Your adjustment to your move does not stop once you return your moving truck. It is just the beginning! Making the choice to move to a new city on your own can be a fun, adventurous, refreshing, but also scary. Meeting new friends and finding a place in the community can make the difference between enjoying and staying in your new city or moving back to where you are familiar. Below are some ways to get involved and enrich your experience.
Get in Touch
Reach out to anyone you may know in the city you are moving before you move and ask to meet for lunch shortly after you arrive. Social media is a great tool to do this- you just do a general post just asking friends, or friends or friends, to share tips with you about your new city. Take the time to pick these folk’s brains to learn as much as you can; you may even make a new friend or two before you arrive!
Look Around
Don’t curl up with a great book or watch 4 seasons of Gilmore Girls on Netflix. Use sites like Google Maps, Yelp and Citysearch to find out what is near your office or home. “Shop around” to find your new community favorite coffee shop, gym, restaurant and dry cleaners.
Participate in Social Groups
- Social groups like Meetup.com are great for meeting new people with similar interests. A friend of mine just moved to San Francisco and has joined groups with interests in wine, yoga and hiking. She even found a social group called 500 Brunches!
- Houston has social groups for those that travel called Houston Socialites and one for sports fans called Houston Sports and Social Club.
- Most cities have Meetup.com and other local social groups to join. See what your new city offers with a simple Google search.
Get Active
- Maintain your hobbies and activities you had before you moved.
- Take dancing, cooking, knitting or crafting classes in your new community.
- Join a sports league or wine club.
- These will help to introduce you to new people in the area.
- Use Groupon or Living Social to find deals on the classes in the area.
Give Back
Find places to volunteer or organizations you can join. You can opt to participate in mentor programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters. You’re bound to meet people that feel the same about giving back too!
Think Local
Get a better idea of your new community by trying local businesses and events. You can subscribe to local online websites, magazines and local newspapers to find new things to try. Try out all the tourist attractions so you know what the city offers.
Collaborate and Initiate
- Invite people you know to a collaborative map on Google Maps and ask that they pin their favorite places to the map.
- Accept all invitations to show interest in the new people you meet.
- Try new things.
- Plan a party inviting everyone you have met and ask them to bring one new person you have not met. This will introduce you to new people and new community interests.
Even though you will be focused on getting involved, you may lonely at times. Find ways to relax and enjoy the quiet moments. Making new community connections and new friends takes time and it is best to allow it to happen at an organic pace. When you get involved you will naturally find new ways to enjoy your time and your new city.
What are some ways you get involved when you move?
