What’s the best way to meet new people while traveling?

When I travel I meet new people by chance. I don’t plan on going to meet people; I’m doing my own thing and let life just happen. I also don’t go out of my way to ignore anyone since I like to walk around a big city and in the crowds. If I have an interaction with people I will certainly do my best to have a conversation and we usually enjoy talking and part with a handshake and a smile.

No, I am not an arrogant, American a-hole; I have hearing loss and it makes it difficult to converse sometimes, especially in a noisy environment. Add in an accent and it’s worse. It is a major frustration because it is certainly interesting to talk with others in a new place but I really wish that the hearing loss was not a problem. But, with the translation tech on our devices (and now in AirPods Pro 3!), it can make it easier; I just never remember to use it but I can usually get by pretty good in most of western Europe since many speak some English.

That said, I have had some interesting experiences on trains in Europe, camping here in the US, Irish pubs, tourist sites, airports, even with border agents…anywhere where people gather. It has always been fun and I like the challenge…if it weren’t for the bad genes for hearing that I inherited.

Shawn