As an intrinsic part of my identity, travel has always been one of the most crucial parts of my relationships.  Traveling is amazing.  It teaches us to expect the unexpected, to let loose, and to be free.  While traveling we are constantly learning, seeing, discovering, and exploring.  But what are these experiences without others to share them with? 

The people we meet while traveling; whether on a bus, on a plane, at a hostel, during an excursion, or while downing shots at a local dive bar, have the potential to change our lives.  The friendships created while traveling as well as the bonds strengthened through our journeys with those we already hold near and dear are often of the strongest kind.  Monuments and other attractions are beautiful, but the real magic lies in the connections that we make. So here’s to everyone I’ve met through my travels, and those select few, the “yes” crew, who are always down for any type of adventure my wild mind can conjure up.  Y’all are the real MVPs.

1) Thank you for being so open minded and accepting

First and foremost, from the moment I stumbled into that hostel and dropped my bags, you didn’t care who I was, where I came from, what I wore, or what language I spoke.  You still asked me to join you for dinner, a 3 AM volcano hike, a sunset booze cruise, or some other crazy adventure.

Travelers are happy to have people around, are eager to learn about others, and appreciate unconventional thoughts and opinions. One of the best things about meeting new friends abroad is that you probably wouldn’t have met anyone like them back at home. Judgment seems minimized with other wanderers. Differences in age, style, music preferences, and many other tiny details are easily forgotten when you share a passion for traveling and experience wild adventures together. Conversation is easy. And when you happen to come across someone from your home country, there’s always the hilarious moment of, “Remember this?” or “Oh, I’d die for that.”  Thank you fellow travelers for being so welcoming.

2) Thank you for helping me to build confidence in myself

As an introvert (I know, shocking, but it’s true), when I first began traveling, I doubted my ability to make friends and was nervous about many of the decisions I made while on the road.  It didn’t happen overnight, but over the last few years, travel has definitely helped mold me into a more confident person.

From interacting with strangers in new languages, to finding the way around foreign cities, to skydiving, bungee jumping, white-water rafting, and everything in between, these activities all take guts and bravery, and my travel buddies have helped me through many of them.  Being able to say “I did it” no matter what the challenge, is a huge self-esteem booster and one of the “travel highs” I chase.

3) Thank you for enthusiastically participating in my often terrible ideas

Let’s be real here.  Travelers are a little wild at times.  I mean, what do we have to lose when we are in a place where no one knows us and we may never be back again?  YOLO! 😆 

And for some reason, we also think there are no consequences.  Thank you friends around the world for accepting (and often contributing) to every bad idea I ever had.  Because why wouldn’t you attempt to climb that pole in the club to make your way up to a random platform hovering over the crowd to start a dance party when dancing is banned in the entire country at the moment? Why wouldn’t you prance around on giant boulders on the side of a three-story cliff after drinking every flavor of tequila available in Mexico — only to actually fall off said cliff? Why wouldn’t you get lost for hours in the pouring rain in a jungle trying to find magic mushrooms?  Exactly! Why not?!

4) Thank you for being so quirky and different

Travelers are weird and I love them.  With an ongoing influence of different cultures, different mindsets, and a lack of judgment, it’s no wonder travelers can’t help but express their eccentric sides.  In our vagabond world, it’s totally normal to ditch your shoes, do your laundry with shampoo in a bathroom sink, hitch-hike, embrace and feed every stray animal, or go from luxury yachting one day to haggling at the local market the next. Thank you traveler friends for being so weird because when you don’t hold back, neither do I.  And life is just way more fun that way.

5) Thank you for growing with me and strengthening our relationship

People often say the best test for any relationship is travel.  It can literally make or break relationships of any kind. I have a handful of repeat travel partners, and our relationships wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if it weren’t for our mutual love for globetrotting. Of course, we’ve sometimes had small moments of disagreements or annoyance, but they are nothing compared to the thousands of laughs, great conversations, and unbelievable memories we’ve made exploring the world. Cheers to the friends I’ve made who stay in contact for more than a single exploration – you’re the true recipe for a lifelong friendship.

6) Thank you for teaching me how to fall in love

Travel means falling in love with new places, new languages, new foods, new surroundings, and oftentimes, new people.  Our senses are heightened, our hearts are opened, and we let ourselves feel things that we normally try to protect ourselves from at home.  We let ourselves fall in love.

Shout out to those moments, romantic or platonic, dancing in the streets, on stage at the club, skinny dipping in the salty sea, and all those late night heart to hearts, thank you.

7) Thank you for not telling anyone what we did last night

Because this is constant when I’m traveling.  Sometimes you just make senseless decisions with even more absurd consequences, and for all of these moments, (trust me, there’s been plenty), I have to thank my traveler friends for letting me live them down.  Sorry moms and dads of the world, you just can’t know about that one time in…

8) Thank you for being my wingman/woman

The strange but honest truth is that I probably knew you for less than an hour before we departed on a multi-day adventure together.  Oftentimes, for that short journey, I depended on you for almost everything. Let’s face it, we were each other’s temporary heroes. We trusted each other with everything (literally) we owned, with our personal belongings, money, and sometimes even possibly our toilet paper in case we were ill.  That’s the cool thing about friends made while traveling — we went from A to B, or 0-60 in two seconds or less and it felt normal.  Thank you to all the travel friends who have been my wingman or wing woman throughout my journeys. You are SO amazing!

9) Thank you for appreciating my need for exploration

Wanderlust is real, and you have it too.  That’s what is so cool about you.  You guys get it.  You don’t want to look at the picture.  You want to be the picture.  And you share the same need as me to get up and chase those travel dreams.  For this, I appreciate you. When everyone back at home is getting married, having babies, settling down, and climbing career ladders, it is you who help me to feel more content with my decision to do just the opposite.  There is so much more to life than what society says is normal, and you just “get it”.  Thank you for understanding my need to explore, grow, adventure, and learn.

10) Thank you for the adventures

Finally, thank you for joining me on all of my adventures.  The friends you make traveling burst into your life with spectacular ideas and all of the excitement in the world.  They accept you.  They teach you.  They help you grow.  And for all of this, I thank you.  I thank you for sharing experiences with me and for making my travels even more unforgettable.  Thank you for the adventures!

What’s your experience with meeting people while traveling? Are the constant hellos and goodbyes difficult? Or do you live for the moment and embrace the short time you have with those you meet along the way? Are you as thankful as I am for your travel friends?