ado, let’s dive right into it!

Rule number 1: Go out and meet people

Even if you’re a homebody who loves staying in as much as possible, make an effort to head out as much as you can, especially during the initial days of your stay.  Think of it this way – you can always stay indoors back home, but over here, it’s (possibly) the only chance you’re going to get to meet and interact with people from a completely new culture and background.

The best part about this is that once you make some friends, you’ll be able to explore the best parts of Spain along with them, rather than depending on Google maps and reviews to show you the way.

It may sound impossible if you’ve never made friends in a foreign country before, but all you really need to do is be friendly and approachable – this is a universal way of making friends with strangers anywhere in the world!  It could   also help to know a little bit of Spanish, since this would help you converse with them to a certain extent.

By and by, you’ll be able to pick up more of the language as you move around and interact with the locals, but until then, it would help to learn some of the basic vocabulary and phrases you’d need to know to introduce yourself and understand what’s going on around you.  You could consider learning the basics with the help of online tutoring courses such as Lingoda’s online Spanish class, which conducts classes for all kinds of learners who are looking to learning Spanish for specific reasons.

Don’t miss out on local events and festivals

Whether it’s a small book club meeting in a café that you happened to chance upon, or a festival or carnival that’s taking place during your trip, be sure to go there and strike up a conversation with those around you.

The best part about festivals and events is that most people come there to socialize and make new friends, so you needn’t feel awkward about approaching a group of people and introducing yourself to them.

Traveling and transport – a good time to socialize

Even if you don’t happen to make it to any big social event or gathering, there are other ways to make friends even in the middle of ordinary routines. For instance, you can make a number of friends while using public transport each day.

All you have to do is find a seat next to someone who seems open to having a conversation and let them know that you’re new and would like to know more about the place.  Ask a specific question like, “do you know a good marketplace in ____”, people always love sharing interesting information about their hometown with visitors and tourists!

Concluding thoughts

The people in Spain are known for their warm natures and great cuisine, so no matter how introverted, shy, or nervous you are about making new friends there, you needn’t worry too much because it’s going to be easy as pie! Happy journey!