Making friends as an adult can hard. It becomes even harder when you’re  constantly on the move.

When I decided to become an adventure photographer, I didn’t think about what it implied for my personal life. I have both strengthened and lost friendships because of my career. It takes longer for me to text back, since I’m nearly always out of cell and internet service, and I’m frequently out of town for weeks at a time. Add a cross-country move to a new area where I know absolutely nobody, and it’s easily a recipe for social disaster.

Always traveling makes it hard for me to simply stumble upon friendships, and means that I need to be even more motivated to get myself out there and meet other friends!

With time I’ve found five key ways of making friends, with some help from the internet!

I USE HEY! VINA (DUH)

I think my favorite thing about Hey! VINA is that I don’t have to be home in order to check out awesome potential friends! I usually open it when I have some downtime, and I’ve had quite a few vina dates (and made some new friends) since I first joined. It’s probably been the biggest help in meeting people close to me! Plus, you can join the Jetsetters Community to find other gals who are always on the go like you!

INSTAGRAM IS MY BFF

I’m constantly posting pics on Instagram to document my travels, and it’s opened my eyes to a host of new potential friends. I’m sure we all have those fascinating people that we follow, who we may have never met in real life. If you silently dream of tagging along on their adventures, why not speak up? Leave some meaningful comments so they get a sense of who you are, and after a while send them a DM asking if they want to hang. Worse thing that can happen is they say no!

I JOIN WOMEN TRAVELER GROUPS

There is a great group that I recently discovered on Facebook, Girls LOVE Travel. Women from around the world talk about places they want to go, whether they’re going solo or looking for other gals to share the adventure. Reach out or browse through all the interesting posts and insight that they’ve gained through traveling. Finding women-centric groups about the things you love is super underrated.

MUTUAL FRIENDS

Sometimes I remember that a mutual friend lives where I’m going, or that my old friend from a while back will be in the area. There is no harm in asking to hang out and chat. It may be a little awkward in the beginning, but you could end up rekindling a friendship or creating a new one. Or, ask your existing friends if they know anyone where you’re going!

CHAT UP OTHER TRAVELERS

It’s not too hard to pick out other travelers when on the road. If, like me, you’re a little more hyper-aware that you aren’t a local, it’s easy to notice the same differences in others. Or maybe you’re camping somewhere remote where it’s clear that everyone’s on a trip. I’ve noticed how much more social people are when they’re on vacation. Often people want to get to know their fellow travelers, and discover why they chose the same place to explore. If you vibe with someone, ask to continue the conversation! Swap phone numbers or ask to be FB friends, you never know when you might cross paths again.

Even though it’s hard to make friends as an adult (and especially when you’re traveling), it’s not impossible. There are still awesome new vinas out there you can get to know. You just have to know where to look!