When I met Benny Lewis in a Bangkok bar, he wasn't alone. The outgoing Irishman travels the world, learning languages everywhere he goes - and in Bangkok, he had already attracted a group of other expats eager to talk with him.
I asked him about his language learning prowess: "How do you do it?" A big part of it, he told me, is simply being willing to meet people, and unafraid to seem foolish by speaking another language.
Even if you don't want to learn languages at the same speed Benny does (he's currently on his eighth), when you first begin travelling you may wonder how you can connect with other interesting people. Thankfully, there are many ways to meet up with fun people on the road, whether through planned or spontaneous encounters.
The first and most obvious way to find like-minded people is simply to leave home on a group tour that is escorted by a guide from start to finish. On a guided tour, you're guaranteed companionship and will never be alone. Let's assume, however, that you're more interested in independent travel. What do you do if you want to roam the world by yourself, but you don't want to be alone all the time?
A good starting point is the local hostel, bar or coffee shop network. Almost everywhere you go in the world, you'll find at least one place where other travellers gather. Travelling in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I spent a day walking the city. Most of my walk led me past more traditional stops like the Genghis Khan national brewery, but while stepping down an alley, I chanced upon a cafe run by a British couple. I hadn't seen another foreigner all morning, but sitting around various tables, I noticed Western and Japanese travellers recharging with espresso and making notes in their guidebooks.
How do you find spots such as this? You may stumble upon them, like I did, but you can also check out travel guides such as Lonely Planet and Rough Guide: as a friend of mine likes to say, "If you read Lonely Planet, you'll never be lonely."
If you're the planning type, you can arrange to meet people in advance through a network like Couchsurfing.org. On this site, members from 150 countries offer their homes to modern-day nomads - for free. It's completely legitimate, and you can read reviews of hosts before committing to stay with them. All they ask is that you share a meal and an evening together, usually spent on some kind of city tour.
Speaking of tours, going on day trips with a tour company is a great way to see the sights, experience local culture and meet people - all in one experience. Day trips are also good for those who don't want a packaged holiday but still want to take advantage of their surroundings. When I'm on the road, I often use Google to search for "(city name) walking tour". I've done walking tours in at least a dozen cities, and it's always been worth it.
Some day trips can be more adventurous. In Uganda I went on a river-rafting tour, and in Jamaica I went zip-lining. Both of these cases provided an even better opportunity to meet travellers. (The adrenaline factor helped, along with the implied sense of camaraderie when we all had to get in the raft together. If your life depends on someone else whom you've just met, you're more inclined to get to know that person.)
Online social networks also provide a means of connecting people in the "real" world. Services like Foursquare and Facebook offer location "check-ins" where you can quickly see who else is around. In some places, you'll also be offered deals by nearby merchants - an interesting tie-in, though I'm not sure how well it will work in Mongolia.
Some of my greatest adventures have been completely solitary. I enjoy seeing the world alone, and I don't mind being by myself. Despite my independent nature, however, I also like meeting people with similar values and interests. In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I booked a tour out of the city to a rice factory and war memorial. Along the way I talked with gap-year students from the UK, a middle-aged couple from New Zealand and an adventurous young Korean - they were all exploring more of the world. They were each on their own before we met, but spending the day together was fun and interesting.
When you have the option to stay solo or stay surrounded by friends, you'll find your own balance of these two approaches. You can be an anonymous traveller if that feels more comfortable, but you're only a stranger once.
Chris Guillebeau, 33, is on a five-year mission to visit every country in the world. He is currently on number 178. Next week: driving through the UAE.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Company%20profile
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The%20Roundup
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
The five pillars of Islam
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company%20Profile
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5