How to Meet People when Traveling Alone

When you're traveling the highways and byways of the planet, if you're going it alone and desire some company, I've discovered one way to meet people is to book several overnight stays at a hostel. Why a hostel? Well, the atmosphere is casual and there's bound to be someone you can hook up with; global travelers of all ages visit hostels on a regular basis, so there's no telling who you might meet. Anyway, an overnight stay can run as low as $12 a bed. Compare that price to any roadside lodge.

For the uninitiated, a hostel (technically these lodges are known as youth hostels, but age restrictions have been lifted in most cases) is generally a dormitory-style lodging facility providing an inexpensive place to sleep and shower (four to twelve people per sleeping room, depending on your budget), with many facilities offering a variety of services such as laundry amenities and public kitchens. And how did this form of budget lodging begin? Strangely enough, it was through the ideology of the German Youth Movement and the concept of inner city youths participating in wooded outdoor activities; for the most part, these youths managed their own living quarters. A century later and the concept has been fine tuned to offer a budget stay like no other. The type of hostel you choose can be as varied as the place you visit too.

When I vacationed in the Los Angeles area, Hostelling International (HI) was my choice of venues. HI is 4000 hostels strong in over 60 countries and this particular location offered two hundred plus rooms in a modern facility with most of the conveniences of home. Situated not two blocks from the beach in Santa Monica, at $18 a night, one couldn't go wrong.