Maybe I met you while we repelled down waterfalls together, or on a crazy truck ride up to a temple on a hill. Or maybe we danced the night away or had a deep conversation that I still remember months later. Or maybe we had the most amazing experience swimming with phosphorous plankton together and then parted ways to never speak again.
I remember most of you. I even remember some of your names. Some of you are more fuzzy, either due to my alcohol consumption when we met or the passage of time, but I remember the good times we had together.
The thing about constant travel is that you’re always meeting amazing people who you’ll probably never see again.
The connections you make on the road can be so transient and this awkwardly leaves you both lonely and fulfilled. Sometimes you form deep lasting bonds with people or sometimes you just add another Facebook friend you’ll never talk to. It can be emotionally exhausting to keep meeting people only to part ways. However, it’s worth it when you look back at all the amazing people you’ve shared this experience with.
The people you meet on the road are usually the best type of people. They are typically open-minded, up for adventure and willing to put themselves out there to make new friends. You kind of have to be those things in order to leave the safety of your normal life to explore the world.
Then there are the locals you meet. The ones that open their homes and hearts to you. The ones that are so excited to show off their country, they bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. I still think back fondly of the amazing staff at Dalat Family hostel that honestly made us all genuinely feel like one big family or of our amazing friend in Singapore who spent his whole day off showing us around the city! I feel my heart swell every time I think of the amazing locals in Siquijor who made Joe and I the guests of honor at their block party or the staff at our hotel in Gili that serenaded us every night.
It’s these people who shape your trip. Shape what you learn about yourself and the world around you. It was them that gave me back my faith in humanity and reminded me that the world isn’t as scary as people would like you to believe.
So to all those people I partied with on the beach in Boracay or those that invited me into their house for tea, know that you shaped me into the person I am after this trip.
No matter how short our interaction, I’m a better person for having met you.
Aww!! I love this! I’ve been traveling too and the people you meet can make such an amazing difference in your experience. They really make everything deeper. For me Hong Kong was a gold mine of amazing people. So glad you got to have all these experiences!!
It’s so true! I’m much more likely to really remember the place if I’m traveling with good people or met someone amazing while there!
Love this – agree totally!
Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
This made me want to get my backpack and take off!
Love to hear that! Writing it made me feel nostalgic for my time on the road as well. Maybe I’ll join you 😉
This is so true! The people are the best thing about travelling! I am glad I met my two American stalkers (and all the other people) 😉 I hope our ways will cross once again one day 🙂
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<3 <3 Yes! I hope we can meet somewhere in the world again someday. Hope you are enjoying Australia :)
We just have to try to make it happen 🙂 I am thanks! I hope you enjoy seeing more of your own country 🙂
I have met such great people traveling. I went to Costa Rica last summer by myself and met some amazing people that I still am in contact with!
This is such a sweet topic! I’ve always been so amazed by the people I’ve met through travel. It’s crazy to think that the lives of people from such different places could cross, even for so short a time!
Kayla recently posted…Deciding Where to Go!
Yes! I totally agree. I’m so grateful that travel has brought me together with so many people I would have never met otherwise 🙂
I absolutely LOVE this. it’s so nice to see that you are grateful to those you’ve met on your travels and that they’ve enhanced it. Such a lovely letter!
Glad to hear that you like it! Thanks for you sweet comment. It made my day 🙂
Loved meeting you guys! Friends for life!
Haha you guys were secretly our favorite travel friends! Lets meet again someday in Boracay 🙂
“The thing about constant travel is that you’re always meeting amazing people who you’ll probably never see again.” I probably shouldn’t have read that in the airport as I am getting ready to head home. I almost got a bit emotional. But I completely understand your sentiments. I’m extremely grateful for the people I met and feel as though they are not random interactions. You are meant to meet most of those people. Glad we share similar thoughts.
I’m glad to hear that this resonated with you Courtney! I got super emotional writing this and finding photos. I think you are completely right! We were meant to meet those people at that time and in that place. Even if the interactions were short they were meaningful!
This is a great post. Meeting people while travelling is an awesome experience and a new lesson!