Escape Plan: Ditch The Rat Race, Discover The World, Live Better For Less | Meeting People On Your Travels
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Meeting New People Can Enrich Your Travelling Experience
One of the things you will undoubtedly and inevitably do is meet people on your travels whether it be the case where you’re on holiday or if you relocate and move to a new country. Doing so can change the experience you have in many positive ways while you are in new surroundings. Meeting people on your travels allow you to share experiences with others which sure as hell beats experiences on your own.
A recent experience of mine…
On a recent trip to Malta for example I met an American couple who sat next to me on a connecting flight into Malta from Frankfurt. They came up and said “Hello!” My initial thought was “uh-oh annoying chatty seat buddy!” I’m sure we’ve all had them and I feel bad even now prejudging this couple. The reason for this was they were really actually great people and it was a fun, interesting conversation and the 2.5 hour flight whizzed by. Once in Malta, we exchanged contact details, parted company and arranged to meet up for drinks or explore the island.
In the same trip, I found a lively bar by a bay, and set myself up with a drink to watch the North London derby (where as a life-long Spurs fan, and don’t hold that against me) saw them lose 1-0 to Arsenal. You can find lots of banter and like minded people here. In particular though, and in this one instance I got chatting to the bar girl, and again on a second visit. Walking in the street a few days later, she stopped me and said hello.
Breaking Out Of Your Comfort Zone…
While this is what island life can be like it can be quite easy to meet new people, make new friends in new surroundings if you’re prepared to break out of your comfort zone, and put yourself in new social situations, which as a shy person (such as myself) can be difficult but most certainly achievable!
Dependant on how long you’re in a place for making an effort to meet people, mixing with the locals should be seen as the one of the top things to do as a priority.
In Escape Plan: Ditch The Rat Race, Discover The World, Live Better for Less, Mark says:
“…For instance, if you go to a country for two months and spend the first couple of weeks doing the touristy things etc you’ll suddenly find yourself not making friends until it’s finally time to go. But if you gather your efforts and make those friends in the beginning, putting off all the touristy stuff and partying, then those new friends will enrich the entire two months you’re there.”
The keyword here that should resonate is enrich. Meeting new people can give you a whole new experience. Making friends with the locals can give you a better perspective on where to go, what to see, what not to see or even point you to some hidden gems that normal tourists may not hear about or come across. When I was in Majorca a few years ago, I met a Spanish family who I got on famously with and took me under their wing, invited me for dinner, told me about culture rich villages, quieter beaches away from the tourist traps, locals festivals etc.
Naturally, you might not be vacationing for two months but you can still make meeting new people a priority if you’re going somewhere for a week or two. The tourist sites, after all, will always be there.
“Hi!” and “Can I Come..?”
These two phrases perhaps can be a barrier to meeting new people, getting involved and acquiring great memories.
Before going into anymore details on this, how do you initially meet people is a good question to ask. Meeting fellow travellers on a plane, people in a bar watching a football game are examples I mentioned above. Both have something in common and something that Mark Manson mentions in Escape Plan: Ditch The Rat Race, Discover The World, Live Better for Less and that is shared experiences.
If you meet a fellow traveller on a plane, you have something in common, you’re both travellers and you’re both going to the same destination. If you’re at a bar watching a game, you’re both social people and / or both interested in sport for example.
Both can give you the opening to say something and introduce yourself. If you meet a fellow traveller or a local, it gives you the ability to extend the conversation and ask where they recommend going to, what good bars or restaurants there are etc. After a while of talking and getting to know people you might get invited to places and if not as Mark mentions simply get their contact details and keep in touch.
Sometimes the people you meet and talk to may tell you about places or events they’re going to in passing or in general conversation. In circumstances like this, it’s always worth being bold and asking “can i come along too?”. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and don’t ask, don’t get right? Over-thinking and being shy may deny yourself a fantastic experience.
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