In modern society, technology often limits human interactions by pulling you away from face-to-face conversations and burying you in your cell phone. But the Hangouts feature on the CouchSurfing app actually does the opposite: it provides a way to meet new people and make new friends while traveling.

Originally, CouchSurfing started as a way for travelers to stay with a host for free. But over the years, it’s evolved into a large community of like-minded travelers. Now, the Hangouts feature offers a completely new way to meet new people when you’re traveling.

How to Use CouchSurfing Hangouts

Download the CouchSurfing app Create your profile Fill in as much information as possible Include a cool travel picture of yourself Go to the home screen and click the blue “Browse Hangouts” button Click the green circle in the top right of the screen Set your status from the presets or write your own Click “Update My Status” Browse through the users near you Read their bios and statuses Look at their pictures If you’re interested in meeting, click “Say Hello” Wait for them to accept your invitation Begin chatting Make plans to meet up Use the map feature to suggest a meeting location Have fun!

You can also join a group of people who have already formed. This will plug you into an already established group that may have made plans already.

Once someone has accepted you into their chat, you can begin immediately making plans without much small talk. The people who use CouchSurfing tend to be open-minded, friendly, and willing to meet new people.

This is one of the best tools to meet locals while traveling, but you don’t even have to be traveling to use it. If you are sitting at home with nothing to do, you can use Hangouts to meet new people who are visiting your hometown.

I’ve met tons of people through this app that I still keep in touch with to this day. It’s a really great way to branch out and meet cool new people!