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Making New Friends In A New City
You've found a new job in a new city, country, or continent. You've also relocated and are wondering how your life will be in this new place. How about you start with the most straightforward option – making new friends? The good thing about making new friends is that they can help you with almost everything.
So, where and how do you begin? You'll have to remove yourself from your comfort zone, overcome your fears and take personal initiative. You'll probably need to say "yes" more often. It's not a walk in the park since you will meet all types of people. Some will be friendly, while others will be rude and unapproachable. This is why you need proven strategies to get acquaintances faster. Keep reading for some of these strategies.
Tips For Making New Friends When In A New City
There are many ways to make friends whenever you find yourself in a new location. However, you need to understand the best and most reliable strategies. They are as follows:
Use Friends of Friends
One excellent way of making more friends is by making use of your friends. Let your friends know that you’re relocating. Inquire from them if they know anyone in the city you’ve just relocated to. This will help you gain a few friends.
Another excellent way is to create a post on Facebook or any other social media site. Let them know you've relocated and ask for suggestions on places to visit and conduct meetups. To make more friends faster, create a social group where you’ll add all new friends. This way, your pals will help you increase your social circle within a short period.
Volunteer for a Reasonable Cause
One of the easiest ways to accomplish making a new friend in a new city is by joining groups with a noble cause. Volunteering is one case. It allows you to meet other individuals who share the same passion as you while giving back to society. Spending a few hours a month volunteering is fulfilling.
Depending on your views, interests, and hobbies, there are several ways to donate your time for a good cause. However, to make a difference, choose a cause that you’re passionate about. You can volunteer for:
- Culture and arts
- Assist during crisis or disaster
- Become a human rights advocate
- Support literacy and education
Shop at Local Businesses
Shopping is a great way to make new friends in a new city. Local business owners are always eager to serve visitors and new neighbours. For example, shopping at your town's small boutiques and eating out at restaurants allows you to build strong relationships with the business owners.
Visiting these establishments gives you a chance to meet other community members and potentially become friends.
Walk a Dog
Walking a dog is another excellent way of making new friends in a new city. People love animals. Hence it’s easy to start a conversation if you have a dog. If you’ve relocated with your dog, you can meet and befriend other dog owners at the dog park or public park.
If you don’t have one, you can get one from an animal shelter. Also, if there are no dog parks, you can take the dog for a stroll in a busy area such as downtown.
Use Mobile Apps
There are easy ways to make new friends without leaving your comfort zone. All you need is to look for like-minded individuals. To accomplish this, look no further than your mobile phone. There are many excellent mobile apps to assist you in making new friends in a new city. A popular example is MeetUp. It’s a website as well as a mobile app. Using it, you can get suggestions of possible locals with whom you share interests.
It operates in thousands of places, and all you need is to do a quick search on the platform. You can sort the suggestions according to hobbies, age, interests, and working styles. You can also search for communities and groups to join. One popular community is digital nomads, which have thousands of members worldwide. If no community exists, you can create your own!
Attend Local Cultural or Religious Events
Another easy method of meeting new people while having fun in a new city is by signing up for cultural events. Some of these events include concerts, art, and music festivals. The fact that festivals are communal, oriented on having fun, and frequently feature group activities make them ideal for making new friends in a new city.
Furthermore, you can easily make new acquaintances through religion. Taking part in the local church, mosque or synagogue allows you to meet and connect with a supportive community of like-minded people. If you are not a religious individual, then the best option is to join a local organisation – one whose culture reflects the culture in your community.
Visit a Museum, Zoo, Art Gallery, or Aquarium
Instead of pondering on how to meet new people in a new city, why don’t you get out of your home for a start? While this sounds easy to do, it’s not. For a start, begin spending time in public places. Spending time in aquariums, zoos, monuments, art galleries, and museums is a great way to interact with people while having fun.
Use Facebook Groups
The idea of being in a new city with no friends can cause anxiety. Being in a new city with no friends is difficult. You need to meet, interact and spend time with people to help lower the anxiety. An excellent way to make new friends when you move to a new city is by joining local Facebook groups.
Join an Amateur Sports League
In large cities, residents participate in various activities, which allow them to meet new friends and build meaningful connections and relationships. Sporting events, especially the amateur sports leagues, are a great way to meet locals. You can try tennis, volleyball, basketball, football or any other sport you find interesting. Attending these events will help you make new friends and have fun at the same time.
Use Dating Apps
You can try to use dating apps like Tinder to find new friends. However, this option only works if you are comfortable with the idea of meeting strangers. If you choose this particular method, then you will want to let them know that you are in it for friendship and nothing more. For your own safety, your first meetings should be in public places.
Learn a Foreign Language
In a new city, starting foreign language classes is a great way to make new friends. It is even easier to make new acquaintances if you join group studies rather than having private coaching.
You can opt for physical or online learning. Online learning can still be interactive if you make your decisions wisely. Some institutions offer online classes and have online communities where all students interact and share knowledge. Attending these classes provides a unique opportunity to make new friends naturally and effortlessly. You can search for these institutions on the internet or ask coworkers for recommendations.
Become a Valued Member of a Sports Fan Club
Do you enjoy hanging out with your coworkers? If yes, then this presents you with an opportunity to make new friends. If your coworker plays a team sport, then you can easily join them and hopefully meet new people.
A fan club works the same way. You can join members of your preferred fan club whenever they meet. For instance, you can watch games together in a local joint or even in the stadiums. This might end up being one of your favourite groups to hang out with.
Join a Gym or Yoga Studio
If you love workouts and meditations, then the best place to make new friends might be at the gym or yoga studio. While the gym will help you stay fit and remain in shape, it’s an excellent way to be social. As you begin to meet new people regularly, you’ll become more comfortable starting up conversations. It might only take a few sessions before you start making friends. Your gym instructor might even end up being your best friend.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Your first few weeks in a new city can pay off well. However, this might be very exhausting if you’re moving to a new city to start a new job. You just might be tempted to just stay at home and watch some TV shows and movies. However, this will not make you new friends. You need to get out of your comfort zone, go out there, and meet people. Accept invitations to events like weekend parties.
You can also request coworkers to add you to existing WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels. From there, you will create strong connections with some of the members of the groups. Before you know it, you might move from just being online friends to meeting offline for some more profound connection.
Join an Art Class
Probably one of the simplest methods to meet new people is by trying different programs. Some of your classmates automatically become your friends as time passes. You can try out any of the many art classes.
Art students have a greater need to express themselves and hence are more open to making new friends. Martial arts, creative writing, craft classes, photography, and paintings are good examples.
An excellent example is to join a dance class. If you appreciate amazing music and love being active, dance classes provide an excellent opportunity to meet new people. You can start taking singing gigs in pubs and events as you continue learning, hence making more friends.
Join a Book Club
Do you love reading? One of the advantages of reading is that it’s good for the brain as well as the overall emotional well-being of the reader. It's also a great way to meet exciting new individuals. So, try and join book clubs in your new city. Visit libraries and book renting stores or search online for book clubs.
With regular book discussions, you’ll find yourself with more friends than you can imagine. All it takes is to be an active participant. Generally, it’s a great way to build strong connections.
Visit the Farmers Market
Many cities and towns have a farmers market where local farmers can go and sell their fresh produce. Anyone who shops from these markets benefits the community. Some farmers have created social media pages to showcase their products as well as attract new customers.
If you prefer fresh food, going shopping at a farmers market is an excellent opportunity to meet new people. You'll have engaging chats with the local producers. You can also meet your neighbours and get to know each other as you shop. The farmers market provides an opportunity to meet, interact and befriend a diverse group of people.
Join Professional Networking Groups
Are you a business owner? If yes, joining a professional network is a great opportunity to meet new people and expand your social circle. The enthusiasm with which business owners and devoted professionals convey their interest is contagious.
If you don't run a business but are passionate about what you do and want to meet new people who share your passion, networking events are still an option.
Be a Good Neighbour
The first and most convenient area to make acquaintances is in your neighbourhood. All it takes is to be a good neighbour. In other words, be kind to them and available whenever your help is needed. Also, be respectful and show real interest in them, and you'll soon turn them into friends. In addition, remember to compliment your neighbours for any assistance they offer.
Invite Your Neighbours to a Housewarming Party
If you have relocated to a new city or town, you’ll realise nothing is as depressing as being surrounded by total strangers. Fortunately, these strangers can turn into familiar faces and subsequently friends if you put in the effort. Make an effort to meet your neighbours, interact with them and see if you can become friends with any of them.
To achieve faster results, organise a get-together and invite your neighbours to a housewarming party. This will allow you to know the kind of neighbours you have, and in the process, you may end up with a few friends.
How To Cultivate Strong Bonds
It’s important to cultivate strong bonds once you make new friends. One way of doing this is by being friendly. Another way is by staying in touch and probably having some coffee dates once in a while. However, this mostly depends on your level of confidence. Regardless, just try hard to make new friends.
Keep in mind that one thing you should never do is fake your personality. Some people do that just to fit into a group. But for how long will you fake who you are just to please these new friends? You’ll probably do it for a while before your true nature starts showing up. The best option is to stay true to who you are and keep striving. With time, you will meet people who appreciate you for who you are.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you overcome your fear of making friends. If you still struggle, then you can try other options, such as seeking professional advice. Professionals can take the time and hassle out of your move to keep you focused on what's important - making new friends.
