Methods to Use Fb Teams to Meet Different Vacationers

Keep in mind Couchsurfing? It was an internet site that allowed you to stick with locals (totally free) and all the time had a plethora of occasions and meetups you possibly can attend regardless of the place you have been on the planet. It was among the best methods to fulfill locals and vacationers on the highway. It was one in every of my favourite websites.

Just about everybody on the workforce right here used it loads through the years. My Director of Content material, for instance, was not solely an avid traveler who went on a number of multi-day journeys with strangers due to Couchsurfing, however he was additionally a bunch, and he was even featured in a calendar they made one 12 months!

I used it to remain in locations like Copenhagen, London, Oxford, Munich, Broome, Paris, Osaka, Athens, and so forth and so forth. I imply, I cherished it. I met individuals in cities like Lyon simply to hang around, did meet-ups in NYC, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and so many different locations.

However ever because the website began charging round 2013, after which instituted a paywall throughout the pandemic, fewer and fewer individuals have used it. Today, it’s a shell of its former self.

Whereas researching the newest version of my guide on finances journey (popping out in March 2025!), I rejoined Couchsurfing to see how lively it was, and even within the largest metropolitan facilities, there have been barely just a few dozen lively profiles throughout the earlier month. For instance, London confirmed 229,457 whole hosts however solely 896 lively hosts within the final six months — and solely 496 lively throughout the final month. That’s a giant, massive distinction!

It’s an actual disgrace as Couchsurfing actually modified the best way individuals traveled. It was as ubiquitous as Lonely Planet!

So, with Couchsurfing (and comparable web sites) fairly lifeless, the place does one go to fulfill individuals now?

Reply: Fb — which is truthfully the final place I’d have thought, as a result of, properly, it’s Fb, and most youthful vacationers don’t use it as a lot as TikTok or Instagram. In any case, Fb additionally has a well-deserved repute because the place your aunt posts memes or your loopy cousin rants about racist stuff.

However, every time I signal into Fb, I preserve seeing posts from all types of teams in my feed, with individuals searching for journey buddies: backpacking Europe, backpacking Australia, digital nomads in (insert vacation spot), discover a journey buddy…the checklist of teams goes on and on.

I used to be skeptical of them at first, as a result of after I took a deeper have a look at the posts, it all the time felt like they have been simply sleazy guys hitting on younger ladies and AI-generated woman accounts designed entice somebody. “Hello I’m Anna from US seeking to journey dm me” doesn’t strike me as one thing an precise particular person would say.

Whereas female-only teams have been a reputable solution to meet individuals for a very long time (Ladies Love Journey being one of the crucial well-known), the mixed-gender ones all the time felt a bit of sketchy. However they saved popping up in my feed.

So I seemed into them extra rigorously to see in the event that they actually have been spammy. Whereas there have been many pretend profiles and creepy dudes (sorry, guys, however it’s the web, and there are tons of these), generally I did come throughout actual individuals who appeared usually considering assembly others, nonetheless few and much between they have been.

Are these teams actually a great way to fulfill individuals? There was just one solution to discover out.

I used the group Discover a Journey Buddy whereas in Europe and posted a few of my tentative plans. I obtained a whole lot of responses and direct messages, which was fairly overwhelming.

A variety of it was spam: individuals telling me to return go to them in India (I’m posting about Europe), individuals sending me hellos, just a few marriage proposals, and a few actually inappropriate feedback. (Facet observe: if I get these sorts of responses, I can solely think about what it’s like for girls, who I usually see edit their posts to ask individuals to cease approaching to them. Fairly unhappy.)

However I waded by way of all of the junk and ultimately discovered actual individuals to fulfill up with. In the long run, I solely met just a few of them, as both my plans shifted or theirs did. However the interactions I had have been actually nice.

I had an superior evening out in Freiburg, Germany, with a gaggle of oldsters, and one other with an Italian woman and her mates in Amsterdam. Every time, they took me round to locations I wouldn’t have seen in any other case, and I obtained to fulfill locals. It was a great way to make new mates and discover individuals to speak to.

Although it’s important to wade by way of lots of rubbish, I feel these teams are nice, particularly in case you are touring alone. Whereas I don’t have the persona to go on a multi-day journey with a stranger, I did love the power to fulfill individuals as I traveled.

In case you’re wanting to make use of them, listed below are some strategies to reduce (however not eradicate) the rubbish replies:

1. Be particular about the place you’re going and when (in any other case, individuals will spam ya with “come go to X!”).
2. Ask individuals who reply to be particular about themselves.
3. Be clear about what you’re searching for (age, type of journey associate, gender, and so on.)

My present favourite teams are:

From there, for security, I’d extremely suggest wanting on the profiles of respondents to verify they’re actual and solely meet in public locations. Past that, have enjoyable! These teams won’t be as straightforward to make use of as Couchsurfing was, however at the least there’s something lately that will help you meet locals and different vacationers. I’m now a believer in and fan of those teams and will certainly be utilizing them extra on future journeys.