Published on •Updated
It’s not just the scenery that makes a trip memorable – for many travellers, it’s the people they meet along the way.
New research has found that almost half of Europeans believe travel is the most effective way to start new personal relationships, as time away from daily routines leaves people feeling more open to new experiences – and new connections.
The study, by travel platform WeRoad, collected information from 5,000 individuals in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
According to the data, 45% said they think travel is the best way to make new friendships, rather than in traditional spaces such as work or university.
It seems to be the freedom of travel itself which encourages these new connections. Eight out of 10 respondents said they feel more receptive to others when travelling, while 58% explained that meeting new people is an essential part of the experience.
Those attitudes seem to work, as 66% stated that they’d forged an authentic connection with another person while on their travels.
Why is travelling such a bonding experience?
When WeRoad asked the European survey participants what it is that makes relationships formed while travelling different, the answers were varied, but all positive.
The date found that 60% cited shared experiences, while 43% said it was down to spending entire days together.
Meanwhile, 30% put their new relationships down to being away from routine, 19% said it was the absence of mutual expectations, and 16% mention not feeling trapped in their usual roles in day-to-day life.
It appears that more people than ever are seeking to build relationships offline, despite us all living in a very online-focussed world.
Just 9% of the survey’s respondents said they use dating apps and social networks for socialising, but 72% of participants expressed their desire to live more social experiences offline, and make more moments of in-person connections.
It comes at a time when 66% of survey takers believe that meeting new people is more complicated than a few years ago, with 84% saying that it’s more difficult to build truly meaningful relationships today than ever before.
More than half of the Europeans in the study admitted to feeling dissatisfied with their active social life, blaming things like a lack of time (33%), insecurity when taking the first step (25%), or social anxiety (21%).
One in five respondents said they have an entrenched sense of loneliness, whether they live in big cities or in the middle of nowhere. Travel puts everyone on an equal footing and allows people to bond over shared experiences, regardless of their background.