{"id":11722,"date":"2019-11-26T21:41:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T21:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/?p=11722"},"modified":"2019-11-26T21:41:12","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T21:41:12","slug":"7-easy-to-implement-social-tips-for-the-nomadic-introvert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/7-easy-to-implement-social-tips-for-the-nomadic-introvert\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Easy-to-Implement Social Tips for the Nomadic Introvert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Traveling (solo) is a perfectly normal desire and pursuit, but it can be a little stressful \u2013 especially if you\u2019re an introvert. Being introverted myself, I know how crucial it is to have your social needs met through human interaction, while maintaining your sanity with long stretches of solitude. Striking this balance can get a little trickier when you\u2019re traveling. <\/span><\/p>\n

The following seven tips have helped me a lot during my nomadic periods\u2014I hope they help you, too.  
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  1. Find a practice to calm yourself in anxiety-inducing social situations.<\/b> Remember that most of the people you\u2019ll meet when traveling are in the same boat as you \u2013 they\u2019re nervous, a little lost, and just looking for meaningful conversation and experiences. When you remember that other people are just as caught up in their heads as you are in your own, the whole process gets a lot easier. Of course, this is easier said than done, and anxiety has a way of skewing your perception in social situations anyway. If this happens, I\u2019ve found that creating a mantra with which to steady yourself is <\/span>extremely <\/span><\/i>valuable. Something that I\u2019ll often repeat to myself<\/span>: my perspective is only one half of this experience<\/span><\/i>. 

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  2. On select travel days, start and end your day early.<\/b> A new city in the early hours of the morning is an introvert\u2019s paradise. The air is fresh, the streets are peaceful, and the early-morning sun illuminates things you might miss in the afternoon bustle. Once, I woke up at 5 a.m. and spent the morning walking around Amsterdam: the canals were like mirrors, the pale morning sun made the buildings glow, and the entire city smelled like baking bread. Mornings are special and beautiful, no matter where you are. Plus, ending the day early means you don\u2019t have to worry about bars or hostel common areas\u2014places that can be pretty scary for an introvert. 

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    \"Friendly
    Should your travels take you to Doha, Qatar, keep an eye out for this friendly mixologist.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. That being said, <\/span>don\u2019t let your introversion prevent you from enjoying the nightlife<\/b>\u2014hence <\/span>select <\/span><\/i>travel days.  Just like the early morning reveals hidden treasures, so too does the late night. Bars, however, can be scary places for us introverts, <\/span>especially <\/span><\/i>when we\u2019re traveling solo. A tried-and-tested trick to make them a little less terrifying: sit at the bar! Bartenders are always down to chat, and can offer valuable local tips. You might even get a free shot out of it! 

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  4. Find places to recharge<\/b>. My personal favorites: churches, libraries, and parks. These are places where it\u2019s socially acceptable to sit by yourself quietly, journaling, people-watching, or reading. (Here\u2019s a book rec for the traveling introvert, while we\u2019re at it: Olivia Laing\u2019s <\/span>\u201cLonely City\u201d<\/span><\/a> explores the oft-misunderstood concept of loneliness and its hidden, redeeming qualities.) Bonus: churches, libraries, and parks tend to be pretty beautiful places. 

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    \"The
    Not all libraries are as modernly striking as Seattle Public Library’s Central Branch, but any major city’s central branch should be well worth a visit.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
  5. Join a local guided walk<\/b>. Guided walking tours are an introvert\u2019s haven. Not only are they fun, informative, and often free, they\u2019re also filled with other solo travelers. If you don\u2019t feel like talking, it\u2019s perfectly acceptable to stroll along peacefully, while having the benefit of being surrounded by people. Also, guided walks often offer nighttime counterparts in the form of group pub crawls\u2014another way to get your late-night kicks, if you\u2019re not super into the idea of solo bar-hopping. I\u2019ve participated on free, guided walking tours in <\/span>Copenhagen<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Amsterdam<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Melbourne<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>London<\/span><\/a>. Virtually every city has one. 

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    \"Group
    <\/em> Ah, the warm-up stage.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  6. Try a meet-up app<\/b>. A couple of years ago, some friends of mine started <\/span>Friend Theory<\/span><\/a>\u2014an app that connects you with your friends of friends all over the world. You\u2019d be surprised at the amount of connections you have, in the most arbitrary corners of the globe. (Turns out I\u2019ve got three friends of friends in Tahiti, of all places.) Friend Theory is perfect for the inevitable moment you\u2019ve had enough solo recharge time, and are in need of some social nourishment\u2014but you don\u2019t necessarily want to hang out with a total stranger. Plus, when you meet up, you\u2019ve already got a guaranteed ice-breaker\u2014your mutual friend. Some other meet-up app options: <\/span>Meetup<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Bumble BFF<\/span><\/a>, or <\/span>Friender<\/span><\/a>.  
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    <\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":11737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-smarts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Social-tips-traveling-introverts.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}