9 Unconventional Ways to Expand Your Social Circle Offline in 2025
Expanding your social circle offline in 2025 doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We explore unconventional methods to meet new people and form genuine connections, backed by insights from social experts. From joining luxury travel clubs to participating in community projects, these strategies offer fresh approaches to broaden your social horizons beyond the digital realm.
Join Luxury Travel Clubs for Extended Stays
As a digital nomad therapist who’s traveled extensively while maintaining an online practice, I’ve found luxury travel clubs create powerful social connections. When I joined Inspirato (a luxury travel club), I unexpectedly found myself meeting fascinating professionals during extended stays in their high-end properties.
The communal spaces in these luxury accommodations naturally foster genuine connections with like-minded travelers. I’ve formed lasting friendships with entrepreneurs, creatives, and other professionals during my seven-month stays in various locations — connections that would never happen in typical tourist settings or rushed hotel experiences.
What makes this approach unique is the combination of extended time (weeks/months rather than days) and shared living spaces designed specifically for community building. During my extended stay in Mexico, I connected with a business consultant who later became both a podcast guest and valuable professional contact simply by sharing morning coffee in the communal kitchen.
For those without luxury club budgets, look into co-living spaces or extended stay accommodations with community amenities. The key is finding environments where you naturally interact with others over time through repeated, casual encounters rather than forced networking events. These prolonged proximity situations create authentic relationships based on genuine shared experiences.
Kym Tolson, Therapist Coach, The Traveling Therapist
Participate in Local Park Clean-Up Days
One thing I do that surprises people is drop in on public park clean-up days hosted by smaller churches or neighborhood groups, especially ones I’m not affiliated with. It’s not glamorous. You’re pulling weeds, painting benches, and picking up trash. But when you’re doing that side-by-side with someone who grew up on that block or a teen serving community service hours, it leads to conversations you can’t replicate anywhere else.
I’ve walked away from those mornings with invitations to speak at local schools, connect with youth groups, or collaborate with pastors on recovery outreach. These aren’t people who network on purpose. They just care deeply about their space, and if you show up and do the work, they notice. The social capital you build by showing up with no agenda is worth more than any seminar.
Timothy Brooks, CEO, Synergy Houses
Attend Library-Led Community Discussion Groups
One overlooked way to meet people is by joining local library-led discussion groups, not just book clubs, but forums on mental health, veterans’ affairs, or parenting. These aren’t industry events or curated social mixers. They’re grounded in lived experience. I’ve attended sessions on trauma recovery and family resilience where every person had something real to share, no resumes involved. The moderator isn’t a keynote speaker; it’s usually a social worker or community liaison.
You find yourself sitting with grandparents raising their grandchildren, college students exploring psychology, and caregivers navigating burnout. The relationships formed in those circles aren’t fleeting. I’ve stayed in touch with people I met there for years. In a field like mine, where professional detachment can become isolating, those connections keep me empathetic and connected to the human side of what we do.
Justin McLendon, LCMHC, LCAS & CEO, New Waters Recovery
Collaborate in Community Gardens and City Meetings
Joining a community garden compels you to engage in practical collaboration with individuals outside your usual circle. You discover who arrives early, who brings tools, and who listens attentively. There are no titles or presentations — just shared work. I joined one near our clinic launch in Missouri. We exchanged produce and stories, and within weeks, I had formed connections with a local therapist, a food bank coordinator, and a nurse practitioner. None of these connections came from exchanging business cards. They developed from sweating together in the soil.
Another often overlooked method is attending city hall meetings. Most people disregard them, but they are filled with teachers, business owners, and neighbors who care enough to speak up. I’ve encountered veterans advocating for medical access, parents organizing mental health events, and retired EMTs seeking volunteer opportunities. These individuals weren’t on LinkedIn. They were present in the room, ready to discuss what mattered to them. I listened, followed up, and continued to attend. This is how you build genuine connections that transcend mere talk.
These aren’t quick solutions. However, they lead to relationships built on action, not convenience. This has always been our approach to growth. You don’t need more followers. You need people who show up, just as you do.
Aspen Noonan, CEO, Elevate Holistics
Volunteer for Short-Term Urban Improvement Projects
One strange, but effective, avenue to grow your network and get to know new people in 2025 — the non-internet way — is to volunteer for unique, short-term community efforts like urban farming projects, helping with local election logistics, or painting neighborhood murals.
Because these positions attract people who care and are often quite different, they deliver much more in terms of true, non-surface connections. You are not networking; you are working together. This makes them less pressured, increases the speed at which trust develops, and can result in unexpected “friendships” or “projects” that would have never developed as a result of a traditional meetup.
TIP: Find a role where some demand is placed on you to work with others shoulder-to-shoulder, versus just being there to attend or spectate. That is where the connection happens.
Mary Case, Founder, The Happy Food Company
Engage in Municipal Advisory Boards
One unusual but refreshingly effective way to meet new people in 2025 — without relying on online platforms — is to volunteer for hyper-local community advisory boards or public consultation events hosted by your city or town.
Most municipalities regularly seek input from residents on things like urban planning, transit, sustainability projects, or even cultural development. These gatherings are often under-attended but attract a unique mix of professionals, activists, retirees, and curious citizens — all with something to say and a shared interest in improving the place you live. You’d be surprised how naturally connections form when you’re debating how to fix a traffic bottleneck or improve access to parks.
Not only do you meet people you’d likely never cross paths with otherwise, but these forums also build social capital and foster genuinely meaningful conversations — a rare thing in today’s interaction-light world. It’s grassroots networking with real-world impact.
Kalim Khan, Co-founder & Senior Partner, Affinity Law
Connect Through Hobby-Based Volunteer Groups
In 2025, one unusual but successful way I’ve grown my network is by joining hobby-based volunteer groups. For example, on weekends, I worked with a veterans-supporting car repair crew, which had nothing to do with law or business.
You meet people from all walks of life who all help out. The experience is not stressful, serves a purpose, and encourages honest conversations. The added bonus? I gained two excellent recruiting partners just by showing up with a wrench.
Mark Hirsch, Co-founder and Personal Injury Attorney, Templer & Hirsch
Network at Niche Industry Conferences
You’d be surprised at how many conversations you can initiate with people at niche industry conferences. Most major conferences charge for attendance, but if the opportunity to attend presents itself, seize it and engage in conversation at an open icebreaker, discussion, or workshop. Not only is it an excellent way to make professional connections, but it’s also an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and chat with interesting people. If you approach these conferences with an open mind, they can definitely serve as a gateway to new social circles.
Maurice Harary, CEO & Co-Founder, The Bid Lab
Explore Group Tours During Solo Travel
Steve Schwab, CEO, Casago
Traveling can be a great way to meet new people. Whether you take a solo trip but sign up for group tours, stay at a hostel with other travelers, or simply strike up conversations with other people while traveling, it can be a fantastic way to meet brand new people you otherwise wouldn’t. You’re already out of your comfort zone when you travel, so that can actually make it easier to go out on a limb and socialize with brand new people.
Original Article: 9 Unconventional Ways to Expand Your Social Circle Offline in 2025 | StyleMySoul
