3 Ways to meet people in your new city

Moving to a new country is a scary thing to do. It’s even more so if you don’t know anyone where you’re moving to. And let’s be honest – the older you are, the harder it becomes to make new friends.

Here’s the thing, though – establishing a new social circle doesn’t have to be hard. Thanks to online communities, you can easily connect with people in your new city.

To get you started, we’re sharing three platforms that lets you make new connections in the real world. While Internations connects expat specifically, Meetup and Facebook groups creates opportunities to meet just about anybody in your area.

1. Internations

Internations is the ‘largest international community for people who live and work abroad’.

Roughly 6 000 events and activities are held monthly in 420 cities across the world where expats get to meet other internationals in their city. This creates opportunities for networking, connecting with like-minded people, and exchanging tips about living in the country.

In Australia, you’ll find Internations communities in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.

2. Meetup

The first message you see on Meetup’s website is ‘The people platform – Where interests become friendships’. It couldn’t be simpler either! All you have to do is create a free account. Once you’re set up, you can search for groups in your area. You’ll find groups covering a wide variety of interests, ranging from fitness and career development to the arts and the outdoors.

You can join as many groups as you like, and if you can’t find a group about a specific interest, you can start one.

Meetup groups exist all across Australia. You can see the full list on Meetup.

3. Facebook groups

Facebook introduced a brand-new way to connect with friends to the world. You can join neighbourhood groups, sports clubs, parent groups, industry communities, and expat groups to meet people.

Finding groups is as easy as typing what you’re looking for in the search bar. For example, try ‘running clubs near me’. You’ll immediately see a list of clubs in the immediate area.

Why wait? Connect with a local group today. Even if it makes you uncomfortable! At the very least, you’ll get to try something new. But chances are you’ll make a bunch of new friends. It’s a win-win if you ask us.