Sleeping in Tents with Strangers and Other Creative Ways to Make Friends as an Adult
By: Marianne Jennings
Tags: Life Lessons, Personal Development, Friendship, Adulting, Life

What Has Worked For Me

I realize that we are all in different situations and not everyone will relate to my experiences. But I have found several ways to make some wonderful friends as an adult and wanted to share some of those ideas in case it’s helpful to some.

Here are a few ideas that have worked for me (the less intense version):

Continuing Education courses

So many different options. You can look at what is offered by community colleges or universities in your area.

Free classes

REI or other outdoor stores often have free courses on all sorts of topics. Even some grocery stores will sometimes offer cooking classes. Check around and see what kind of options are available for you.

Meetup Groups

Meetup.com is not a dating site. It’s a site where people can create groups around a variety of topics and interests and anyone can join. They will post events and activities where you can meet up with people who share the same interests.

Local Clubs

Check to see if your area has any local clubs and I’m actually talking about the type of clubs you’d have in high school or college.

Facebook is often a good place to start to see what type of groups are in your area.

For example, in my area, we have one called the Wasatch Mountain Club, where people get together and hike, camp, snowshoe, bike, or even just get together for social events.

Trips

Go on a cruise, go to a festival, or go on a short trip where you get to be part of a small group where you can meet new people.

To get you started, here are a few places where I go to find trip ideas:

TheClymb.com — Their trips are more on the adventurous side. This is where I found a trip to hike to Everest Base Camp and trek to Machu Picchu in Peru.

— Their trips are more on the adventurous side. This is where I found a trip to hike to Everest Base Camp and trek to Machu Picchu in Peru. REI.com — has a variety of trips suited for families, people going solo, and a mixture of activities and intensity levels.

— has a variety of trips suited for families, people going solo, and a mixture of activities and intensity levels. AnotherWorldAdventures.com — has something for everyone and all types of interests, time available, and different places around the world. What I love about them is they connect you to a lot of adventures that are more “off the beaten path.”

— has something for everyone and all types of interests, time available, and different places around the world. What I love about them is they connect you to a lot of adventures that are more “off the beaten path.” Rubicon3.co.uk — is a company that will take anyone who wants to learn and teach them to sail and it’s often in some of the most amazing places. (And even if you get seasick, it’s completely worth it — I’ve been three times.)

— is a company that will take anyone who wants to learn and teach them to sail and it’s often in some of the most amazing places. (And even if you get seasick, it’s completely worth it — I’ve been three times.) Turgleder.com — takes people on adventures in Norway that are the stuff of dreams. Dogsledding, Northern lights, cross-country skiing in spectacular places most people will never see and so much more. This is where I met some of my dearest friends while sleeping in tents with strangers.

Facebook Groups

Love Her Wild is a group based in the UK and is a women’s adventure community. They’re a fun and supportive group, even if you’re not from the UK. This group is where I found out about my epic Japan trip.

is a group based in the UK and is a women’s adventure community. They’re a fun and supportive group, even if you’re not from the UK. This group is where I found out about my epic Japan trip. Bold Betties is a group based in the US for women who want to learn new things and go on adventures together.

Facebook Events

Facebook makes it easy to see what events are in your area. Find one that looks interesting and take a chance and go.

**All of the groups and websites I’ve mentioned above are because I’ve had wonderful experiences with all of them and recommend them to friends all the time. I’m not being paid to refer them.