> OP does not literally mean the same people but the same type of people.

Same question really - aren't you most likely to find the same type of people at home?

Sure, but sometimes you also want to travel. I find myself doing this a lot when I'm on a trip - you want to dive into a new culture or location, do things you wouldn't do, but you also need time to recharge and feel something a bit more normal.

Coffee shop or brewery or dive bar culture can vary some place to place, but there's usually core elements of the sort of social contract that are core to it and can provide a sense of routine or homely comfort even when you're staying at a hotel in another country. Having an experience that's 80% the same as the one you'd have back home can make it easier for you to recognize and appreciate that 20% difference sometimes and learn about a new culture.

No.

Liking coffee is only one aspect of a person. Once you're talking you can learn more, make connections, and potentially have a friend who you keep talking to even after you return home.

To give a more HN-specific example: If you work at a software company in the US and go to a software company in India/Poland/etc. aren't you going to find the same people at home? Of course not, their job is only one small part of who they are.