Moving to a Place Where You Know Nobody: 6 Survival Tips

Every move to a completely new and unfamiliar place where you don’t know anyone, and no one knows you, can be a rather intimidating experience.

It’s a full step out of your comfort zone, your familiar surroundings, your dear family and close friends, your way of doing things, and the way you physically and emotionally react to the set patterns your daily routine follows.

As daunting as it may seem at first, it takes nothing more than time and effort to adequately adjust to the new environment after the relocation.

Some people handle the adaptation process admirably – they hop on the fast lane of making new friends, engage in tons of exciting activities, and never quite seem to let any depressing thoughts creep into their heads or feel any pangs of loneliness and nostalgia. For them, every new place is a world of opportunities to embark on fresh adventures.

On the other hand, other people have a much harder time coming out of their shells and consequently getting accustomed to their unknown surroundings. If you consider yourself such a person, here are a few great survival moves you can undertake when you relocate to a place where you don’t know anyone.

1. Say Hi to your neighbors

Introducing yourself to your new neighbors is usually the first and arguably one of the most important steps of your post-move acclimatization process.

Go knock on their doors, say Hi, and introduce yourself for no particular reason.

If you feel uneasy doing it, borrowing something or getting some information about the neighborhood is a good excuse to meet the folks next door.

Keep in mind that when you find yourself in a city where everyone is a total stranger to you, befriending your neighbors (or at least trying to) is the smartest thing you can do under the circumstances. Why?

Because they know the way things work in the micro-world you’re now calling your home. And, unlike the majority of strangers you will meet in the streets of your new city, your neighbors will most likely gladly help you with whatever they can and provide you with some invaluable insider tips to jump-start your adaptation.

In a way, it’s like a student-teacher relationship – and who hasn’t enjoyed the process of teaching?

Just like giving somebody a tour around someone’s own house or showing the ropes to a new coworker, it’s this feeling of pure pride, this sense of belongingness to a tiny place in the vast universe that makes most people feel good about themselves.

In other words, your immediate neighbors are the fearsome guards who keep the precious knowledge locked up in a treasure chest.

Luckily for you, you’re holding the skeleton key in your inexperienced hands and all you have to do is summon your courage to go to them, kindly unlock that chest, and get the information you need and seek in the beginning.

In most cases, you won’t even have to fight for that knowledge!

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2. Make an effort to make new friends

The younger people are, the easier it is for them to make new friends.

For example, children find good playmates among themselves so effortlessly and naturally that it’s almost surreal.

As adults, folks become more and more serious, complex, demanding, and picky even, and entering another circle of friends is seldom a piece of delicious cake.

When surrounded by strange faces, the wise approach is to fight this unfamiliar environment, and ultimately conquer it, simply by being brave enough to explore your options.

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3. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back

When you’ve moved to a city where you know no one, you don’t have to be frightened but excited. It’s a genuine chance to start over, an opportunity to erase any mistakes you’ve made so far and begin anew.

In the very beginning, you may get invited to do something you wouldn’t normally do. When it happens, fight back the urge to automatically and hastily say no.

Think for a few seconds. Why not?

Remember that through the discovery of the new place, you will also re-discover yourself together with your soon-to-be friends.

Be open to crazy suggestions, say yes more often, throw the negativity away, and bring forgotten thrills back to your life.

You’re allowed to let it loose once in a while, aren’t you?

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4. Remember: When in Rome, do as Romans do

Observing what locals do may help you accelerate the adaptation process.

For example, joining a class, a sports team or a club is a great way to meet new people who share common interests with you.

If you have a hobby, why don’t you continue it in the place you’ve just relocated to?

Find out where your neighbors and coworkers go to take the edge off after work. Why don’t you ask them if you can accompany them so that you have some fun together?

Be flexible.

Part of the benefit of moving to a new place is that once in a while you get to reinvent who you truly are.

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5. Combat loneliness with all your firepower

If you live by yourself, things may get rough but learning to enjoy your own company while exploring your new city is the best way to start the winning fight with loneliness.

Consider eating in public as often as possible, as opposed to ordering take-out food and retreating back to the familiar oasis of your home.

Also, urban parks are fantastic venues for unplanned encounters that may change your life for the better.

Take out your camera for a spin if you enjoy taking pictures, have nice long walks with your dog, or bring an interesting book to read in the park if you’re an avid reader.

Hopefully, all of the actions above will give other people an excuse to strike up an interesting conversation with you.

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6. Don’t forget about your old friends

Making new friends after your relocation to a place where you know no one will surely bring renewed excitement to your life.

However, you should make every effort to stay in touch with your old friends as well. Hearing a good friend’s voice over the phone will quickly melt the new city blues away while receiving an email from your closest pal will make your heart skip a beat or two with joy.

The fact that you’ve moved to a new location should never be an excuse to let meaningful relationships go astray.

If you’ve lived in one place for a long period of time, you may have put your roots deeper than you might think.

In this case, the act of severing all the ties to your old hometown could lead to a bunch of undesired effects, most often a general sense of unhappiness.

Fortunately, the Information Age offers a staggering array of convenient options for people to stay in touch with each other: snail mail, phones, messaging, emailing, free VoIP communication, social networks, and so on.

Remember: when there’s a will, there’s a way.

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The thing is, once you’ve had a problem-free relocation to a place where you don’t know anybody, you shouldn’t be afraid to admit that you’re new to the neighborhood and new to the city as well.

Hi. I’m new here is a powerful ice-breaking phrase that will certainly open the door to numerous opportunities for long and rewarding friendships.

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