How to meet people!

We've had good success in talking with vendors in the various markets. Covent Garden and St. Martin's in the Field's church yard are among our favorites. We admire the items and ask about them. This is especially good on craft days and antique days. They can also people watch in the parks and maybe strike up conversations with other young people.

Hostels.

Not that different from meeting people at home. Strike up a conversation about pretty much anything, ask them questions, be interested in them. Ask for help. Offer help. If language is a barrier, try to say anything in the local language. They'll help you.

My nephew who is shy and quiet is along in London right now,, ( he just turned 19 a month ago) and he is meeting tons of folks at his Hostel.. so hopefully thats where your child is,, but ,, some hostels won't take 17 yr olds,, he is a tad youngish to be out on his own isn't he???

Kathleen,

As the others mentioned, Hostels are a great place to meet people. Aside from that, just talking to people is a great way to "break the ice". Many other travellers are dealing with the same concerns, so discussing shared experiences is a good way to start a conversation.

Your Son might also enjoy reading Jackie and Zoe's Blog, as they seem to be meeting lots of people.

Cheers!

If he plays soccer, head to the park and get in on some pick-up games. My niece did that in Dublin at Phoenix park. She was nervous at first and thought these guys wouldn't let her play, but I told her "you're a cute girl! They're not going to say no!"

Even Jackie and Zoe are having trouble meeting locals. I have met people riding 2nd class on trains ALONE. If you travel with a buddy you are limiting your chances of interacting with others. I suggest splitting up some of the time. On your own, you have to interact to buy things, ask directions, etc. When I'm on tours I always spend time on my own and go around without that buffer of other travelers.

Hi Kathleen,

You didn't mention specifically where in Europe they were traveling, but I'll assume they have a guidebook or two for wherever they are visiting. A lot of people seem to place a lot of emphasis on "blending in" (i.e. trying not to look like a tourist). I agree with this philosophy but only to an extent. I try to to blend in by following the local customs, dressing appropraitely etc. However, I certainly do NOT try to hide the fact that I am a tourist (and I wouldn't fool anyone anyway). Thus, if I go into a pub, restaurant, etc and if I am alone I will bring my guidebook (and perhaps language phrasebook with me). I will read them a bit but eventually I close them and simply leave them on the table in plain sight of everyone else. I find this is often a great conversation starter. Someone will inevitably see my guidebook, realize I'm not a local and often start with a "Oh, your a visitor here? Where are you from?" type of question. I find it to be a good icebreaker and conversation starter.

I agree with swan.....when you are always with your travel companions you form an artifical barrier to conversation with people around you. some of my best moments of meeting pwople have been when I was on my own. There was the little old man in the Orangerie in London who goes there everyday for his breakfast.
I got to hear his life story and I stayed much too long. Fun!! After asking permission, he even kissed me!!!!

I often strike up a conversation when someone asks if they can help with my bags. Obviously you use your head in these situations and it does depend on the circumstances. I once spent the whole Metro trip from Chatelet to the Gare Nord, trying to have a
conversation with someone who did not understand a word I was saying despite my best French!!! Funny.

I don't see why this would be something special.Meet people the way you do it at home.However Europeans don't talk about personal matters with strangers.

hmmm just be friendly, smile.....admire peoples dogs in Paris....that one works!!!

Be interesting.

People want to be met, apparently, no matter where or what you are doing.

We got invited to two birthday parties, one in Melun, France at a neighborhood bar/restaurant because they were making so much noise, so in guilt, they bought us some wine, which we then shared. No one spoke English in their group and our French was 'iffy'. Lot's of dialect.

The other time was in Barcelona during a tapas crawl, when we were in the place that only has sardines and wine. A group came in, started to drain barron's and when one of them drank from it continously, I turned to my wife and said in a loud voice, "This guy is bogarting all their wine". He finished, turned to me and said "What you mean, Bogart"? We barely caught our train out of town the next morning.

We joined local Basques at a bar in Bayonne, France to sing "Pink Floyd's" The Wall. We heard them as we walked back to our hotel and thought, that sounds like fun. Again, no English was spoken, but I learned how Basque truck drivers "settle" driving mishaps without police.

We had a girl come up to us in Ancy at a bar/restaurant because she liked how we 'sounded'. She showed us her town and invited us for a visit at her apartment, where she gave us an Agatha Christie book in French.

In Ruthin, Wales, we went to a very corny 'Medieval Feast' with fifty other guests whom we were not with. Forty of them were on tour from Pennsylvania. Our table had the rest, so we were less coveted, so to speak. A guy from Doncaster celebrating his birthday muttered something about Americans getting all the mead. I said, "yeah, damned Americans". He looked at me and said, "aren't you American'?". "Nah", I said. "I'm from California". We ended up having to break into our medieval hotel at 3 in the morning after THAT evening. Which is a rather fascinating story in itself, but anyway....

He will meet people just by talking to them, believe me.