How to Make Friends on a Group Trip With Strangers
Strangers on day one, friends by day three. It is not luck. Here are seven habits that make it happen.
By the WanderLOOPS teamOct 4, 2026 | 3 min read
Day one of a group trip is a lot of people being extremely polite to each other. Everyone is holding a drink, nodding, asking where everyone is from.
By day three, somebody is stealing fries off somebody else's plate and nobody remembers who ordered what. Here is how you get from the first to the second a little faster.
Show up early, ask better questions, say yes to the first plan, share small things, put your phone down at meals, do one slightly scary thing together and start the group chat on day one. That is the whole recipe. Details below.
1. Be early to the first dinner
The first meal sets the tone for the whole trip. Arrive on time, sit somewhere new and say hello to the person next to you before the food arrives. Awkwardness has a short shelf life: the sooner you get it over with, the sooner the fun starts.
2. Ask better questions
"What do you do?" gets a one-line answer and a polite nod. Try "What are you working on right now?" or "What is the best trip you have ever taken?" People light up when a question is easy to answer and interesting to tell.
Ask someone what they would do for a year if money did not matter. You will learn more in five minutes than in five hours of small talk.
3. Say yes to the first plan
The first unplanned suggestion, a late walk, a street food stop, a spontaneous swim, is usually where the group starts to bond. You can always rest tomorrow. Nobody ever bonded over a nap.
4. Share the small stuff
Snacks, chargers, sunscreen, a spare jacket. Tiny favours build trust faster than long conversations. Be the person who has the plug adapter. People remember that.
Came in knowing nobody. Left with a group chat that still hasn't gone quiet.
Rishabh Jain, Founder, Vietnam Loop '25
5. Put the phone away at meals
A table where everyone is looking up is a table where friendships start. Take your photos, then put the phone face down. Try it for one dinner and watch how different the conversation gets.
6. Do one thing together that is slightly outside your comfort zone
A first surf lesson, a ride through rice fields, a very cold plunge. Shared nerves turn into shared stories remarkably quickly, and you will still be telling them months later.
7. Start the group chat on day one
Share photos the same night. Tag people, send the funny ones, drop in the blurry one where someone is mid-sneeze. The group chat is where a trip becomes a friendship that outlasts it.
What small groups change
With 12 people, everyone talks to everyone by day two. With 40, you keep meeting new faces and never settle in. That is why we cap every Loop at 12 and read each application before anyone joins. A good group is built on purpose, and a good host makes sure nobody is left standing at the edge of the photo.
Small groups are kinder to you than big ones: fewer faces to keep track of, and our itineraries leave free time so you can recharge without missing anything.
Questions
What if I am an introvert?
Small groups help, because there are fewer faces to keep up with. Our itineraries also leave free time so you can recharge when you need to.
What if I do not click with anyone?
That is rare in a small group of reviewed people. If it happens, your host is there to help, and there is always free time to do your own thing.
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