How to make friends living abroad as a solo female: Your Ultimate guide

So you’re moving abroad and looking to meet people and make new friends? As a woman who has been living abroad solo for over a decade, I understand that friendships are your lifeline when you move abroad. A healthy friend group can be your key to unlocking a new language, building your community, mastering travel and even discovering new things about yourself! I’m not going to sugarcoat it, making friends living abroad isn’t easy. When I first moved abroad I spent just as much energy rebuilding my friendships as I did on language learning and my career. It was worth it! Now I’m moving to country number three and I want to help make friendships abroad easier for you. Here are my top tips on how to make friends living abroad as a solo female.

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BEFORE YOU MOVE ABROAD

ACTIVATE YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK

When I decided to move to Switzerland ten years ago, I didn’t know a soul. I’d only seen the town I was moving to on a map! The first thing I did was put up a Facebook post (it was 2014, OK!) saying I was moving to a small town outside of Zürich and asking if anyone I knew knew someone who lived there! My social network came through for me and this was how I was introduced to one of my first friends abroad, who I’m still close with to this day! She introduced me to a lot of new people who (you guessed it!) I’m also still in touch with. 

JOIN FACEBOOK GROUPS

Believe it or not, Facebook isn’t dead in 2025. In fact, if you use them wisely Facebook groups can be a wealth of useful information about meeting new friends living abroad as a solo female. 

The first thing I advise you to do is see if the city or town you’re moving to has a Girl Gone International Facebook group and if it does, join it and introduce yourself! GGI has chapters all over the planet and it’s usually full of positive women who are looking to socialize. From there, branch out! Chances are your area will have multiple Facebook groups for international people that you can join. Usually, these groups are a mix of activities, socializing, information and advice for foreigners who are new in town. 

tOP Tip for searching for Facebook groups

Use search terms like ‘your new city’ + expat/ international / English speakers. You can also reference your favorite activities + ‘your new city’. Join a few and see if you like the vibes.

A note of caution:

When it comes to making friends abroad, all Facebook groups are not created equal! Some are friendly and helpful, while others are toxic cesspools of negativity and complaining! It’s important to take bad opinions about your new location with a grain of salt and try to only listen to people who seem like they’re on your wavelength. Otherwise you will get psyched out by the people who are committed to being unhappy. If you run into a Facebook group that’s full of bad vibes, don’t take it to heart. Leave and join some different groups. You’ll find your people.

Use other types of social media to make friends abroad

Follow accounts and creators that share about daily life in your destination. These will also help you identify places you want to hang out and groups you’d like to join. Use social media to network and connect with other interesting people in your area before you move abroad.

THINK ABOUT WHAT MAKES YOU happy

Consider what makes your out-of-work life feel fulfilling and connected at home and research some similar groups and communities in your destination country before you move abroad. 

Do future you a favor! Work can become your entire life when you’re living abroad. Chances in those first few months of settling in, between figuring out your new job, setting up your utilities, and filling out those threatening forms in a foreign language from the local government, you are not going to have time to figure out where the best salsa dance lessons or yoga studios or Karaoke bars in your area are. 

When you find an organization, club, community, or even a bar or restaurant you think is cool, follow them! 

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS LIVING ABROAD AFTER YOU MOVE

FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE CONNECTIONS YOU MADE

If you’ve met someone nice on social media, reach out to them and set a coffee date! The longer you wait the more awkward it gets and you’ll run the risk of being forgotten about. When it comes to making friends abroad, consistency is key. Reach out, show up, and make plans even when you don’t feel like it. It will be worth it. 

JOIN GROUPS AND CLUBS

Use a platform like Meetup.com or Internations to find groups that are relevant to your interests! Whether it is fitness, cooking, museums, hiking, etc. chances are there’s a group for it. Internations also offers social meetups for mixing and mingling with other expats/internationals. Try a few out even if mingling with strangers isn’t your thing. Guess what, if you’re about to move to a foreign country… you’re going to have to make mingling with strangers your thing!

JOIN AN ENGLISH-SPEAKING THEATER GROUP

Hear me out! Even if you’ve got no interest in acting, English speaking theater groups are still a goldmine when you want to make friends living abroad! There are lots of jobs that don’t involve being onstage, costume and prop design, ushering and front of house, publicity, etc. 

Additionally, English-speaking theater groups often offer informal social nights for activities like play readings and improv. Theater groups are full of highly extroverted people who love to socialize, have a huge network of friends and want to take you along on all of their outings! 

Joining an English-speaking theater group was one of the best things I did for my social life abroad. Even when I didn’t have much time for it, it still gave me access to a vast network of friendly people who wanted to get to know me! 

TOP TIP FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY MAKING FRIENDS LIVING ABROAD

When I’m trying to make friends abroad and I’m going to a new group for the first time, I make a deal with myself: I’ll show up, put on the nametag, and if I mingle for an hour and get ONE new person’s contact info, I’ll consider the outing a success. Remember, the rules are different now that you’re making friends abroad. Give yourself an A for effort when you show up. And if you make a fool of yourself? Who cares! Nobody knows you anyway! 

TAKE CLASSES

You did your research about what makes you happy, right? Now it’s time to take a class at that cute yoga shala, hit up the ceramics studio, learn to tango, etc. Some of the fun of making friends living abroad is pushing yourself out of your comfort zone! 

VOLUNTEER

Pick a cause you care about and meet other big-hearted people who share your values! There are lots of different ways to use volunteering to make friends abroad. When I first moved to Zürich I volunteered to work the till at the social dance evenings at my local swing dancing club. Not only did it get me out and about, it was a great way to practice my German. 

LANGUAGE CLASSES

Language classes are a great way to make friends living abroad because they’re full of other people who are new in town and looking to connect. Bonus: you’ll meet other people to practice speaking with!

DATING APPS

Some dating Apps, (like Bumble BFF) offer settings to help you match with other people who are looking for friendship. Using dating apps is a great way to develop your social life when you’re living abroad. Even if you don’t meet The One, you’re still checking out cute cafes and bars and learning your way around a new city. Either way, it’s a win! 

MINDSET

When it comes to making friends living abroad, mindset is key. Don’t expect people to come to you and remember to count your wins! Most importantly, don’t compare your new life and your old life. It can be hard to feel proud of yourself for holding your own socializing in a cafe with a bunch of strangers for an hour if you compare it to how comfortable you felt back home hanging out with people you’ve known all your life. 

SAY YES

A friend once told me that for the first three months after he moves to a new country he says yes to every single social invitation he gets… no matter what! 

Adjusting to living and working in a new culture is exhausting, and the temptation to shut everything out on the weekends and hibernate is very real. Resist that urge, or before you know it, you’ll be spending weekends alone even when you don’t feel like it. 

Say yes to everything, even those goofy after-work social mixers that chances are you avoided like the plague back home. Even if you don’t make a new friend it will help you learn the lay of the land and give you ideas about what you do want to be doing. 

Every time you go out and discover a new bar or restaurant, master the bus schedule and chat up a stranger, life abroad gets easier. I promise! Pretty soon, you won’t feel like such an outsider. I didn’t say yes to enough when I first moved to Switzerland, and it took me much longer to feel connected.

HIT UP CULTURAL FESTIVALS

Local festivals can be a great way to meet new people (both foreigners and locals!) and help you integrate into your new culture. When I lived in Switzerland I loved attending festivals like Fastnacht or Street Parade because everyone was in a good mood and open to mingling! 

PRIORITIZE

Living abroad is a great chance to practice the old work-life balance! Learn to check out of work and keep some time free for exploring your new city and meeting new people. 

GET OUT OF THE EXPAT BUBBLE

Yes, it’s true, I just spent a lot of time encouraging you to join expat groups. However, even just the word expat can be controversial these days because it can be associated with people who see themselves as a privileged type of foreigner.

The thing is, that when you’ve first moved abroad, these expat groups can be a lifeline for helping you to adjust and culturally integrate. 

Additionally, I also think it’s a little entitled to move to a new country and expect locals to take it upon themselves to help you settle in. My controversial take is that integration is what expat groups are best for because these are the people who understand your struggles moving abroad the most. It’s natural and appropriate for expats to help each other settle in. 

However, if you never venture beyond expat groups, your life in your new country will always feel a little limited. Once you’re more settled and have learned a bit of the language, practice reaching out to locals. Start by chatting with your neighbours and local shopkeepers then branch out from there.

Remember that locals are not obligated to make you feel at home and that friendships with locals are not ‘expat merit badges.’ These friendships will probably take the longest to develop and require the most investment from you. However, they are usually worth it! 

PLAY THE LONG GAME

When it comes to making friends living abroad, there are so many different ways to do it. Remember, true friendships take time and things get easier the more you do them. Be patient, have fun and remember you aren’t alone!

START TODAY

Are you planning on moving abroad? Did you just move to a foreign country? Here are a few simple things you can do today to start making friends abroad right now:

Start planning your move! Check out my post: How to Plan an International Move

Join Girl Gone International

Want to see my real life as a solo woman making new friends while living abroad? Follow me on Instagram @alssaowrites 

need a pep talk?

I’ve experienced the agony and ecstasy of two international moves. My free Webinar: I Moved Abroad, Now What? Is a pep talk full of my best tips on how to thrive abroad, develop your expat mindset, make friends, and feel settled in your new home. This is exactly the kind of encouragement and tough love I needed before I made my international move and I’m so thrilled to be sharing it with you.

Let’s keep in touch

I’m building an international community of women who are ready to Thrive Abroad. If this sounds like you, join my Newsletter!

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