We’ve just met 24 hours ago, but it feels like decades. This group of people from all corners of the globe have become my immediate friends. We sit around sharing stories from our travels. And despite not knowing each other’s last names, birthdays, or childhood pets, we connect with our shared experiences, taking place at different points in time.
In a matter of days, we’ll all scatter, our itineraries taking us elsewhere. We may never see each other again, but we’ll always have our stories, exchanged in hammocks on tropical islands and on long distance buses. These travel friends are what you needed at the time, one of the many gifts of adventures. I’m sharing some of my favorite stories of these experiences.
Split, Croatia
I wandered the street looking for my accommodations before seeing a tiny sign for the third floor hostel. After huffing and puffing my way up, straining myself with my heavy duffel, I was given a key and entered my darkened room. I’d just spent a week volunteering in Thailand followed by a series of flights to get me to Croatia. This was my very first real solo trip, so I was equal parts anxious and exhausted.
I mumbled a “hello” to my dormmates, two girls from New Zealand and two British guys. After introductions, I started talking to the Brits, who thought everything I said in my American accent was funny, from “aluminum” to “khaki pants.” They spent the day recovering from the pub crawl the night before as I suffered through jetlag but they asked if I wanted to join them for dinner.
They brought me to a local konoba, a home cooking restaurant, for wine and spaghetti carbonara, cracking jokes about nuns and talking about life back home. We fell into easy conversation very quickly. The next morning, I heard the sound of the market come in through the open window along with the Adriatic breeze.
I decided to treat my new friends with a bag of deep red cherries from a vendor, having no idea that I’d spent a small fortune on them, tossing the woman selling them the Monopoly money. The boys and I went to the “beach,” which was actually a strip of concrete along the water.
That evening, we all went on the pub crawl, me against my better judgment. I indulged in more beers and shots than I could count in pirate-themed basement pubs and nightclubs with thumping house music. The night took a turn that changed my newfound friendship and we parted ways that morning without saying much. But I’m grateful for that first few days of my life of solo travel.
Port Macquarie, Australia
After nearly six months of living in Sydney, it was time to strike out on my own for a month of solo travel up the country’s east coast. I traveled by bus to Newcastle and then onward to Port Macquarie, a coastal area where I’d booked a few nights at a hostel. The Greyhound finally arrived at 1 am, where two Scottish girls told me that they were going to the same hostel.
The seaside town reminded me of the ones back home from my childhood, laid back and quiet. My home for the next few days was owned by a father and son team. The rooms were covered in pastel colored blankets.
Since rain plagued the entire stay, my new friends and I took advantage of the activities like a visit to a local winery and movie night in the cozy garage. We befriended the other employees of the hostel as well as fellow travelers from Israel, Ireland, and beyond.
The next few days continued much the same, mostly with pizza and goon, cheap boxed wine of questionable ingredients sold in Australia, and my new group, dubbed Team Scotland. I felt like I’d known these girls forever, but we were coming in with totally different experiences.
I’d been living in Australia for over six months and had something resembling a relationship back in Sydney. They’d just arrived with massive suitcases in tow, eager to experience everything. They’d also been friends for years and had more in common that I ever could.
We ended up traveling together for many more weeks, to even more destinations. Other people were added to our group. And like other circles of friends, there were fights. Our relationship crumbled before reaching Cairns. But when I was intimidated by traveling alone, my team was there.
Innsbruck, Austria
I had no idea what to expect from arriving in Fulpmes, a quiet town near Innsbruck in the Austrian Alps. I arrived by train and tram after a night of regrets in Munich. I was in the depths of a depression and didn’t feel like being around people, so I curled into my bed with the blanket up to my chin, with views of the snow-covered mountains out the window.
Thankfully Doug’s Mountain Getaway, my hostel for the next few nights, was a real home. Owned by Doug and run by his mom and one of his friends, there was always a group of travelers there relaxing in the sauna, climbing to the glacier, and enjoying fondue nights. I was intimidated by the group of Australians that had already spent a few days there. I assumed they knew each other, but many had just met.
On my second day, some of the group decided to go on a hike, but one of the guys and I decided to take the cable car to the top instead. I hadn’t properly packed, so the ankle deep snow on my porous boots soon became soaked. He and I had a bowl of goulash to warm up before heading back down the mountain.
That night, the rest of the group returned for fondue night. We all sat around together telling stories, dipping things in cheese, sipping beer, and playing a weird German board game and later Mario Kart. We added one another on Facebook, but I left early the next morning to continue my month of travel.
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Coming off a disastrous volcano hike and personal drama in Antigua, I arrived in Lake Atitlan at a low point. I’d wiped away tears the entire bus and boat ride before finally arriving in Santa Cruz la Laguna, one of the towns around Lake Atitlan. Like in the Alps, I wanted nothing more than to just disconnect and wallow in my depression. But as it had before, the literal breathtaking beauty of my destination begged me to wallow outside instead of in my dorm.
The guesthouse was made up of a bunch of small, rustic cabins right on the lake where they offered morning yoga, diving, and other activities. There was no WiFi and computers that were shared to only be used during certain hours, ensuring you would use your stay to disconnect. The restaurant served as ground zero for guests with food, drink, and conversation, all with views of the volcano beyond. Meeting new people wasn’t just encouraged, but unavoidable.
I extended my time there, using the incredible surroundings as a reset button. I spent time with new friends, including Danish and American girls as well as a group of French-Canadians. We explored other areas around the lake by water taxi and chatted like we’d been traveling together for weeks.
They helped me get through a rough period at the beginning of a trip, helping me turn it around to become one of my favorites. I don’t have their names or phone numbers or even social media accounts. I’m not even sure I would recognize them if I saw them again, but I’m thankful nonetheless.
Tel Aviv, Israel
My work brought me to Israel, a place I’d wanted to travel to for as long as I could remember. I arrived in Tel Aviv after a long travel day and went straight to my hostel for a much-needed nap. There was time to explore later before the conference.
I saw that there were a couple of people in my dorm room and eventually introduced myself. I learned that there were two German guys who had just met and another American girl, a fellow travel blogger, who was attending the same conference.
A few days into my trip, I took a day trip to Haifa, where one of the guys was also going. We didn’t go together, but of course ran into each other once arriving at the Baha’i Gardens. When we got back to the city, we joined with our other dorm mates for one of the nightly activities at our hostel: Shabbat dinner. It was here that we got to know our fellow travelers.
We joked about our celebrity doppelgangers between two languages. Another night, we went on the hostel pub crawl, winding our way from one ridiculous bar to another. Once the conference started, I saw them less and less, but those early days in Tel Aviv were some of my favorites of the entire trip.
Huacachina, Peru
I was most of the way through my trip to Peru and, apart from my hiking tour to Machu Picchu, hadn’t really made any friends. I’d kept to myself and made conversation with fellow travelers, but spent most of my evenings alone. I’d expected to meet more people traveling by hop on hop off bus, but they tended to run at odd hours when no one really wants to talk.
All of that changed in Huacachina, a party town in the middle of the desert. I’d talked to a girl in Nazca that I ended up seeing again later. She had befriended a group of American medical students and they were all going to dinner, so I joined them, along with a girl from Spain. We had dinner and drinks in town before spending much of the next day by the pool and dune buggying the sand dunes.
The fun continued when we all decided to continue to Paracas, the next stop on the bus. We spent the time in similar fashion, on tours and by the pool. Our Spanish friend stayed behind while the rest of us went to Lima and eventually to our respective homes. Some went traveling elsewhere in South America. Others went back to school. And some started their careers as doctors.
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