How To Meet People In A New City
How to meet people in a new city!
It can be the most daunting thing ever; moving to a new place. Not only do you have to learn how things work and make money in a different setting, but you’ll also have to find new friends to be with.
One might think because you’re moving to a place with millions of people, it should be soooo easy to meet new friends, right? As you may know already, that’s not always the case! It doesn’t take into consideration about how “cold” a city may be (in terms of friendliness and reception). Or the fact that the city life can keep you so busy, making it hard to find time to meet new people.
Well, I’ve been through all that and I can give you my experiences and wisdom on making friends in a new city. That’s what we’ll be talking about today!
In this post, I’ll give you 5 tips on how to meet people in a new city. Being a city boy myself, I know how difficult it can be. But by implementing these strategies, you’ll find it a lot easier to meet new friends and feel comfortable in your new city you’re living in.
Without further ado let’s get started!
1. Take the initiative.
Unfortunately, when you’re in a new city where you don’t know anybody, you’ll have to work a little harder than usual to find new friends. You cannot expect people to automatically want to be your friend right away, or at least find it easy (unless you’re super wealthy or attractive). You’ll have to take the initiative and try your best to meet new people.
What do I mean by this? It means taking the initiative when it comes to social interactions. For example, if you meet someone at a bar or at a social gathering, you should ask to hangout with them again (if you enjoy their company of course). Or hosting and starting your own get together with people. Or if someone invites you to a party or to an event, you try your best to say “yes” and attend, even if you may not feel like doing so. Because you never know when you’ll meet some awesome friends! I know I met some great friends in the most random settings.
There goes the saying, “It’s not you, it’s them.” But in this situation, it definitely could be you! What I mean is that if you’re giving off “closed” vibes whenever you’re meeting new people, then those potential friends are going to think you want nothing to do with them. And this will hamper your ability to make new friends.
If you find yourself doing any of these things while interacting with people:
- Short responses to when people ask you questions.
- Not asking questions about others and being genuinely interested about them.
- Not opening up about your life (not saying you have to be an open book, but you’ll have to let your guard down for people to warm up to you).
- Closed body language
- Being overly negative and pessimistic
You got to change it up! Be more open to socializing, ask questions, listen to others and most importantly, be motivated to meet new friends in a new place!
3. Go out to as many events as possible.
I know it’s definitely hard to find time to go out to social events when you’re living the city life. This is especially true when you’re in a new city and trying to adjust and setup your life in the new metropolis.
But at the same time, if you want to make new friends, you’ll have to make time for going out to social events and opportunities. Going out to an event like only once a month isn’t going to cut it! You should try to attend an event or social gathering at least once or twice a week if you’re looking new friends in a city. More often if you’re motivated.
There are so many types of events you can go, such as:
- Meetup events
- City events (e.g. festivals)
- Hobby-based groups (e.g. trading card games, hiking)
- Book clubs
- Sport clubs
4. Look for opportunities already in your life.
If you’re already in your new city, chances are you are doing something where you can meet new friends.
On top of going out yourself and taking your own initiative, you can take advantage of what you already have. This includes:
- Going out to work gatherings or connecting with co-workers in order to find more networking opportunities
- If you’re in school, taking part in clubs, groups and hanging out with your classmates.
- Looking for groups that are based on your hobbies in the new city you’re in.
This is definitely easier and more convenient than going out on your own, because it involves meeting people you may already know. So if you have these opportunities already available to you, take advantage of them!
5. It takes time.
Last but not least, I wanted to emphasize that going out gatherings, meeting new people, and establishing new bonds and friendships will take time. Moving to your new city certainly didn’t happen overnight, and neither will networking will be that quick. Don’t worry though, if you keep at it and give yourself more opportunities, you will meet great new friends in the city.
Bonus: learn the local language
This may not apply if you’re moving to a place within the same state/province or country. But if you’re moving to a new country that uses a different language, then you definitely got to learn the new language! While some locals will probably speak English, the only way to truly connect with them is by speaking their language. It will take some time, but you will have a much better time meeting new friends in a foreign city if you know how to speak their language.
Summary
To summarize here are the 5 tips on how to meet people in a new city:
- Take the initiative.
- Be more socially open.
- Go out to as many events as possible.
- Look for opportunities already in your life.
- It takes time.
And there you have it; 5 tips on how to meet people in a new city! I hope you found this post useful.
If you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comments below!
