How you can Use Fb Teams to Meet Different Vacationers

Keep in mind Couchsurfing? It was a web site that allowed you to stick with locals (without spending a dime) and at all times had a plethora of occasions and meetups you could possibly attend regardless of the place you have been on the planet. It was top-of-the-line methods to satisfy locals and vacationers on the highway. It was one in all my favourite websites.

Just about everybody on the group right here used it loads over time. My Director of Content material, for instance, was not solely an avid traveler who went on a number of multi-day journeys with strangers because of 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 beloved it. I met folks in cities like Lyon simply to hang around, did meet-ups in NYC, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and so many different locations.

However ever for the reason that web site began charging round 2013, after which instituted a paywall in the course of the pandemic, fewer and fewer folks have used it. Today, it’s a shell of its former self.

Whereas researching the most recent version of my e-book 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 a couple of dozen lively profiles inside 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 inside the final month. That’s a giant, massive distinction!

It’s an actual disgrace as Couchsurfing actually modified the way in which folks traveled. It was as ubiquitous as Lonely Planet!

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

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

However, every time I signal into Fb, I hold seeing posts from all kinds of teams in my feed, with folks in search of journey buddies: backpacking Europe, backpacking Australia, digital nomads in (insert vacation spot), discover a journey buddy…the listing of teams goes on and on.

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

Whereas female-only teams have been a respectable method to meet folks for a very long time (Ladies Love Journey being one of the well-known), the mixed-gender ones at all times felt somewhat sketchy. However they saved popping up in my feed.

So I appeared into them extra fastidiously to see in the event that they actually have been spammy. Whereas there have been many pretend profiles and creepy dudes (sorry, guys, but it surely’s the web, and there are tons of these), generally I did come throughout actual individuals who appeared typically eager about assembly others, nevertheless few and much between they have been.

Are these teams actually a great way to satisfy folks? There was just one method to discover out.

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

Plenty of it was spam: folks telling me to return go to them in India (I’m posting about Europe), folks sending me hellos, a couple of 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 ladies, who I usually see edit their posts to ask folks to cease approaching to them. Fairly unhappy.)

However I waded via all of the junk and finally discovered actual folks to satisfy up with. In the long run, I solely met a couple of 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 bunch of parents, and one other with an Italian woman and her buddies in Amsterdam. Every time, they took me round to locations I wouldn’t have seen in any other case, and I bought to satisfy locals. It was a great way to make new buddies and discover folks to speak to.

Though it’s important to wade via a whole lot 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 flexibility to satisfy folks as I traveled.

When you’re trying to make use of them, listed here are some solutions to reduce (however not eradicate) the rubbish replies:

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

My present favourite teams are:

From there, for security, I’d extremely advocate trying on the profiles of respondents to ensure they’re actual and solely meet in public locations. Past that, have enjoyable! These teams may not be as simple to make use of as Couchsurfing was, however no less than there’s something as of late 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.