A Skill I Don’t Possess
What’s the best way to meet new people while traveling?
If you want advice on meeting new people in any setting you should avoid asking me. I have a real aversion to new people, not because I am antisocial, although that is part of it, but because it is incredibly stressful for me. This may be because of my place on the autistic spectrum and it may be because of my experiences as a child and a teenager when most strangers turned out to be enemies I hadn’t met! Whatever the reason I actively avoid meeting new people in any social settings. If someone starts talking to me I won’t be rude but it becomes clear that I am not interested in getting to know them and they tend to leave me alone.
This does seem to be at variance with my profession. As a teacher I have to meet new people every year in quite large numbers but that is a different situation because I have control over the situation by being at the front of the class. I am able to ease both myself and the students into an academic relationship and I often don’t know the names of the whole class for quite a while! I enjoy the relative ease of the online classroom because that gives me, and many of the students, more of a safety net. It’s less intense for both parties.
So, good luck with meeting new people on holiday if that’s what you enjoy. I will continue to avoid it thank you.
Discover more from David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Thank you for sharing this, David. There is something very honest and human in the way you’ve written about it. I think we all find our own ways of connecting with people.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I definitely find it easier to communicate by blog! Given how much I share on here it must be strange to see me as a hermit 😂!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, I wouldn’t call you a hermit, David! 😊 You’re certainly connecting with people here, one blog post and comment at a time. Thank you, by the way, for your lovely and continuous support of my posts. I’m enjoying reading your writing too! 🙏🏻
LikeLike
Technology has also made lots of us less receptive to talking. If by myself I am much the same as you but it’s easy to be ok with this as one has one’s phone. I think without that I’d probably have to be a bit better. I can make friends/connections easily when travelling but there MUST be people with me already and – am sorry to say – alcohol is a pre-requisite. If these two condotions are satisfied am all good, but without them I just end up retreating into my shell because of social anxiety. Really admire those who can just go out alone and make these kinds of connections with strangers.
LikeLike
I was like this before technology took hold 🤣! As to the alcohol, I can definitely understand that. I was always reluctant to talk to strangers but when I drank regularly it was definitely easier.
LikeLiked by 1 person