If you’ve sought out tips for how to make new friends as an adult, you know the “best practices”: Join a club, pick up a hobby, talk to more strangers, blah, blah, blah. And while this advice is solid on paper, do people actually do those things in real life and end up with new pals as a result?

Between work, personal responsibilities, mental health struggles, and an increasingly disconnected world, chances for new bonds can seem few and far between — let alone deep, meaningful attachments. Everyone’s adulthood is unique, but when I talk about the struggle to make friends as a grown-up, I’m mostly referring to the challenges of finding your people at a time when there aren’t exactly organic opportunities to do so.

These days, if you don’t graduate with a ready-made clique, luck into liking your coworkers or roommates, or have a community-oriented hobby, meeting new people can feel impossible. (Am I projecting a little? Maybe. But I live alone and work from home, and it’s rough out here!)

But I’m happy to report that the standard “put yourself out there” advice can, indeed, pay off. I asked people how they met new (now close) buds in the real world, and their responses gave me hope for the rest of us. From going back to school to sliding into DMs, here are just a few friendship origin stories that prove it’s never too late to find a bestie.

1. “I used Bumble for Friends (BFF) after moving to a new city.”

“I never expected it to work, but I found my best friend through it. The first time we met up, we went for a long dog walk together and just clicked. Now I see her all the time, and we’re going on holiday together in a few weeks. I feel really lucky to have met her, especially since BFF is quite hit and miss, just like a dating app — you end up messaging people for a while but nothing ever comes of it, or if you do eventually meet in person, it doesn’t always translate to a friendship.” —Ellie B., 24

2. “I volunteered at a community garden.”

“Spending time working the soil and planting with other volunteers created a sense of camaraderie. We’ve become good friends, and sometimes we even have garden-to-table dinners together." —Marianne T., 31

3. “I started going to a yoga class across from my favourite café.”

“I noticed a new girl learning the ropes and gave her some help. We bonded over having golden retrievers, and we became best friends! Neither of us even take the yoga class anymore, but it was a great environment for us to connect.” —Annabelle M., 25

4. “I joined a Dungeons & Dragons group.”

“A longtime friend and I were running a D&D table at a local comic shop, and our new friend arrived one day interested in learning how to play and wanting to watch. They joined our weekly playgroup, and soon we were hanging out after games and being homies.” —Ryan M., 36

5. “I tap into what I know makes me happy.”

“I’ve made friends through my Nigerian culture. I’m the community service chair of a Nigerian organisation with chapters across the US, and I also serve on its national service committee. It helps me meet people I don’t already know within my tight-knit community." —Grace Chigozie, 26

6. “I met a group of moms through my child’s school.”

“We started a monthly playdate schedule, and it quickly became a support system for all of us. We share advice and babysitting duties, and have become close friends." —Crystal B., 29

7. “I went to bar trivia nights with some co-workers and roommates.”

“Over time we started to invite more friends, and friends of friends. Eventually, we started hanging out more on the weekends and beyond. I’ve since attended multiple weddings from that friend group, gone on vacation with one of the couples, and even went to a wedding of two folks who met through this extended trivia crew. I still play today, and when I see some of those friends, including ones who have moved away, they still ask about trivia and we reminisce on those days.” —Lance D., 33

8. “I met my friend through my co-worker.”

“We were chatting about books one day and he said I had a similar taste to his girlfriend and should meet her since she was looking to make new friends. He organised a park social with a bunch of people, but I mostly chatted with his girlfriend and hit it off with her immediately. We found out we have a lot of other similar interests, including singing, making music, video games, and coding, so we always have a lot to do together and talk about.” —Rini K., 24

9. “I just kept going to the same places over and over…”

“...and got over my fear of being eager. Making the first move helped me connect with a lot of introverted people, some of whom have become my closest friends! Basically, I’m not afraid to ‘court’ potential pals or seem too excited to spend time together.” —Mary C., 24

10. “I joined an online community for fans of a podcast I loved on Discord.”

“I met a ton of wonderful people across the world. Eventually, a bunch of us all realised we were trans, and then recently, we all moved to Seattle. Seven years after we all met, I’m now dating one of those people, and I’m close friends with three more.” —Noëlle Midnight, 33

11. “I knocked on my neighbours’ doors in our apartment building.”

“I asked if they wanted to watch the Oscars with me and my roommate that night with the promise of snacks and drinks. A few didn’t answer, a few didn’t show, but we got four people to join us. We started watching The Bachelor after that to have a regular reason to hang out, and eventually we became real friends! We lucked out with people within our age group living right next to us — and lucked out that they weren’t weirded out by me knocking at 3 p.m. on a random Sunday.” —Mikaela R., 27

12. “I met a bunch of friends in grad school.”

“We were all working very hard and shared a craft; finding people with common interests and with whom I could discuss and debate was really wonderful. We’ve all stayed friends and feel we can rely on each other, whether it be for our work or emotional lives. We also party together. Important!” —Leah M., 33

13. “I made a best friend at a small, local thrift store.”

“I had my eye on a dress that was in the area she was looking in. When she vacated and I approached to look for it, I couldn’t find it. I went up to her and asked if she had seen it. She had it in her cart, and I was a little embarrassed. She offered it to me and we started chatting while walking around the shop. As we were leaving we made plans to hang out and go thrifting together another time. She still has the dress, and we’re great friends. We often reminisce about that day and how lucky we are!” —Isiah Smith, 23

14. “We decided to start a women-only fantasy football league.”

“I've got a whole girl squad now! My now husband had a group of guy friends from college that would always hang out, and over the years, girlfriends started to join the group. What really brought us together was when all the guys spent a day at a bar for a fantasy football league, and the women all wondered why we were sitting home alone waiting for them to wrap. From there, we decided to start our own women-only fantasy football league, and now we chat and get together more than the guys do.” —Kristen F., 34

15. “Local theatre is magical for making friends.”

“What better place to meet fellow adult weirdos who unwind by playing dress-up? I’ve made so many lasting friendships as an adult by doing shows together.” —Jessa S., 37

16. “I’ve made friends as an adult all over the place.”

“My first year out of college I met one of my best friends at a work event, bonding over Harry Styles. Two years after that, at a new job, I met a colleague my age who’s also one of my dearest friends; I was recently a bridesmaid in her wedding. When I moved back to LA after a bad breakup at 30, I met one of my now closest girlfriends on TikTok when I adopted a cat from her — I was looking for a pet and got a BOGO deal on a wonderful friend. I’ve connected with old internet friends as an adult, met friends of friends and hang out with them regularly. Adulthood has been a really beautiful reminder that you have not met all the people you’ll ever love yet.” —Sara Hoffman, 31