meeting people, weather

Jim,

I also travel solo much of the time, and you might find that you become a more gregarious person when travelling, out of necessity. I doubt that the desk staff at your hotel would know of any hiking groups or whatever, but it doesn't hurt to ask. The best way to meet other travellers for excursions is to stay in Hostels. There are local guides listed in the guidebooks but I find they tend to be a bit expensive with only one person paying the bill.

A rain jacket is a good idea at any time of the year. Other than that, it will probably be warmer during the day, but take clothes for "layering" for nights or cool days.

What is "CQ"?

I travel solo most of the time, I don't really try to meet people, it just happens - or not. Hostels might work, or take a small group tour. An on-site tour guide will have a reasonable, flat fee per person for the group that forms.

I used to meet more people while traveling than I have in the past few years; not sure why, but I think many more people are plugged in to their devices, and are less likely to start a conversation.

When I was in Italy this last summer, I sure saw a lot of people carring Rick Steves' guidebooks. It was very easy to strike up a conversation by just saying "I see your traveling with Rick Steves. Where have you been or where are you going?" It is always good to keep the travel book visible when on the train as it seems to invite a conversation with fellow travelers. Also, if you were to wear a hat or sweatshirt with your school name, that also seemed to be a great way to generate conversation. I wore a hat with the initial "F" for California State University Fullerton and almost every day someone would ask if I attended either Florida or Fullerton.

The local tourist office might have suggestions for hiking groups. Taking one of the inexpensive (sometimes tip-only) walking tours might be another opportunity to meet people. Chatting with fellow bus or train travelers can be fruitful, as well.

I've only stayed in a few hostels, and that was 40 (!) years ago, but last year I arranged a two-day trip through Maramures, Romania, through a hostel in Cluj-Napoca. Came across a passing reference to tours organized by that hostel while I was Googling for day-tour opportunities in the area. So I think checking with local hostels about outdoor activities might turn up something you'd enjoy that would also put you in touch with other travelers. Or you might simply meet someone hanging around the hostel reception desk.

Prior to my very long solo trip last year, I had the same concerns you do, but I had enough opportunities to talk to others that I didn't feel lonely. Many times it was English-speaking Europeans whom I was able to catch when they weren't too busy to chat: fellow train-travelers, the night reception clerk at a Serbian hotel, multiple shop keepers in Bulgaria, and a tourist-office staffer in Romania.

I'm guessing that CQ is Cinque Terre. Myself, I write C5 in my notes, which also makes no sense to anyone else.

Yeah, I usually see CT instead of CQ. I figured it out pretty quickly.

Jim, I don't know what your budget is, but I was in Italy by myself for three weeks one year ago. Here's some of what I did to get some socialization:

1. Context Tour (no more than 6 people per group)
2. Wine tasting
3. Language class
4. Eatwith.com dinner in Rome
5. Took a journal with me to restaurants. Wrote in it if there was no one around who felt like chatting.

Italians shorten it with 5Terre.

If you go to the "Tips & Trip Reports" section of this website, you could post a request to connect with other travellers through the "Travel Group Meetings" section. Or just post a request right on this section of the website.