Friend-making tips? Easiest ways to make new frends?

Any particular places, websites, forums, etc. other people go to make new friends that you've found particularly successful? Really curious to see the different ways people go about it and maybe help some of us looking to do the same in the process

UKY and Meetup saved my life! There were a couple people on here who started a Meetup group and everything kind of snowballed from there. Now I've got a nice, pretty close-knit circle of expat friends and we get together on a fairly regular basis.

Second to that, I've made the rest of my friends through work. So Meetup definitely helped while I was looking for a job and had no one to hang out with!

I knew some other Americans who did well with Meet Up, but for me its always about joining a sports group.  In London at least you can join just about any sport under the sun and I picked an activity I had always wanted to do but never had the opportunity in US (rollerskiing - though I grew up cross countryskiing on snow, I really hate snow!).  It turned out to be a fabulous group of fun people from a lot of different backgrounds and its one big group of friends now.   I've been invited to/gone to more parties in the last six months than I did in the last five years in the US and consequently met more people there.

Other people I have just picked up along the way.  A US friend who I knew way back who also moved here.  The gal we cat sit for at Christmas. Random Swedes because they all stick together for their own (or, in my case, adopted as one) and you can always run into a Swede anywhere.  Work buddies, etc.

I suppose it doesn't even have to be sports related.  What about courses in what you are interested in?  Book clubs?

I think the important thing is to get out and try and let it happen organically.

Thanks for the suggestions

I did try joining some Meet Up groups, however, I personally found that a bit hard as it seemed I was always late to the party. Everybody seemed to already know and talk to each other in the groups themselves so I got anxiety when it came time to actually go to the group thinking it would be really weird and I'd end up as an outsider or something. I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as bad as I thought it would be in my head and I've NEVER been one to shy away from social situations, but this just seemed different to me.

Hi! I'm moving over in the Spring and will be in dire need of friends. We'll be living in the Oxfordshire area. I don't make friends easily her in the US, but I do want to branch out more here on UKYankee, it will probably be a life saver for me.

I was lucky enough to find myself absorbed into hubby's friends as if I had always been one of their own. At first I let it bother me that I didn't have friends of 'my own' because I have always made friends easily. One day it dawned on me they were, and still are, my own friends.

Still, groups of like minded people, through hobby clubs, book clubs, sports etc are a great way of meeting people. Work can lead to friends too.

I was lucky enough to find myself absorbed into hubby's friends as if I had always been one of their own. At first I let it bother me that I didn't have friends of 'my own' because I have always made friends easily. One day it dawned on me they were, and still are, my own friends.

This is great. They sound like nice, welcoming people.

This is great. They sound like nice, welcoming people.

Metalheads, goths, nerds (Star Wars/Star Trek/Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/pirate fans/etc) and misfits, all with hearts of gold. My kind of people. 

I was lucky enough to find myself absorbed into hubby's friends as if I had always been one of their own. At first I let it bother me that I didn't have friends of 'my own' because I have always made friends easily. One day it dawned on me they were, and still are, my own friends.

Think I'm still in this phase. My husband's friends have been SO good to me in the 2 years I've been there [I might even be closer to some of them than he is!] but I definitely find it hard to shake calling them HIS friends not mine as well. I know eventually I'll get to a point where it won't be that way but I think I'm definitely still trapped in that rocess of working through it....

It took me a couple years to get past the thought they are 'his' friends, but 'our' friends. There are some I will never be as close to, so they will forever be in my mind as 'his', and that is okay. Still, it is odd to be back in the States and finding myself missing some of them more than I missed some of my own friends while living in the UK.

It took me a couple years to get past the thought they are 'his' friends, but 'our' friends. There are some I will never be as close to, so they will forever be in my mind as 'his', and that is okay. Still, it is odd to be back in the States and finding myself missing some of them more than I missed some of my own friends while living in the UK.

I'm glad that somebody else can confirm that it took a few years. I felt like maybe I was just weird or something because people around me didn't understand why I couldn't shake that feeling.

So funny as I can definitely relate to that last bit. I missed some of my coworkers here in the UK and our daily routines more than i missed some of my friends I barely had a chance to see over in the US this past trip haha

I suppose it is because when I met them, they were 'his', and in my mind that is what they were. So, you're not weird. Unless I am too. 

I struggled for years. Then (of all things) fangirling about video games on Twitter led to the most amazing & lovely group of friends!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I struggled for years. Then (of all things) fangirling about video games on Twitter led to the most amazing & lovely group of friends!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not on twitter!

But I definitely think it's so hard to find other people to talk about video games about! haha I still get the occasional odd look if I'm discussing it with one of my male coworkers!

Well heck, get on there! Tumblr & Facebook are both good for it too. Wotcha play?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk