ARRIVING 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).
PHOTOGRAPH: BO ZAUNDERS/GETTY IMAGES