Oh wow I am also going to NeuIPS from Europe alone ! I have just graduated with my PhD, and with the COVID crisis of the last few years it is my first conference as well.

My supervisors advised me to try and not be shy, find new people at meal times, and to not skip the workshop sessions as they allow real discussions.

Do you mind me asking what workshop you'll present at ? If you want to swing by the InterNLP workshop, I'd be delighted to talk your ear off with Active Learning ;)