KIT with Travel Friends by Asking These 7 Questions

Keeping in touch with new friends you made while on vacation or traveling can be tricky since you relate to them differently from lifelong friends; this goes doubly so for socially anxious travelers who may not know what to say when catching up with travel friends.

The best way to overcome this difficulty is by making repeated attempts to initiate contact e.g. liking/commenting on Facebook statuses, chatting on Kik or Whatsapp. But, what can you actually say when trying to reconnect with your travel buddies? Answer: ask travel-related questions! People love talking about themselves so here are 7 travel-friend-specific questions you can ask to help KIT:

1. Have they revisited the place you both traveled to and have they picked up more of the language?
2. Do they plan on traveling anywhere else? Where else would they like to go?
3. Have they met any other travelers on their journey? What was that experience like?
4. Would they like to share pictures from their latest travels with you?
5. Where do they recommend as your next travel spot?
6. Which websites or apps have they had the most luck with in terms of booking travel arrangements e.g. transportation, housing?
7. Do they know of any useful travel blogs or tips for visiting a certain city or country? Are there any problems or scams you should look out for?

BONUS QUESTION: Where do they go to meet more travel buddies? This question can help you develop a deeper friendship with your current travel friend while introducing you to more travelers.
Non-travel related questions can include FORD topics (Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams).

As a social traveler with friends in several countries, I know it becomes difficult to keep in contact with anyone over time due to evolving life stages and keeping in touch with friends made while traveling can be especially tricky. It's still possible to maintain deep, new lifelong friendships though as long as we make an effort to KIT. Happy traveling!