Connecting With Fellow Travellers
Travelling alone can be a bummer.
Although the first leg of a solitary trip can be relaxing and peaceful, it’s quite common to become lonely by the tail-end of a long adventure.
Even though caravan camping is greatly increasing in popularity, it can still be difficult to find people to take travel with or to simply enjoy what your location has to offer.
If you’re tired of heading out on a lonesome trail, we guarantee that the following few tips will have you surrounded by like-minded caravanning souls with just a few simple steps.
- Before You Hit The Road -
Visit Caravan and Camping Expos
Visiting a caravan expo is a sure-fire way to immediately make some new travelling friends.
Expositions are events that showcase the newest camping technologies and innovations to camping enthusiasts.
If an exposition is taking place near you, stop by and see if you connect with anyone awesome.
If so, grab their contacts so you can possibly plan a camping trip for the future.
If the exposition is taking place somewhere not-so-nearby, plan to visit it during the first leg of your trip.
Large expositions, like the Melbourne Leisurefest, are often visited by campers from all around Australia.
Who knows?
You may just meet someone heading in the same direction, or may be able to meet somewhere further down the line.
Participate in an RV Rally
Like expositions, caravan rallies are a great way to meet other camping enthusiasts.
While expositions aim to showcase the industry’s new products, RV rallies are organized trips where RV owners come together to travel and explore a certain area of Australia.
Do some research online.
Some rallies emphasize travels in certain areas, while others focus on certain demographics, such as dating-like rallies organized for singles.
In addition to meeting new people, RV rallies can also potentially save you money on your trip.
It’s not rare for tourist attractions to offer group discounts, ultimately letting you experience things for a much smaller price than that which you’d normally be paying when visiting alone.
- Once You're On The Road -
If you missed out on this season’s rallies or simply weren’t interested in going, there are numerous other ways of making friends while already on the road.
Find RV Parks or National Parks
This point should be fairly obvious by now, but will be emphasized nonetheless
Camping in an area where campers are known to frequent, like expos and rallies, is the quickest way to meet people.
While backpackers head to hostels to meet travel friends, caravan campers ultimately head to caravan camping parks.
Simply parking at a popular location as opposed to your usual hideaway is guaranteed to give you more opportunities to encounter other campers.
Remember: to befriend the campers, you must first find them!
Start Conversations and Ask Questions
This tip applies to a number of different situations.
For the most part, campers do their best to respect each other’s boundaries.
This means that if you do not look like you want to talk, you will not be approached.
While simply smiling at the other campers will automatically make you seem more approachable, take it to the next level by simply starting the conversation yourself.
Ask them where they’re from or how long they’ve been on the road.
By nature, human beings love talking about their selves. And if you’re a bit shy, this completely takes the pressure off of yourself.
Maybe see what they have planned for the next few days or where they’re headed.
Who knows?
If they’re going down the same path, you may have found yourself a travel buddy!
Take Initiative
People, in general, love games and group activities.
What do they not love so much? The planning.
Bring a deck of cards or a few classic board games and ask a few people if they’d like to partake in a friendly game.
Try to gather a group to go walking around the town’s core or to visit a local tourist attraction
The choice of activity really doesn’t matter as much as showing that you’re willing to socialize to make friends.
Offer to Help
If you’re fairly introverted, or just aren’t ready for a full-on outing with a group of strangers, offer to help fellow campers with tasks you see them struggling with.
It doesn’t have to be much.
A little gesture, like offering to carry a few bags or to help set up someone’s site, acts as the number one, easiest icebreaker around.
It also starts off the interaction by emphasizing your approachability and caring nature which a sure-fire way to attract others.
Be Open and Flexible
This is one of the most important pieces of advice we have to offer you.
Friendship, like most relationships, is about compromise.
Don’t give up on a potential friendship just because your new camping friend wasn’t planning on travelling your pre-planned route.
If you have nothing big planned, maybe see if they’d mind if you accompanied them along their path.
Or perhaps there’s an alternative way that works for the both of you.
Whatever the ultimate decision, just try to remember that being open-minded and flexible is important to every single relationship, camp-related or not.
Participate in Group Activities
If you forgot to pack your board games or simply aren’t up to gathering a group on your own, check out a few of the area’s local activities.
This can mean anything from taking up a new sport to simply going on a daylong walking tour.
You’ll automatically have commonalities with the other participants in that you’re experienced or a complete beginner.
Whatever the case, be sure to invite your fellow groupmates out for a relaxing, celebratory drink afterward.
We all know humans tend to bond a bit easier in a relaxed setting.
Show Respect
This is the number one rule for forging long-lasting friendships on the road.
Be conscious of your fellow campers and new acquaintances.
Be pleasant and polite at all times, while also being aware of camp etiquette at all times.
This includes:
- Keeping your site tidy
- Adhering to park rules
- Not treading through the site of others
- Keeping noise levels low
Memories made on the road are memories that last a lifetime.
DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.
