Invitations from locals
People who live in the city invite travellers in: practise a language over coffee, share dinner at their favourite local spot, join a game. You choose which to join, and the host says yes.
The solo travel app for finding travel friends
Meet locals and travellers wherever you land.
Locals invite you into their everyday life, to the places, tables and plans you'd never find on your own. Join a small group, find travel friends, and set a check-in for the way home.
Free to download. Chat is always free. 18+.
Floating lanterns on the Thu BồnHội An, after dark 
The morning market runHuế, 6 am 
First time under the reefIsland day trip 
Dinner where the locals eatSaigon, 9 pm 
Walking the rice terracesSa Pa 
The beach nobody told you aboutSunny, 31°C 
Sunset with people you met at noonDay three
How the solo travel app works
HelloMates lets the people who live in the city you're visiting invite you in, so your trip is about people, not just places.
Pick your city
Start with the city you're in. Invitations, plans and chats all follow it.
Choose an invitation
Locals post what they'd love to do with a visitor, always in a public place: language practice over coffee, dinner at a local restaurant, a game or sport. Pick one and ask to join.
Meet in a small group
Invitations are groups of 2 to 6, with a group chat once you're in. Or post your own plan for other travellers, and set Arm it before you head out.
A look inside the app
The Tonight map, the city chat, rooms, Moments and Arm it, as they look on iPhone and Android.
Who's in town tonight 
Arm it check-in 
See who's near you 
Chat with travellers and locals 
Behind every status, a real person 
Plans with a time and a place 
Share moments 
Next city? They're already there.
Everything a solo trip needs to feel less solo
Built for solo travel, hostels, backpacking and nomad life, and for locals who want to show visitors their city.
Welcome new members
New in a city? HelloMates groups you with other newcomers there in a Welcome new members chat, so the first hello is already done. Your hostel gets its own chat too.
Plans with a time and a place
Tonight opens on plans: invitations, plans from travellers and city events, soonest first. Join one, or post your own with a time, a place and a cap.
Follow your next city
With Plus, see any city's plans and people before you arrive, and who else lands there this week.
Moments
Photos from around the city, posted by the people in it. A quick look at what tonight actually looks like.
Women's lane
Women-only plans and invitations, in a space of their own.
Chat in any languagePlus
The app speaks 10 languages, and with Plus you can translate any message in the chat into yours.
Arm it check-in
Heading out? Set an hour to check in. Miss it, and the people you chose get your message. How it works
iPhone and Android
One account on both, in the same cities as everyone else.
How to make friends while solo travelling
Meeting people on a solo trip is easier when you know where to look. These are the habits that work for most travellers, and how HelloMates helps with each one.
Say yes to the first plan
The first night in a new city is when most solo travellers feel the most alone. Open Tonight, pick the soonest plan or invitation and go. A walk, a dinner or a drink with people you met an hour ago turns a strange city into a familiar one.
Let a local show you around
The fastest way to meet locals is to accept their invitation. On HelloMates, people who live in the city post what they'd love to do with a visitor, always in a public place. You ask to join, and you spend the evening somewhere you would never have found alone.
Start in a small group
Talking to one stranger can feel like a lot. A group of 2 to 6 is easier: the conversation keeps going on its own, and everyone is there for the same reason. Every invitation on HelloMates is a small group with its own chat.
Use your hostel and your street
The people staying in your hostel are often the best travel buddies you will find. HelloMates gives your hostel and your street their own chats, so asking who wants to grab dinner takes one message instead of a brave walk across the common room.
Meet people before you land
Save your flight and read the city chat before you arrive. With Plus, see who else lands in the same city that week and browse any city's plans and people ahead of time, so you already have someone to say hello to on day one.
Tell someone where you are
Solo travel safety starts with a simple habit: someone should know when to expect you back. Arm it lets you set a check-in hour before a night out, a late taxi or a hike. If you miss it, the people you chose get your message.
A travel buddy app for every kind of solo trip
Whether it's your first solo trip or your tenth country this year, HelloMates puts you in touch with the travellers and locals around you.
Your first solo trip
Nervous about travelling alone for the first time? Join the Welcome new members chat the day you arrive, pick one small plan, and set Arm it for the way home. For most first-timers, the hardest part is the first hello.
Solo female travel
The women's lane holds women-only plans and invitations, in a space of their own. Every invitation is in a public place, and Arm it gives you a check-in for late nights and long walks back.
Backpacking and hostels
Backpacking alone does not mean spending every evening alone. Find people from your hostel, split an airport taxi, or join tonight's plan with other backpackers heading the same way.
Digital nomads and expats
Staying a month or a year? Meet locals beyond the coworking space, practise the language over coffee, and keep a city chat full of people who are also new in town.
Locals who love their city
Live somewhere people visit? Post an invitation for what you'd love to share with a visitor, from a favourite local restaurant to a game or a sport, and choose who joins.
Travellers between cities
With Plus, follow your next city before you get there: see who lands there this week and which plans are coming up, so moving on feels like arriving somewhere you already know someone.
Travel eSIM
Land connected
Get online the moment you land. Pick where you're headed, choose a plan and install it right inside HelloMates.
- Set up in minutes inside HelloMates
- No SIM swap, keep your number
- Top up anytime
Travel eSIM
Pick where you're headed.
Vietnam
Thailand
Indonesia
Setting up your eSIMInstall
Vietnam
Data plans
Thailand
Data plans
Indonesia
Data plansMore destinations soon
Pick a plan
Choose your destination and the plan that fits your trip.
Scan or tap to install
Tap the install link or scan the QR code.
Land connected
Switch the eSIM on when you arrive and get online.
Solo travel safety, with someone keeping count
Arm it is a check-in for nights out, taxis, late walks home and hikes. It's free.
- Choose a check-in hour, in the time of the city you're in.
- Write the message and pick who gets it: family, a friend, anyone with a phone or email.
- Check in on time and nothing is sent. Miss it, and they get your message with the local emergency number.
HelloMates delivers your message; it does not call the police or an ambulance and is not a replacement for emergency services. Read the Arm it terms.
Free to use. Plus when you want the whole city.
Chat is never behind a paywall. Plus is for seeing everyone, not for talking.
Free
- Invitations from locals, plans and city events
- Join plans, and post one at a time
- Arm it check-ins
- Open 3 profiles and start 3 new chats a day
- Welcome new members group, hostel chat and Moments
HelloMates Plus
- The full list of who's here tonight
- Any city's plans and people, before you arrive
- Who lands in your city this week
- Unlimited profiles, new chats and plans
- Translation in every chat
Questions
What is HelloMates?
HelloMates is a solo travel app for finding travel friends. People who live in the city you're visiting invite you in, to practise English over coffee, share dinner at their favourite local restaurant or join their Sunday football game. You can also join or post plans with other travellers, chat with other newcomers in your Welcome new members group, and set an Arm it safety check-in for the way home.
Is HelloMates free?
Yes. Downloading is free, and so are asking to join invitations, joining plans, posting a plan, Arm it, and opening 3 profiles and starting 3 new chats a day. HelloMates Plus unlocks the full tonight list, any city before you arrive, who lands this week, unlimited new chats and translation.
Who is HelloMates for?
Solo travellers, backpackers, digital nomads, expats, and locals who want to show visitors their city by posting invitations. You must be 18 or over.
Does Arm it call emergency services?
No. Arm it sends the message you prepared to the contacts you chose if you miss your check-in hour, along with the emergency number of the city you are in. It does not contact the police or an ambulance and is not a replacement for emergency services.
Is HelloMates on Android?
Yes. HelloMates is on iPhone and Android.
Which languages does HelloMates speak?
The app is in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian and Chinese. With Plus, you can translate any chat message into your language.
How do I find a travel buddy for my trip?
Open HelloMates in the city you're in and look at Tonight: invitations from locals, plans from other travellers and city events, soonest first. Ask to join one, or post your own plan with a time, a place and a cap, and let travel friends come to you.
How can I meet locals when I travel?
Locals on HelloMates post invitations for visitors, such as language practice over coffee, dinner at a local restaurant or a game, always in a public place. Asking to join is free, and you meet in a small group of 2 to 6 with its own group chat.
Is it safe to meet people from a travel app?
Meet in public, tell someone your plans and trust your instincts. Every HelloMates invitation is in a public place, the women's lane keeps women-only plans in a space of their own, and Arm it sends your message to the contacts you chose if you miss your check-in hour. You can report or block anyone, and reports are reviewed within 24 hours.
Can I meet people before I arrive?
Yes. Save your flight and read the city chat before you land. With Plus, you can also see who else arrives in the same city this week and browse any city's plans and people ahead of your trip.
Your next city wants to meet you.
Get HelloMates and find travel friends where you're headed.