8 Best Apps for Solo Travelers to Meet People and Stay Connected

You land in a new city. No one knows you. No one is waiting. That feeling is exactly why you travel alone — and exactly why it can get lonely by day three.

I spent six months testing over 20 apps designed for solo travelers. Some are obvious (WhatsApp). Some are niche (Backpackr). A few are straight-up dangerous if you don’t know how they work. Below are the eight that actually helped me find dinner companions, last-minute hiking partners, and people to watch my bag at the train station.

The One App You Should Install Before You Leave Home

Most solo travel apps are destination-specific. You don’t need them until you arrive. But one app belongs on your phone before you book the flight: WhatsApp.

In Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, WhatsApp is the default messaging platform. Hostels use it to create group chats for guests. Tour guides use it to send pickup times. Locals prefer it over SMS. If you arrive without WhatsApp, you’re effectively unreachable to 80% of the people you’ll want to contact.

Why WhatsApp beats iMessage and Telegram

iMessage works only between Apple devices. Telegram requires both parties to have the app installed. WhatsApp is installed on 2 billion phones globally. In hostels across Thailand and Portugal, I watched travelers exchange QR codes within seconds of meeting. No typing numbers. No confusion.

Set up your profile with a real photo and your first name. Hostel staff will add you to the “This Week’s Guests” group chat automatically. That single group chat generated more spontaneous plans than any dedicated travel app I tested.

WhatsApp groups: the hidden social layer

Once you’re in a hostel group chat, people post things like “Getting dinner at 7, who’s in?” or “Anyone want to split a taxi to the waterfalls tomorrow?” It’s low-pressure, immediate, and doesn’t require swiping or matching. The barrier to entry is zero.

Cost: free (requires internet). Available on iOS and Android.

Backpackr vs. Hostelworld: Which Actually Gets You a Dinner Buddy?

These two apps serve the same purpose — connecting solo travelers — but they work completely differently. I tested both across three continents. Here’s what I found.

Backpackr is better if you want to find someone to hike a specific trail or visit a museum on a specific day. You post what you’re doing, and people in the same city can join. The city chat rooms are active in popular destinations like Bangkok, Barcelona, and Medellín. The downside: smaller user base means less activity in off-the-beaten-path locations.

Hostelworld is better if you already booked a hostel. The app’s “Hostel Chat” feature lets you message other guests before you arrive. I used this in Lisbon to coordinate a group dinner on my first night. The catch: you can only chat with people booked at the same hostel. If you’re couchsurfing or staying in a hotel, Hostelworld’s social features are useless.

My pick: Install both. Use Hostelworld to book and chat with hostel guests. Use Backpackr for everything else.

Meetup and Bumble BFF: The Non-Travel Apps That Work Better Than Travel Apps

Dedicated travel apps assume you want to meet other travelers. That’s fine, but sometimes you want to meet locals. Two general-purpose apps fill that gap better than any niche travel app I tried.

Meetup: the local events engine

Meetup connects you with groups based on interests, not travel status. Search for “hiking Berlin” or “photography Tokyo” and you’ll find weekly events hosted by locals. I joined a board game night in Prague through Meetup and ended up at a local’s apartment with seven Czechs who didn’t speak English — but we played Catan anyway.

Cost: free to join most groups. Some events charge $3-10 for venue costs.

The trade-off: Meetup requires planning ahead. You can’t open the app at 7 PM and find something starting at 8 PM. Events are usually scheduled days or weeks in advance.

Bumble BFF: the friend-finding mode

Bumble BFF is the same swipe-and-chat mechanism as Bumble Date, but for platonic friendships. In large cities (London, New York, Sydney), the traveler population on BFF is significant. I matched with a fellow solo traveler in Barcelona within two hours of landing. We grabbed tapas that night.

Cost: free. Bumble Boost ($14.99/month) shows you who already liked you.

The catch: Bumble BFF works best in cities with populations over 1 million. In smaller towns, the user base is too thin. Also, some people use it for dating despite the platonic label. Be clear in your profile about what you’re looking for.

When to skip these: If you’re in a remote area with no Meetup groups and a tiny Bumble BFF pool, stick to hostel-based apps. These two are city tools.

Google Maps: The Most Underrated Solo Travel Safety App

Every solo traveler worries about safety. The standard advice is “share your location with a friend back home.” That’s good advice. But Google Maps does something more useful in real time.

How to use Google Maps for safety without sharing your location

Before you go anywhere, download the offline map of the city. This works even if you have no cell signal. Then, use the “Timeline” feature. It records everywhere you’ve been, automatically, as long as location history is turned on. If you lose your phone or can’t communicate, you have a precise log of your movements.

More immediately useful: the “Share trip progress” feature. When you start navigation to a destination, you can share your ETA and live location with a specific contact. That person sees your route and your arrival time. If you deviate significantly, they’ll notice.

I used this every time I took a taxi alone in a new city. I’d share the trip with a friend and say “I’ll message you when I arrive.” The peace of mind is worth the 10 seconds it takes to set up.

The failure mode most travelers ignore

Google Maps relies on your phone’s battery. If your phone dies, the sharing stops. Carry a power bank — a 10,000 mAh Anker unit costs $25 and will recharge most phones twice. I’ve seen too many travelers stranded with a dead phone and no backup plan.

Cost: free. Offline maps require downloading before you go.

The Three Apps I Almost Recommended (But Didn’t)

Not every popular app deserves a spot on your home screen. These three are widely mentioned in solo travel forums, but after testing, I found real problems with each.

Couchsurfing: the community that lost its way

Couchsurfing was the gold standard for meeting locals. Then they introduced a paywall in 2026. Now you pay $14.99/year just to access the platform. The user base has shrunk, and the verification system is weak. I received three messages from accounts that were clearly fake within my first week. The hangouts feature — once the best way to find spontaneous meetups — is now mostly inactive outside major cities.

Alternative: Meetup or Bumble BFF. Both are free and have larger active user bases.

Tourlina: women-only, but too small

Tourlina is a women-only travel companion app. The concept is excellent — safety and comfort for female solo travelers. The execution falls short. In two months of testing across four cities, I found fewer than 50 active users in each location. The app needs critical mass to work, and it doesn’t have it yet.

Alternative for women: Facebook groups like “Host a Sister” or “Women Who Travel” have thousands of active members. The interface is clunkier, but the community is real.

Tripr: too much friction

Tripr matches you with travelers based on shared itineraries. The idea is solid. The execution requires too much input. You fill out your entire trip plan, then wait for matches. I waited four days in Chiang Mai before getting a single match. By then, I’d already made friends at the hostel.

Alternative: Backpackr or Hostelworld. Both get you connected within hours, not days.

How to Avoid the Three Biggest Mistakes Solo Travelers Make With Apps

After six months of testing, I saw the same patterns repeat. Here’s what goes wrong and how to fix it.

Mistake 1: Installing too many apps

I met a traveler in Ho Chi Minh City who had 11 social travel apps on her phone. She spent her first two days setting up profiles and checking notifications. She barely left the hostel. The paradox of choice is real: more apps mean more noise, not more connections.

Fix: Install three apps max. WhatsApp (mandatory), one social matching app (Backpackr or Bumble BFF), and one booking/safety app (Hostelworld or Google Maps). Delete the rest.

Mistake 2: Relying on apps instead of in-person interaction

Apps are tools, not replacements for walking up to someone in a common room and saying “Hi.” I watched travelers sit in hostel lobbies staring at their phones, waiting for someone to message them. Meanwhile, the people sitting at the bar were already making plans for the next day.

Fix: Use apps to find initial connections, then put the phone away. The best conversations I had happened after I closed Backpackr and walked into the kitchen to make tea.

Mistake 3: Ignoring privacy settings

Bumble BFF and Backpackr both default to showing your exact location. That’s a safety risk, especially for women traveling alone. I watched a friend get followed from a bar after her Bumble BFF profile showed the hostel she was staying at.

Fix: In Bumble BFF, set your location visibility to “approximate area” instead of “exact location.” In Backpackr, disable “show my distance.” Never share your accommodation address in a public profile. Share it in a direct message only after you’ve confirmed the person is real.