Find your
tribe in
a foreign
city
Whether you’re a fan of jazz
jams, the tufted titmouse or
triple IPAs, your people are
out there. Joining them can
make a foreign land feel
much more familiar
RRIVING IN A NEW CITY CAN
be unnerving, and it’s easy to
be deterred from going out
and immersing yourself in it.
This is where your tribe comes in.
Finding others who share your interests
can be a great motivation for getting
out and about.
Let’s say you’re in Dakar in Senegal.
It seems chaotic, overwhelming and
intimidating to explore. Then again,
you love running. If you search online
and find a public running club then,
voilà, next afternoon you can be out with
a group of locals hurtling through streets
you’d never experience otherwise.
As a bonus, if the runners make a habit of
going for a drink afterwards, you get to
hang out in a great neighbourhood bar
with new acquaintances, and get tips
galore on city sights.
Escapades with your tribe often end
up being a highlight of your trip, and it’s
not just because you’re gathering with
like-minded types. The activity itself
plays a role. Research shows that familiar
things make us feel comfortable.
If ukulele-strumming happens to be
your bag, then ukulele-strumming in
Abu Dhabi will make that city feel that
much more agreeable.
Technology makes it easy to locate
a group. Fellow knitters in Buenos Aires?
Bluegrass music fans in Hyderabad?
Arsenal supporters in Chicago? They
await your presence. Check Meetup
(meetup.com), a tool that event
organisers use, or search for businesses
that are well known in their field (beer
enthusiasts can seek out esteemed pubs,
jazz fans popular clubs).