🇬🇧 Apps for nomads to make new friends

This week I read a survey where they evaluated about 60 countries from the expatriates’ point of view and classified them according to some criteria. You can access the survey at https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/2021/best-and-worst-places-for-expats-40108

Some countries are admittedly difficult to make new friends, and this was one of the factors assessed. A factor that contributed to some countries having a bad position in the ranking.

Each person’s experiences in a place tend to be different, as well as their motivations. Italy was ranked as the second worst country in this survey and I know people who love Italy, have lived there for many years and have no intention of leaving the country.

In another text I will talk about the motivations to move to a new place. Today I want to talk about applications that can be useful for meeting new people when we move to another city or another country, as this helps a lot in adapting.

First I’ll comment on some that I’ve already tested.

I've been using the internet since 1999, so a lot of things I've used to meet people, even long before social media, doesn't even exist anymore or isn't as used as it was twenty years ago. I won’t talk about those.

So, the first suggestion is Couchsurfing. I used this application after moving to Curitiba and some people met regularly in the city, often taking travelers who were in the city. The main goal of the CS is that people can exchange ideas with natives when they travel, since the natives always know the city better, knowing interesting things to do that go beyond those traditional tourist routes.  And, in this exchange of information, it is possible to stay at the platform members’ home or accept travelers at your home. Hence the name Couchsurfing. Each person offers their sofa or guest room for a traveler to stay without paying anything, but preferably with a cultural exchange. It is not mandatory to host or be a guest. The cool thing is that we can meet people who like to travel and are more open to new friendships in the place where we are living.  I haven't used the platform in a while, but I recommend it.

Following, social networks. Finding Facebook groups of expatriates or even groups of natives with common interests is possible. It is also possible to find people who live in that city where you are through other networks such as YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok. And from common interests, opportunities can arise to have a coffee or take a walk in some interesting place in the city and start what can become a friendship.

The third suggestion is an application called Tandem, to practice languages. I suggest this for those who are in a country with a different language and for those who are studying a language to go and live in a certain country where this is the official language. It is an application to practice languages, but there is the option to mark the profile if you are interested in meeting people in person. And from this mutual support with languages, a friendship can emerge.

The next suggestions I never used, but they seem to be valid ways to meet people and start friendships.

• EatWith: a platform to gather people for dinner. I registered there a few years ago, but I didn't find anything happening in Curitiba, so I can't say how the experience is. Maybe it works better for big cities (in Brazil, I always saw activities in São Paulo). Perhaps it has changed and there are people from more places nowadays. Seems interesting.
• Pingle: I haven't used it yet. The proposal is to bring people together to do something together. If I got it right it could be dinner, a bike ride through a park, various things not necessarily related to food. I discovered this app in a video about Sweden, so I don't know the geographical scope of it either. The proposal is interesting.
• TravellingSpoon: It also revolves around food, but here you can take classes on how to prepare something and even a tour of the market for the chef to give tips on buying the ingredients, in addition to the meal.  A chance to meet other people who enjoy cooking.

From a global perspective, these are my suggestions at the moment. Getting out of the virtual world and finding ways to meet people in the real world on courses, at the gym or taking a walk with your dog around the neighbourhood are also options.

If you have other suggestions, in apps or occasions in your city or country that people are more open to meeting other people and making friends, comment below.

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 Nycka, the Nomad

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