What are the best hobbies to make friends abroad or while travelling?

You might recognise yourself in this. Your travels are great, you’re exploring new places, seeing new things, doing what you’ve always wanted to do. But something is missing. Connection to other people. Friendships. Someone to share the small things with, but also the harder moments.

Because even on an amazing trip, there are challenges. Lonely days. Doubt. Moments where you just want to talk to someone who gets it. And as we say in Dutch: shared suffering is half suffering.

I’ve been through this several times over the past few years. Starting over again and again in new countries and new places - from Japan, to India, to Australia, to New Zealand. Every time trying to make local friends, but also running into the same problems: most people already have their group, their routines, their lives.

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but I definitely learned some things along the way.

I started to notice patterns. Ways in which connection happened a bit more naturally to me. Ways to not just meet people, but to actually build something stronger than one conversation.

And one of the best ways for me was through hobbies.

Why a hobby?

Meeting people through a hobby is very different from just “trying to meet people”, or meeting people through apps. You’re not starting from zero. There’s already a shared interest - something you both care about, or are at least curious about. That makes conversations easier and less forced.

But there’s also something else happening. There’s quite a bit of research showing that people bond faster when they do activities together, especially ones that involve a bit of challenge, learning, or even mild discomfort. Think of it as a shared experience creating a shortcut to a friendship. You’re not just talking, you’re doing something together and you get to see another side of someone that doesn’t come out in a brief conversation.

And, another important factor in this is repetition.

Friendship is often not about one good conversation, but about seeing someone again. And again. Hobbies create that naturally. You show up to the same place, at the same time, and slowly people become familiar. It’s a very simple mechanism, really, but it works.

The hobbies I’ve developed over the past few years that allowed me to connect with people are climbing, birding, hiking and playing boardgames. But of course, there are many other ways. These are just the ones that worked for me.

Climbing

Climbing, especially bouldering, is one of the easiest ways (but perhaps also the most expensive of this list) I’ve found to meet people while travelling or living in a new place.

Indoor bouldering gyms have a very specific atmosphere. People are open, informal, often quite social (except maybe for the occasional hardcore climber). Different from climbing gyms: you don’t need a partner, which makes it very accessible. You can just walk in, rent shoes, and start.

And because you’re all trying the same routes, conversations happen naturally.

“Have you tried this one?”
“Did you figure out that move?”
“Can you reach that hold?”

It’s very low threshold. You don’t have to introduce yourself in a formal way. You just start talking (and often even forget about the introductions). This worked very well in Japan, where I sometimes wanted to connect even though I only stayed somewhere for one or two days.

After travelling for a while, I started climbing again in Perth and continued in Tasmania, and in both places I met people either naturally, or through Facebook groups. Not in a forced way, but just by being there regularly and by inviting people to practice their hobby with me. In the bouldering gyms you recognise faces, exchange a few words, and at some point you might end up climbing together. For the climbing gym I managed to find partners through Facebook. There are usually plenty of people looking for someone to climb with.

Outdoor climbing is similar to that, but also a bit different. It usually requires more planning, gear, and trust. But that also means the connections can become a bit deeper, a bit faster. You’re spending a full day together, often in nature, relying on each other.

Both have their own dynamic. Indoors is easy and accessible. Outdoors is more intentional.

Hiking

Hiking is a bit more unpredictable when it comes to meeting people, but it can still be a great way. On day hikes, you sometimes meet people along the way. Short conversations, shared views, maybe walking together for a bit. It doesn’t always lead to long-term connection, but it can. I met a lovely couple on a hike in Japan. We chatted, exchanged contacts to send each other pictures (always a good excuse) and later they invited me to come and visit them whenever I would be around their hometown. That’s three years ago, and we’re still great friends and touch base regularly. 

Multi-day hikes are (obviously) different from one day hikes. That’s where I’ve had some of the best conversations. At huts, campsites, shared kitchens. Everyone is a bit tired, a bit dirty, and a lot more open to talk about their day and experiences. There’s something about being in nature for a few days, especially when you really experience the elements, that strips things back.

I’ve experienced sharing food, stories, emotions, plans, playing games. Sometimes I hiked with others the next day. Sometimes I didn’t, or others didn’t want to, which is totally okay in the hiking scene. The interactions often feel very real and genuine. Maybe especially so because people have less of a filter after a long day of hiking.

There are also plenty of hiking groups, both online and offline. In many places, people organise day hikes or weekend trips together. That can be an easier entry point if you don’t want to go alone.

Birding

Birding is a slightly different hobby, but surprisingly social. There are a lot of birding groups and local communities that organise walks. Often early in the morning, sometimes in slightly random places. It can feel a bit intimidating at first though, especially if people are very knowledgeable.

But what I’ve found is that birders are generally very happy to share what they know. If you show interest, people will point things out, explain, and include you. And because you’re all looking for the same thing, there’s a shared focus. You don’t have to constantly talk. You can also just stand next to each other, looking at a bird, and that’s enough.

It’s a quieter way of connecting, but still a meaningful one. And it’s a great way to meet people again. There are so many ways to initiate another meetup:

“I’ve always wanted to see this bird, do you know where to find it and do you want to go together?”

“A bird has been sighted at X, want to go and check it out?” 

“There’s a new documentary about birds in the movie theaters, who wants to come with me?”.

And you can probably come up with some more. 

Boardgames

Boardgame days/nights, one of my favorite ways to meet people and immediately get an idea of their personality.

I can promise you that there will be interesting people, from all kinds of backgrounds, that will come to boardgame events. So there’s no worry about fitting in, the only personality trait you need is liking boardgames :).

Boardgames are structured, which can help if you’re not always the best at initiating conservations. You’re not just standing around trying to start a conversation, you’re playing something together, with clear rules and a shared goal. That takes away a lot of the awkwardness.

I’ve joined boardgame events in different places and it’s always been a mix of locals and internationals. Because games often take a bit longer, you naturally spend quite some time with the same people, which makes it easier to connect.

And again, repetition helps. If you go more often, people start to recognise you.

Other ideas

Of course, these are just examples. The same principle works for many other things.

Book clubs.
Language exchanges.
Yoga classes.
Surfing lessons.
Volunteering.
Community events.

Anything where people come together around a shared interest, and where you can show up more than once.

A final thought

Finding friends while travelling is not always easy. It can take time. And sometimes it just doesn’t click in a certain place. That’s okay! The most important thing is not to take it personally. It can be because of different cultures and rhythms, because you might just be unlucky, or travelling at a faster pace or slower pace than others.

For me, hobbies have been one of the most reliable ways to create connection when I was missing it. Sometimes when staying in one place for a long time, sometimes even just staying somewhere for one or two days.

You show up. You do something you enjoy. You meet people who enjoy the same thing and you might see the same people again. 

And that’s often how friendships start. And believe me, they can last for many, many years!