Honest question: how do you make real friends as an adult abroad?

I'm building SeaWingman (a friendship app for Southeast Asia) and I keep circling one thing — adult friendship in a new country is weirdly hard, and most advice is "just put yourself out there," which isn't a plan. If you've lived or traveled abroad: what actually worked? Meetups, a hobby, an app, dumb luck? Collecting real answers, not theory.