7 Ways To Find New Mates After High School

When the bubble of high school is popped and you burst out into the world of taxes, laundry and tinned tuna, you’ll find yourself left wondering “how the hell do I find mates now?”

No need to stress, we’ve got you covered.

1. Join a club or team  

To meet likeminded people, seek them out by joining a club. Find the perfect book/art/sustainable/sewing/music/Quidditch/bird-watching club through word of mouth or social media and get amongst it.

Joining a sports team is also a great way to kill two birds with one stone (though the bird-watching club probs won’t be too stoked about that). Not only are you meeting new potential best mates but also keeping fit and healthy since P.E class is no longer a thing.

2. Travel

When you travel, you’ll inevitably meet a tonne of interesting people from all walks of life. I’m still in contact with half the legends I met on my Contiki trip - and bonus, you’ve always got a couch to crash on in different corners of the world! Whether you’re travelling solo or with a couple friends, group travel tours are a great way to meet new people to share epic experiences with.

Our mates at Contiki have trips across the globe, as well as tonnes of sustainable travel experiences in which you can positively impact people, wildlife and the planet. If you’ve had enough of the same-old sitting indoors in 2020, put yourself out there and meet some incredible people by travelling around Australia or the world in the new year. From Italian food to epic hikes to new friendships.

3. Say yes!

No pressure… but getting a little out of your comfort zone will enhance your chances of meeting more people.

Did your co-worker ask you to come to their party? Say yes!

Did your cousin ask you to come to their poetry reading? Say yes!

Did a stranger ask you to get into their car? Uhh, this is when you can definitely say no…

4. Go to events

Go to art exhibitions and weekend markets. Parties, rallies, gigs, pinball competitions… whatever you’re interested in, get involved! You’re bound to stumble across like-minded souls. I mean seriously, the number of best friends I’ve made doing this is startling (and yes, you can have more than one best friend).

5. Get a new job

New job = new pool of people to meet. But it’s all good if you don’t particularly want a new position. You could find a one-day-a-week job somewhere or apply to volunteer at events. 

Volunteering is also a genius way to be a decent human at the same time as meeting some cool (and probably really good) people.

6. Do a class

Sign up to a short course in theatre, writing, philosophy, fashion design, parkour…whatever you’re keen on. Start taking Pilates classes or try out the cool boxing place that opened up near your work – you’ll make friends in no time (and what’s better than having a buddy to motivate you to get to the gym).

7. Pick up a new hobby

This tip might seem a bit obscure but bear with me. My mate wanted to meet more people, so he bought a disposable camera, took pics of bands at gigs and uploaded them to Instagram. Now he is a massive photographer and is mates with everyone (even the bandmembers)!

You could do this with any skill really, just networking one way or another, getting a social media presence and voila, you’re mates with all the gang (and ya might even make a sneaky buck or two out of it, too). Taking up a new hobby, whatever that may be - vlogging, scrapbooking, sewing, TikToking - opens up a whole new group of people to vibe with.

Basically, who even needs school to make friends anyway? There are so many opportunities for mate-making out there, you definitely don’t need to be locked in a classroom for five days a week to find your people.