如何在獨身旅行時交朋友、談戀愛

A Solo Traveler’s Guide to Meeting People

如何在獨身旅行時交朋友、談戀愛

When you are traveling solo, it’s not always a breeze to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

獨自旅行時，與陌生人攀談并不總是那么容易。

In fact, how do you meet other single travelers or locals in the first place? And if you’re looking for friendship — or even something more — how do you ensure that amid all the fun you don’t neglect to take safety precautions?

實際上，第一個問題是：你如何遇到其他單身旅行者或當?shù)厝?如果你想交個朋友——甚至談場戀愛——你怎么確保在享樂的同時沒有忽視安全防范?

Before we get to tactics, it’s helpful to know that you are likely to be rewarded for overcoming apprehensions about approaching someone new when you’re on the road.

在我們講述具體策略之前，知道下面這一點可能會對你有所幫助：在旅途中克服接近陌生人的恐懼很可能會給你帶來回報。

“Its easy to imagine all the ways things will go badly or believe that this person doesn’t want to connect,” said Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. But if you reach out, he continued, “almost everybody reaches back.”

“人們很容易去想像各種尷尬場面，或者認為對方不想交談，”芝加哥大學布思商學院的行為科學教授尼古拉斯·埃普利(Nicholas Epley)說。他繼續(xù)說道，但是如果你主動攀談，“幾乎所有人都會回應”。

Social scientists have found that making such connections, whether traveling or not, boosts happiness, and yet strangers in proximity “routinely ignore each other,” as Dr. Epley and his colleague Juliana Schroeder put it in the Journal of Experimental Psychology last year. During a series of nine experiments, they saw again and again that we underestimate other people’s interest in connecting.

社會科學家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，不管在旅行中還是平時，進行這樣的交往能增加幸福感，不過就像埃普利博士和同事朱莉安娜·施羅德(Juliana Schroeder)去年在《實驗心理學雜志》上說的那樣，離得很近的陌生人“通常會忽略彼此”。在一系列九個實驗中，他們一再發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們低估了其他人的交往興趣。

How to break the ice then? Dr. Epley suggests simply saying to that stranger on the bus or in the cafe: “Hi, I’m visiting. Can you tell me what I ought to see in town?”

那么如何打破沉默呢?埃普利博士建議，只用在公交車上或咖啡館里對陌生人簡單地說：“嗨，我正在旅行。你能告訴我城里有哪些地方一定得去看看嗎?”

“Everybody loves to brag about their city,” he said.

“誰都喜歡吹捧自己所在的城市，”他說。

Or offer a compliment, he suggested. “I think you’re just best off in your relationships if you’re transparent with people.” (This is not to gloss over any genuine concerns about talking to strangers, Dr. Epley said. But we’ll address those in a bit.)

他的另一個建議是贊美對方。“我覺得，只要你真誠待人，就一定會在人際交往中如魚得水。”(埃普利博士說，這么說不是為了掩飾與陌生人交談的真正隱患。不過我們一會兒再討論那些問題。)

As experienced solo travelers know, opportunities for pleasurable connections are everywhere: trains, planes, parks, bars, museums, walking tours, group hikes. Yet should all that fail, technology provides seemingly innumerable ways to increase the odds. Obviously dating websites and apps like OkCupid and Tinder can facilitate in-person get-togethers around the world. Yet the travel industry has its own tools, designed not specifically for romance, but for friendship.

經(jīng)驗豐富的單身旅行者都知道，到處都有跟人愉快交往的機會：火車上、飛機上、公園里、酒吧里、博物館里、徒步游覽或集體遠足時。但是如果這些都沒給你帶來機會，那么科技似乎能給你提供無數(shù)交往機會。顯然，OkCupid和Tinder這樣的交友網(wǎng)站和應用程序為在世界各地當面聚會提供了便利。但是旅游業(yè)也有自己的工具，不是專為戀愛設計的，而是為友誼設計的。

I’ve previously written about some of these websites and apps, including Highlight and Planely. The app Skout enables travelers to meet locals or one another wherever they are, be it a concert in London or a soccer game in Barcelona. More recently there’s Tripr, which allows travelers to find others who will be in the same place. But if you’re seeking a like-minded companion, a couple of veteran sites deserve another look.

我之前寫過這樣一些網(wǎng)站和應用程序，包括Highlight和Planely。應用程序Skout能讓旅行者與當?shù)厝嘶蚱渌慰拖嗑?mdash;—不管是在倫敦的一場音樂會上，還是巴塞羅那的一場足球賽上。Tripr是一款較新的應用程序，它能讓將去同一個地方的旅行者找到彼此。但是如果你想尋找志同道合的旅伴，有幾個老網(wǎng)站值得你再去看看。

Unlike a lot of start-ups aimed at connecting travelers, Couchsurfing.com was founded in 2004 and has grown to some nine million members. You may know it as the purview of frugal travelers who see the world by sleeping on the couches and air mattresses of strangers, but it’s also a great way to meet other solo travelers and locals — even if you don’t crash on their couches. Some 120,000 cities worldwide offer weekly Couchsurfing art gallery tours, hikes, dinners or gatherings in coffee shops and bars. (Becoming a member of the site is free.)

與很多旨在把旅行者聯(lián)系在一起的新應用程序不同，Couchsurfing.com成立于2004年，已擁有約900萬會員。你可能以為它只是給窮游者用的，他們通過在陌生人家的沙發(fā)或充氣床墊上過夜來游覽世界，但實際上它也是結(jié)識其他單身旅行者和當?shù)厝说暮棉k法——即便你不在他們的沙發(fā)上睡覺。全世界約有12萬個城市每周都舉辦Couchsurfing藝術(shù)館參觀、遠足活動、咖啡館和酒吧聚餐或聚會(你可以免費成為該網(wǎng)站的會員)。

In addition to joining events, you can also reach out to other members who have set their “hosting availability” status to “wants to meet up,” meaning that while their couch is unavailable, they’re happy to meet for coffee or be a resource while you’re visiting their city.

除了參加這些活動，你還可以聯(lián)系那些把“招待”狀態(tài)設定為“想會面”的會員，意思是雖然他們不提供沙發(fā)，但他們很樂意跟你一起喝個咖啡，或者在你去他們所在的城市旅行時為你指點一二。

Another digital stalwart is VirtualTourist.com, which offers tips and reviews from fellow globe trekkers and has been around since 1999. That means you’ll find a true online community, a deep well of people with whom to interact. Members have profiles that may include photos, their hometown, travel interests and where they’ve been. Each member’s travel tips are tied to his or her profile, and should you like what you read or have questions, you can message the user. Who knows, maybe you’ll even get together offline. Once you’re on the ground in a city, you can meet dozens of people at once by attending a cocktail hour, group run, or tour through the worldwide events site Meetup.com.

另一個資深網(wǎng)站是1999年創(chuàng)建的VirtualTourist.com，它提供全球旅行者的小貼士和評論。那意味著你將找到一個真正的在線社區(qū)，遇到一大群可以交流的人。會員檔案可能包括照片、故鄉(xiāng)、旅行興趣和去過的地方。每個會員的旅行貼士都是和他/她的檔案連在一起的。如果你看到喜歡的內(nèi)容或者有些疑問，可以給那個用戶發(fā)消息。誰知道呢，你們也許甚至會在線下見面。你每到一個城市，只要參加全球活動網(wǎng)站Meetup.com組織的雞尾酒會、集體跑步或游覽，就能一下子遇到幾十個人。

While meeting someone new is exciting and can be deeply fulfilling, such overtures must be balanced with safety measures. Even Couchsurfing, which refers to strangers as “friends you haven’t met yet,” has a page devoted to safety, warning members to trust their instincts (“If a person, situation or profile seems unsafe for any reason, move on. Don’t worry about seeming rude”) and know their limits (“Partying like a rock star might be fun, but it puts your safety and well-being in the hands of others”). For women, especially, the site advises being educated about your destination’s cultural and religious norms and to “be clear about your boundaries and don’t be shy about stating them.”

雖然結(jié)識新朋友令人興奮，讓人很有成就感，但同時也要注意安全。Couchsurfing網(wǎng)站把陌生人稱為“你尚未見面的朋友”，甚至連它也有個頁面專門講述安全問題，提醒會員相信自己的直覺(“如果某個人、某種情況或者某人的檔案因為任何原因讓你覺得不安全，那么趕緊離開。不要擔心自己顯得很粗魯”)，知道自己的底線(“在派對上像搖滾明星那樣玩可能很有趣，但也會把你的安全和健康置于他人手中”)。該網(wǎng)站特別建議女性了解目的地的文化和宗教習慣，“清楚自己的底線，不要羞于表明自己的態(tài)度”。

At the same time, Dr. Epley said most people are not interested in taking advantage of you. “The person who wants to take advantage of you wants to find you immediately,” he explained. It’s different when you’re the one who decides to initiate a conversation. “When there’s random selection, you don’t have that risk of being targeted,” he said.

不過，埃普利博士說，大部分人沒興趣占你的便宜。“想占你便宜的人會立刻找上你，”他解釋說。而當你是主動攀談的那個人時，情況就不同了。“如果是隨機選擇，你就沒有被盯上的風險，”他說。

Solo travelers are often told to keep friends and loved ones informed about where they’re going and when (including the time they expect to return), know which neighborhoods to avoid, and learn local emergency numbers. Additionally, consider registering with the nearest United States Embassy or consulate at Step.state.gov/step. This allows the embassy to reach you in an emergency (natural disaster, civil unrest) and family and friends to contact you if there’s an emergency.

單身旅行者大多都知道，要讓朋友和愛人知道自己的目的地和到達時間(包括期望返回的時間)，要知道提防哪些鄰居，要知道當?shù)氐膽碧柎a。另外，你可以考慮在Step.state.gov/step上向最近的美國大使館或領事館進行登記。這樣，大使館可以在緊急情況(自然災害、社會動亂)下通知你，你的家人和朋友也可以通過大使館聯(lián)系你。

You may also want to memorize words such as “help,” “police” and “fire” in the local language, and have a plan for how you’ll get back to your hotel anytime you’re out after dark. If you are in a place where there’s no mass transit or if mass transit is not safe at night, have the number of a taxi service with you. If you use Uber, make sure the photo of the driver that appears on the app matches the face of the person who picks you up. Also, the Uber app has a “Share my ETA” option that allows you to send someone your whereabouts and estimated arrival time. (Before I even get into a car I send the driver’s name, car make and my destination to a friend or family member.)

你可能也需要記住用當?shù)卣Z言怎么說“救命”、“警察”和“失火啦”，想好天黑后如何返回酒店。如果你去的地方?jīng)]有公共交通工具，或者公共交通在晚上不安全，隨身帶上一家出租車公司的電話號碼。如果你用Uber打車，要看清來接你的人和應用程序上司機的照片是否相符。Uber應用程序也有“分享我的預計到達時間”這個選項，你可以把你的行蹤和預計到達時間發(fā)給某個朋友(我甚至在上車前就把司機姓名、車的品牌和目的地發(fā)給一個朋友或家人)。