Alfred Lee has found a cool new way to explore a city as a solo traveler by offering to take people to lunch.
It’s not hard for him to spark up a conversation since he’s been working as an airline customer service agent at the airport for about 7 years. He had no experience in the industry at the time but wanted to combine his passions of meeting new people and traveling.
Of course, when working for an airline, there are some amazing perks, such as traveling at a discounted price.
But the problem for Alfred was he found it hard being a solo traveler at times, especially when seeking the local gems and experiences of a city. That’s how he came up with a brilliant solution.
“I take people out for lunch in exchange for a tour around their city,” he told Travel Noire during an interview. “I had to figure out a creative way to explore alone.”
Using social media as his resource, he researched and found communities of other single travelers on Facebook. When accepted to these groups, he made his pitch to members and the response was overwhelming. He received more than 150 comments from people ready to show off their homes.
“I went in with low expectations trying to gauge the interests of how many people were excited about their cities and country that would want to show it,” he added. “It’s been amazing. I would’ve never got the chance to go king salmon fishing in Alaska if it weren’t for this approach. I even found my now fiancée through this experience.”
People from Lima, Mexico City, and London were ready to show Alfred their cities, but unfortunately, the pandemic shut everything down some of his plans.
As countries reopen their borders, he’s encouraging people to do the same and not letting traveling alone stop you.
“Start with your co-workers and join other travel groups that fit your interests,” he said.
Disclaimer: Alfred Lee’s name has been changed to protect his identity with the airline.
