Asklemmy

People in Europe are absolutely more welcoming. While living in Spain it was much easier to find social groups - philosophy clubs and board gamers are all over the place and usually end up meeting in public cafes which can make things much more comfortable if you're still new to the language and area and aren't comfortable going to a stranger's home.

I'd also say there is a contrast between going in speaking English vs a local tongue. As my Catalan has gotten less shitty I've been more willing to default to it and people do really appreciate you learning the local language and will go out of their way to help you improve instead of giving you a cold shoulder. It's important to be aware of the area you're going to though, in Catalunya you'll get a warmer reception speaking broken Catalan or Spanish or fluent English then you would speaking fluent Spanish - especially if you have a capital accent. When I've been to the Basque region Spanish or French is an easy way to have a waiter refuse to serve you.

Study up on the local region and traditions, you're a guest and it's appropriate to invest your own time into trying to adapt before expecting grace from others.