One of the things that many people find daunting when moving abroad is finding new friends. Leaving behind friends and family is likely one of the biggest challenges you’ll face when you begin your new life away from your home country.

In fact, building and keeping a strong social circle is one of the foundations of living a successful, healthy, and long life, according to the Blue Zones by Dan Buettner.

Building your own community will make your move to a new place more fun, interesting, and much more meaningful. With a little planning and some persistence, you will start meeting new people and finding your crew when moving abroad. Here are some of our best tips on how to do it.

Sue Reddel and Diana Laskaris

1. Start Building Your Community Before You Leave

We know you’re going to be inundated with researching and planning before you move to your new country. You’ll also want to start seeding your friendship garden before you arrive.

Social media makes it easy to find groups and individuals who live where you are moving. You’ll probably be surprised by the many Facebook groups you will find. You will find people willing to give advice, insights, tips, and welcome you when you arrive. As always, be sure the groups and individuals you connect with are fully vetted and triple-check all advice.

Join the community pages of your new town, too. It’s a good way to learn about everything from how to pay a water bill to when the bus route changes. Here in Cascais, Portugal, we follow the local municipal page on Facebook and pages of local markets and shops for updates and sales. Even if you’ve visited several times before moving abroad, it is going to be much different. Keeping up with what’s going on in your locale will help you hit the ground running.

Sue Reddel and Diana Laskaris

2. Find People With Similar Interests And Get Involved

Are you an artist? Or, do you like yoga classes? Perhaps you’re a golfer or a walker. You’ll find that most towns that have a community of expats will have groups that gather to do all these types of activities and much more. You’ll be surprised by the variety of MeetUp groups that will be available almost every day of the week. You’ll be off to a good start and find people who have the same interests.

Mine your own network for people who live in your new country. Look for professional …….

Source: https://www.travelawaits.com/2716143/tips-for-making-friends-when-moving-abroad/