Traveling for me has always been ultimately an amazing experience because of the people I’ve met. I could be in the most beautiful location but without a great set of people, I maynot be able to enjoy my surroundings. After a tough summer working for a non profit in Costa Rica, I remember finally getting to be on a beautiful beach, and not even being able to enjoy it because I wasn’t in the mood to socialize and I was painfully homesick. Jump forward to me being in Ecuador during a massive strike, something that could indicate a bad time to travel, but because of the incredible people I was with, I was able to build amazing connections and fully enjoy the moment.
I have an exhaustive list of people I’ve met throughout the travels, but here are a few people that come to mind. Some I only met for a day, an afternoon, and others I spent weeks with, just to show how fast someone can have an impact on you, and how special the relationships created during travel can be. Here is a little letter to a few of a long list that made my travels so fun. I won’t be notifying anyone in this list, but truly even a 3 minute conversation has stuck with me through travel, and I’m so lucky to have connected with these amazing people.
Tiph- Thanks for teaching me you can be a total badass at any age and self growth and reflection is super necessary. There is no age where you can’t be super silly and go on frequent adventures. I hope to be like you and travel the world one day and be a total bad ass!
Candy- Thanks for being my friend, when I wasn’t in a social mood. You were hilarious, full of great spirit, and showed me age is just a number. Traveling at 40 with purple hair and keeping up with a group of 20 year olds on a hiking tour was pretty amazing.
Morgan- Thanks for showing me being completely unfiltered makes life so much more interesting. You showed me to go do what I fucking want to do and to not be afraid to speak to anyone with extreme confidence.
Gabe- Thanks for showing me to be completely expressive with my feelings and showing me the complete dedication necessary to learn a new language and immerse myself in a new culture. I hope to one day be as organized and as friendly as a traveler as you.
Mara- Thanks for showing me that age simply doesn’t matter. You were the coolest 18 year old I have ever met and you’re wise beyond your years.
Solange- Thanks for making life so fun, always being down to go do things, and always make people surrounding you smile.
Danny- Thanks for showing me what chasing your dreams looks like, no matter how crazy they are. You truly never burn out of energy.
Suzie- Thanks for showing me what being a badass female traveler looks like and pursuing an awesome career and opening my eyes to what I might be able to do.
Pam- Thanks for showing me again age doesn’t reflect anything about how much fun you can have, and showing me that having a life plan isn’t always necessary, but going with the flow always is.
Erika- Thanks for not giving a fuck and showing me I don’t need to either. You’re unfiltered and unbothered personality is something I aspire to adopt and thanks for getting me through the roughest hikes.
Regina- Thanks for showing me to never give up. Hearing your life story was a crazy experience and you have so much knowledge about life. Thanks for being by my side even during my saddest days.
Maybe you can resonate with one of these people, or see similarities in people you’ve met along the way traveling. I think my favorite piece of traveling is that you disregard your norms for types of people you would usually hang out with. In place of a mellowed out group of girls my age, when I travelled I filled my social circle with people of various ages, backgrounds, beliefs, and personalities, all offering some piece of life advice I never knew I needed.
The free spirited nature of traveling, the ability to have no social barriers, and the desire to explore with a person makes friendships during an abroad experience effortless and life changing.
Have you ever met someone impactful traveling?
Hailee Boyle Social Media Management 