{"id":1950,"date":"2026-03-28T18:09:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/?p=1950"},"modified":"2026-04-08T18:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:39:11","slug":"making-friends-abroad-as-an-adult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/making-friends-abroad-as-an-adult\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Friends As An Adult In A New Country: What Actually Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Building real friendships abroad takes being consistent.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After moving to a new country, you start to realise how lonely it can feel. And for some, this is one of the hardest parts to deal with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making friends as an adult is already difficult. When you add a new country to the mix, it becomes a completely different challenge. You can\u2019t rely on the forced proximity of college dorms or childhood neighborhoods anymore. You have to be intentional, strategic, and even vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are tired of spending your weekends alone in your new apartment, here\u2019s how to build a genuine social circle from scratch in a new country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Science Of Friendship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest mistakes<\/a> you can make when trying to find friends abroad is expecting instant connections from one-off events. Of course, it might be easy for some to make friends instantly wherever they go. And it might take a while for you before you can form real connections. That’s perfectly normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand why quick connections rarely work, look at the data. According to a study by the University of Kansas<\/a>, it takes about 50 hours of shared time to move from acquaintances to casual friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this, it takes another 90 hours to become real friends. And before you get to really close friends, it takes over 200 hours of spending time together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t shortcut this process. Real friendships take time, and there\u2019s no way around it. If you want to build real friendships, you need to move away from random one-off events and focus on environments where you\u2019ll see the same people regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose Routine Over Randomness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Choose<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Knowing the 50-hour rule, your strategy must shift from attending random parties to committing to recurring routines. Instead of going to random parties, find a group in your area and show up consistently. For example, you can find a book club and start hanging out with them. You need to become a regular somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example is that instead of going to a different coffee shop every day, go to the exact same caf\u00e9 every week. Sit in the same spot, learn the barista\u2019s name, and you\u2019ll start recognizing familiar faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can apply this same idea to your hobbies. Instead of just dropping into a random fitness class, you should join a 12-week specialised boot camp where the roster remains identical. Another instance is that you can be part of a local running club that meets every Wednesday evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language classes are also great for those who are new to a country because every single person in that room is also facing the same situation. By showing up to the same place consistently, you bypass the awkwardness of the first introduction and naturally accumulate those crucial 50 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use Online Apps And Platforms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Use<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re living in a hyper-connected world, so it makes sense to use digital tools to build your social life. Something most people don’t know is that a platform like Meetup.com is great for finding niche interest groups in your new city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the InterNations global community is specifically designed to connect expatriates through local events and forums. These are just examples. Even platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram can help, but you need to use them intentionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal isn\u2019t to gain followers or stay stuck in group chats. What you want is to identify a local event, show up in person, and immediately move the connection offline. When you meet someone you connect with, be proactive. Say something simple like, \u2018I\u2019m trying to explore more of the city, want to grab coffee this weekend?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Expat Bubble vs. Local Integration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you move through these platforms, you will usually encounter the “expat bubble.” This is a social circle composed entirely of other foreigners. The expat bubble is incredibly comforting during your first few months. These people understand your visa struggles, your homesickness, and your frustration with the local banking system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lean on the expat bubble at first, but don\u2019t get stuck in it. Expat communities are highly transient. Remember, they are just people who might be solo traveling<\/a> there for a while and will soon move once they complete what they’re doing. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to also build connections with locals. Ask your local coworkers for recommendations and for them to explain local cultural nuances to you. People love to share their culture with an eager, respectful newcomer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Settle In With CadRemit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Settle<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building a new life abroad takes emotional energy, and your finances shouldn\u2019t add extra stress. With CadRemit, you can manage cross-border payments more smoothly while focusing on building your new life. And the part is that every time you move money to Nigeria, you earn CMT points to reward your regular transfers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Building real friendships abroad takes being consistent.\u00a0 After moving to a new country, you start to realise how…","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Making Friends Abroad as an Adult: What Works","_seopress_titles_desc":"Learn how to make friends as an adult in a new country using proven strategies, routines, and social tools that actually build real connections.","_seopress_robots_index":"","csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1950","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all","8":"category-life-abroad","9":"cs-entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1950"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1960,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950\/revisions\/1960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.cadremit.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}