Moving to A New City: A Guide for Making Friends

Moving to a new city or even country is an exciting time. You have so many new places to explore, sightseeing spots to visit, and restaurants to try. At the same time, it can be a daunting experience, especially if you don’t know anyone who lives locally. If you’re moving for a job, you will likely be able to socialise with your colleagues, but there are a multitude of other ways you can make friends to head off on adventures in your new town. Here are some top tips: Live with flatmates One of the easiest ways to meet people is by sharing accommodation with them. Most cities have a huge range of rooms for rent, and you can often arrange a meetup with your potential new flatmates in advance (whether in person or online via Zoom) in order to see if your personalities match. By living with other people, you’ll ensure you always have someone around to hang out with at home or explore new hotspots in your local area with. Join a meetup group Nowadays every big city has a wide variety of meetup groups you can join in order to make friends. Some are designed specifically for people who are new to the area, while others are centred around a shared interest. You can find organised excursions to popular attractions and sightseeing spots if you want something active, or casual pub sessions where people just chat and get to know one another. Try a new hobby Moving to a new city is a fantastic opportunity to reinvent yourself, so if there’s a hobby you’ve always wanted to try, it’s a great time to give it a go. Joining a class or hobby group is also a wonderful chance to meet people who you have at least one thing in common with. It could be anything from a book club to a language class, as long as you’re genuinely interested in it. The fact that working together and exchanging ideas is encouraged in these situations can make it easier to break the ice. Use an app Unsurprisingly, there is now a selection of apps available to help you make new friends. Some of the most popular ones include Hey Vina and Bumble BFF, which work in a similar way to dating apps, but you can also use standard social media platforms such as Instagram to reach out to people. It can be intimidating to put yourself out there, but the results can be well worth it – one simple message might just lead to a lifelong friendship! Volunteer If you want to have a positive impact on your new community at the same time as making friends, volunteering could be ideal for you. You can choose between a regular commitment or helping at one-off events, and most cities have a wide range of options available, from working in animal shelters to assisting at soup kitchens. In addition to meeting people, you’ll also develop some useful new skills that look great on your CV if you’re job hunting in your new location.