Traveling is a rich and vibrant experience, and it’s the people you meet along the way that truly make it so. They shape our memories more than the places we visit. They can turn a bad place into a good one, or a great place into a bad one. They help us understand what we like or dislike in others, and they shine a light on our ignorance, teaching us about ourselves.
As I reflect on my five years of travel, I want to highlight the five people (or groups of people) who have had the most impact on my journey:
-
Greg – Back in 2006, I spent a few months in Amsterdam playing poker. Greg, a local, kept inviting me out. Initially, I was suspicious, but after getting to know him, I realized he was just a nice guy. He showed me the local side of Amsterdam and taught me that not all strangers are out to get you. Unfortunately, Greg was killed in a robbery a few months after I left Amsterdam. He is greatly missed.
-
The Unknown Backpackers in Chiang Mai – During a two-week trip to Thailand in 2005, I met five backpackers on a bus to a temple in Chiang Mai. Our conversation about the absurdity of the two-weeks-per-year vacation system in America made me realize there was more to life than a 401(k) and 50-hour work weeks. This small event became a pivotal moment in my life, leading me to decide to backpack the world.
-
The Ko Lipe Crew – After Amsterdam, I decided to go to Ko Lipe in Thailand. There, I met Paul and Jane, a couple from New Zealand. We became fast friends, and this experience opened me up to the idea that you can make lifelong friends in a blink of an eye.
-
Anna the Ex – I met Anna a few days after I moved to Taiwan. We dated while I was in Taipei, which was complex knowing I was leaving in a few months. After I left Taipei, we stayed "together" in a loose sense of the word. My relationship with her taught me that I wasn’t ready for a relationship that required me to give up traveling, and I was okay with that.
-
The La Tomatina Gang – This was a group of people that just clicked. We were all strangers from around the world, but we hit it off right away. We were inseparable for a week, and even a year later, it was like we had been friends since childhood.
Life is filled with strangers who shape our lives, both good and bad. All the people you meet leave a piece of themselves with you. And often you don’t realize it until much later on. It’s the people I’ve encountered who have made my life better. They are what I think the most about. And without meeting people like these on the road, I probably wouldn’t have lasted so long.
So, as I turn 30 this weekend, I raise a glass to them and all the other people I’ve met over the last five years. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
