It can be tough living in a new city alone, but there are many ways to settle in and make yourself feel right at home.
A lot of people want to experience living in a different city, and/or state, at some point in their lives. Whether it’s for college or for work, there are opportunities that present itself to do so.
Of course, there are a lot of challenges that come with this. Aside from the financial complications, the emotional and mental challenges are not to be ignored. Living in a new area in itself is hard, but doing so alone can be a lot harder.
This experience can be memorable, in good ways, if the right goals are set. Aside from whatever goals are made, a lot of initiative must be taken.
Here are some ways to enjoy the experience of living in a new city alone:
Find a hobby
Not everything is about work or school. Part of keeping oneself happy is making time to do things that they enjoy doing.
Every city has a unique culture and finding a hobby can help discover a city’s best experiences. For example, in areas with a lot of mountains and hills, hiking could be a great hobby to pick up. Another example could be in areas with many parks, where running and biking could be hobbies to do.
There are usually many groups that are organized online for people that want to meet up to do certain hobbies together. Meetup and Eventbrite are two platforms that can help you find groups of people getting together to do activities. It is a great initiative to look for these groups to slowly build your network in your new city.
Find a source of transportation
One of the more challenging parts of moving to a new location is the transportation situation. It can be pretty difficult to move around a city without a car, so the next best option might be public transportation.
A good first thing to do in a new city is experiment how well the public transportation works. In addition, it’s also a good idea to figure out how long it takes to commute to work and other necessary locations.
Also, try to figure out what areas around you have the most life to them (bars, restaurants, clubs, etc.).
After figuring that out, you should see how long it’ll take you to reach those areas and with what transportation. It’s very likely you’ll be visiting these areas often to meet new people or hangout.
Figuring out your transportation situation will allow you to explore more parts of the city.
Find events
There’s nothing like the unique love for sports that every city has. Whether it’s for football, basketball or baseball, almost every city has their own team.
Watching a game in person is a cool experience, as you get to admire the crowd and culture around the local teams. However, professional games aren’t the only games to attend. College games are just as popular and exciting.
In addition to sports, concerts are a great way to experience the city as well. Concerts allow you to visit different venues around the city and if you’re lucky, you can even make a new friend.
These events are the most obvious, but there are grand openings happening once in a while, happy hours, or even outdoor movie nights. It is a good idea to follow bucket list pages for your city to stay updated on events happening around the area.
Go out with people
You’re bound to meet new people eventually, whether it’s at work or school. It doesn’t mean you need to be making friends with everyone you meet. The people you meet can be people you invite to try out a new place or vice versa.
Something as simple as grabbing a coffee together will open more doors to making yourself feel more comfortable in the city. There are days when the body will feel tired, but sleep is something people can recover; spending time with people isn’t.
If you get invited to do something with someone, try it out. Who knows what experiences will be created by going out.
Join a community or group
There are groups in most communities that people can join. As mentioned earlier, there are groups to do activities with other people. However, there are also groups within a community for different religions or to volunteer.
Some cities will have their own website to inform people of different volunteering groups and events for those who want to participate. Churches usually have their own groups as well, and often take extra help from those who really want to offer it.
There is sure to be many people to meet from joining any group in the community.
Try new things
Moving to a new area is like a breath of fresh air. In many ways, someone can reinvent themselves in a new city. It brings the opportunity to meet new people, new cultures, and new ways of entertainment.
Since you’re in a new city, you might as well try new things. Whether it be new food, new hobbies, or new music, the chance to live somewhere new should be seen as a new learning experience.
Exposure to different places brightens up your horizons and looks good to many employers. The worst thing not to do in a new city is not exploring it and trying to enjoy it.
The main takeaway from this post is that the #1 way to become comfortable in a new city is to meet people. Everyone needs some time alone, but everyone can only handle so much time alone.
The effort one puts to meeting new people and making their own experiences will pay off sooner or later. Most of us want to end up meeting our special someone, but until then, the best way to do so is by getting yourself out there.
Enjoy the ride, because later on in life you might be regretting that you didn’t do so.
