Making Memories

A little late of an introduction of how my love for travel began, but this is as good a time as any! Staying true to the purposes of my blog: stories, reviews and recommendations; the previous posts have been the reviews and recommendations; this will be the “stories” bit that I want to share. Note the title of the article is the same as my English blog, which seems fitting on sharing how the journey began.

My story began since my college days. Throughout college, I worked part-time as a waitress to earn money for gas, shopping and eating out, saving the rest for a grand prize after my graduation. My plans after graduation were more than just landing a good job or buying a car, it was to spend part of my summer in Europe! With the starting vacation allowance of about 2 weeks per year for new graduates, I knew this was the only time when I could take off more than 2 weeks at a time, and so I went! With a few thousand dollars of savings and the summer ahead of me, I took off for Europe for 5 weeks starting on June 1st (of that year long ago)!

There were no smart phones. Mobile phone was a new gadget at the time; mine was the first-generation Motorola! (I know, I’m ancient!! lol) My travel companions were a book borrowed from a local library called “Travel on a budget” (how suiting! And yes, paying the overdue fines at the library was cheaper than purchasing the book myself!) and a rechargeable AT&T phone card, which I have noted down all of the phone numbers to reach an AT&T operator from all of the countries that I had planned to visit. The book contained the maps of the major cities in Europe in addition to the lists of must-see landmarks and monuments, and a little history of each site. My journey began in Paris, where I was and am still lucky enough to have relatives who live nearby, and this was my base in Europe. With a combination of family getaways and solo backpacking trips, 5 memorable weeks flew by in a flash. To a young girl who had been sheltered by overprotective parents her entire life, my journey through Europe wasn’t just thrilling due to the freedom or to be able to visit the most famous landmarks or monuments, but what was more fascinating was the human interactions that I got to experience throughout the trip – the kind of experience that you only get when traveling solo because you have no close family nor friends to keep company. As the result, you find yourself reaching out to new people, or at least allowing new people to connect with you. It’s amazing who you would cross paths along the way. Here are a few of mine…

Traveling on a budget means I traveled mostly by train, taking most advantage out of the Eurail Pass for youths (under 26 years old and of course at a cheaper price). Traveling by train gives you more opportunities to meet people, as you are free to move around. I remember on a trip to Venice, I shared the sleep compartment with a girl and was surprised that she was able to use her mobile phone throughout the journey (where we crossed several countries) as if making local calls – this was the conversation-starter! Unfortunately, she spoke little English (and I didn’t know a single word of her language), so our conversations were short, but it was still a fun encounter. On another trip to Florence, I happened to meet another American. We dined together in the dining car on the train and hung out a bit when we reached Florence. Young and foolish, we exchanged email addresses but didn’t keep in touch. Still, had I not traveled solo, I wouldn’t be able to meet these fellow travelers from different paths of life, hung out and learned about their cultures and travel plans. I feel that if you have travel companions then you tend to stay within your group and are less likely to open up to new people – less likely, not that it would not happen!

Fast-forwarding many years, it was already my third trip to Europe. Along with my family, we traveled to Sorrento and met a beautiful lady with her children on the train. We walked to the beach together, the kids hung out together and we exchanged contacts. Being older and wiser and with the availability of social media, it was much easier to stay in touch, so we did. Who would have imagined that 9 years after our first meeting, we would meet again in London during my trip to Europe last month?!! Through brief chats, we found to have more in common than we thought. We promised to stay in touch and hope for another meeting in either London or America!

The internet definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that it enables people from different parts of the world to connect with each other, even in a virtual platform. I am not shy to share that quite a few of friends that I made during my adulthood were from online platforms. Such was the case of a friend who traveled from Latvia to Venice to meet me when I visited last month. We came to know each other during the pandemic, and my trip to Europe and her effort allowed us to meet in person. Another similar encounter arose last-minute when I visited New York City for cherry-blossom viewing. An online friend who out of the blue moved from Singapore to Canada, and who happened to be in New Jersey the same weekend that I visited. We made arrangements and finally met after 3 years of chatting online. Earlier meetings with online friends from afar include a sweet girl in Florida who on several occasions had reserved the entire day to spend with our family, whether in her home city or driving to a nearby city in Florida to meet us half-way; and another lovely friend from Boston whose family drove to Cape Cod to spend the entire weekend with us. It was nice to put a face to a name, and that everything we shared online had not been virtual and un-real! The friendship is real, and the fondness that we have for each other crossed oceans and overcame obstacles.

With the ease of travel these days, everyone is a world citizen! Our encounter with a random Swedish in Croatia has left a lasting impression on me. Almost stranded in a neighborhood at 2 am in Split (our flight was delayed for hours), upon seeking for help, this Swedish man without hesitation came to our rescue, so-to-speak. At almost 3 am, he felt apologetic for bidding farewell, saying that was all he could help and that he must leave. Understandably, at 3 o’clock in the morning, I’m not sure why he even apologized! We never knew his name, but we will definitely remember him!

Kindness is borderless, I firmly believe this. Our communications had been mostly via a car rental platform (more about this platform in another post), and our meetings had been business-related. We rented a car from a Portuguese man in Manchester, and I had forgot part of a rented pocket Wi-Fi in the car. He could simply refuse to help or even say he did not find it. However, weeks after my car return, he was kind enough to go out of his way to pack up the items and ship to the rental company on my behalf. My review for the rental has been submitted weeks prior and all the payments have been finalized. He really gained nothing from helping a stranger like me, but he did!

These are a few encounters that I wanted to share with you. Some meetings are brief but meaningful. Some meetings are the beginning of a lasting friendship. Don’t shy away from starting a conversation with a stranger or lending a hand to someone you may never meet again. It’s the memories that count and the lasting impression that matters. Traveling is more than just seeing the famous monuments or checking in an important landmark on your social media. It is about learning new cultures, trying new foods, and getting to know people from different backgrounds. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll make some new friends along the way. To be able to breathe the air in a new city is a privilege on its own already. Being able to live the journey is a blessing. And being to have that human connection from different parts of the globe is beyond happiness. In that sense, I have been privileged, blessed and happy beyond imagination. Thank you, the citizens of the world, whose paths have crossed mine and whose actions have touched me, and whose lives of whom I have been blessed to be a part. My love for travel is fueled not only by the places I yearn to visit but by the people I have yet to meet.