As the adage goes, truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. If you’re planning to relocate soon, this is something you’ll probably go through. For that reason, before you move, you should learn more about how to make friends in a new state.
Whether you’re moving for love, excellent job opportunities, or relocating after college, one of the crucial questions is how to adjust to a new town and overcome moving stress. The answer is simple – get out of your comfort zone, be proactive, and you can reach many interesting individuals. Well, it’s much easier said than done. Luckily, we’ve prepared a list of tips on how to cope with moving away from family and old companions. Whether you’re moving to the East Coast or looking forward to relocating to the West Coast, making friendship is the same process everywhere, more or less. And it’s up to you to choose how to connect with potential pals and improve your social life.
If you’re wondering how to make buddies when you move and whether you’ll need months or maybe a year to find what you’re looking for, there’s no universal answer. Truth be told, you can get some interesting and useful words of advice during relocation. Your long-distance movers could be an excellent source of information in terms of your new state, city, local eateries, activities, and all other moving hacks related to your fresh start and prospective home.
Although researching your prospective place and neighborhoods should be among the things to do before moving, sometimes you just don’t have enough time to do all pre-moving tasks, from organizing a garage sale to obtaining proper packing supplies. Yet, be cautious when it comes to choosing a moving company. Your cross country moving company should be experienced, professional, and reliable so that your long-distance move could go smoothly. Removal experts have enviable experience not only in the moving and packing process but also in interpersonal relationships. What to say when someone is moving to another state?, is an excellent question to start a discussion. Ask them, and they will tell you how long it takes to adjust to a different environment, what steps you should undertake, and stop feeling like a newbie.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to become an expert for friendship, but if you overcome your fears and pick community instead of isolation, your network will grow faster than you imagine.
Intercepting strangers on the street and trying to communicate is not quite a fruitful method to form friendships. If you want something more productive and efficient, your old pals can help you. Ask your current buddies if they know anyone in the place you just moved to. You’ll be surprised that some of them actually know some folks or recommend you to connect with them. If you’re lucky, you should be able to get a few contacts, which is great to start.
Whether your goal is to learn another language or take up a hobby that inspires you, you can gain interesting and various types of connections. Researches showed that making friendships is much more comfortable in groups that gather people with similar interests. You can interact easily, and because classes (or courses) are held several times a week, you can maintain connections more naturally.
When moving away from the family and home, some people find their comfort in reading books. If you’re one of them, a local book club can become your favorite spot. The possibility to immerse yourself into some other worlds and stories might be a healing method to conquer relocation depression. At the same time, you’ll have a chance to get to know kindred souls. Discussing your favorite book or writer is an excellent starting point for a lifetime friendship. And if some of your reasons to move had an emotional background, this might be a perfect way to find your significant other. Moving for a relationship is something you can’t plan, but your life in a new state will become much simpler and meaningful if it happens.
If you’re a sports-type and like a healthy life, you won’t be alone in another city. Simply put, joining a fan club is one of the greatest and easiest ways to reach buddies and become part of the sports enthusiasts group. These clubs are already on the Internet, and you just have to go online, find your favorite one, and join. And if you’re relocating to a bigger city, you’ll have plenty of possibilities to participate in all kinds of activities and connect with others who share similar interests with you.
In addition to amateur sports leagues or yoga classes, the Internet is an excellent place for building connections when you’re a newcomer. Whether you’re looking for volunteer opportunities or cultural events, it has it all. Be creative, and try to think about different ways that suit you the most to meet potential buddies.
If you’re moving to a different climate, the Internet might be exactly what you need initially. Sometimes, cold weather or tropical heat is not suitable for sightseeing, exploring your neighborhood, getting to know someone and continuing the conversation in a cozy and warm pub. So, the Internet jumps in here to simplify your life. We’ve singled out only some of the ways, and it’s up to you to broaden the list as you please.
There are several free apps available to connect you with potential pals. You can try some of the following:
These apps are perfect for breaking the ice when you don’t know how to reach kindred souls. Just keep in mind that, after you connect with someone online and arrange a meeting in person, always choose public places and avoid night gatherings, for your safety.
Some apps provide you with a chance to connect with your exercise partner and to stay fit and active at the same time. If you like running, swimming, or maybe extreme sports such as parachuting or mountain biking, an app such as Workout Buddies can help you never workout alone again.
No matter if it’s a small town or a bustling place, every city has community events you can attend and encounter interesting locals. Thanks to apps like Eventbrite or Nearify you can easily find out what’s going on and plan your future weekends. Upcoming concerts, food festivals, or cultural events are all excellent local happenings with great vibes and tons of friendly folks in the mood to laugh and socialize.
If you’re the type of person who likes to be surrounded by people with the same aspirations and interests, Meetup is a perfect app for you. It offers various activities near you browsed by different categories, such as outdoors and adventure, health and wellness, photography, language and culture, LGBTQ, food and drink, music, film, etc. With so many options, you’ll definitely find something that grabs your attention. Be sure that you’ll connect with many others looking at the same things as you: to learn something new, find support, and get out of their comfort zones.
If you’re moving with pets, your chances to connect with someone who has a dog will increase significantly. Your furry buddy will help you effortlessly find a soulmate. You just need to walk your pet in some city parks, and other dog owners will start a conversation. It’s even better if you’re moving with a kid and dog together. Children are spontaneous and usually reach others much easier than adults. So, let your youngest do this first step instead of you, giving you the possibility to have a pleasant company in the playground while your child enjoys the features.
If you’re not lucky enough to relocate because of moving a business to another state, don’t fall into despair. Becoming a part of native nonprofit and charity organizations is not only the noblest way to establish connections but an excellent starting point to turn your professional dreams into reality. Whatever your interests are, from taking care of animals or children without parental care, you never know who you can meet and get an offer to turn your volunteer work into a full-time occupation. And even if that doesn’t happen, helping individuals or animals will make you feel satisfied and fulfilled.
Perhaps one of the most uncomfortable things to do as a newcomer is going out to dinner solo. Still, it might be one of the best activities you can do in order to draw attention and start some beautiful friendships. But, to do that, you need to sit at the bar instead of a restaurant table. This way, conversation with someone next to you will be spontaneous and natural, because there are no barriers.
Another great gathering spot is farmers’ markets where local producers sell healthy and delicious goods. If you enjoy healthy eating and prefer home-made food, this will become your favorite place to spend weekends searching for quality products. If you’re occupied with moving into an apartment and have no money to spend on restaurant meals and fast food, purchasing at these markets will save your dimes and help you supply your body with all the necessary nutrients. These places have one more advantage also: they gather amazing folks who share the same thoughts about healthy food as you. So, you can rest assured that you’ll find common themes very soon.
We all know that making friendships was the easiest thing in the world during high school or at college. You were surrounded by coevals with similar interests and the time you used to spend together was seven or more hours every day. But, as you get older, especially if you’re a man, your male friendships are rare and not so strong as earlier. Why does this happen? It might be due to your occupation with work, need to spend time with family, or just because you have too many worries to continue regular hanging outs like you used to.
After you relocate to another place, things might get even worse. Or, maybe better, depending on your character and expectations. Some guys can see a fresh start as an opportunity to start another chapter in their lives and meet other “football buddies” or “drinking buddies.” The tips that can help you increase your chances of making friendships as a newbie are similar to those we already mentioned. Besides local events or joining local clubs, there are some additional suggestions you can take into consideration, such as:
As you can see, building your connections in unfamiliar surroundings requires patience and time. Still, it’s not hard to meet someone in every corner of the city or your office. The more challenging part is to follow-up on the connections you’ve established. Since friendships take time to build, you shouldn’t be frustrated if some methods are not as effective as you expected. Still, don’t give up. Be proactive after your long-distance move, show genuine interest in your new connections, and arrange an in-person meeting once in a while. Your health and lifestyle will thank you.
