– Amelia E. Barr

Traveling brings all kinds of different people together that wouldn’t have crossed paths otherwise. .

 

You will find yourself sharing stories, tips and laughs over drinks with those people you see at a restaurant, a bar, or a hotel that you normally wouldn’t talk to. Here are the four different types of people that we’ve encountered  most frequently while on the road…

The Inspirers:

In Munich, I met a mining engineer and his wife,  a retired  Air Force veteran (both from the US) who spent their lives living and working all over the world.   They resided and worked in Africa where they were building an orphanage* with their spare time. I coined these two as “The Inspirers”.  After hearing about their lives and listening to their stories,  you will look at “The Inspirers” in disbelief that people like them actually exist. The Inspirers will encourage you to be a better person and to do more with your life.  They will show you that anything is possible. After all, we should all aim to improve our own lives, and also to enhance the lives of others.

*By the way, you can donate to the orphanage here.

The Reality Checks:

When I was backpacking through Costa Rica, I met tons of Americans living and working there. “The Reality Checks” are regular people from your home country (in my case the US) who just picked up and left and now are living in Costa Rica, Thailand or some other dream location. It makes you think “this could be me. I could do this”.

The Helping Hands:

When I was lost in Lisbon, a guy who didn’t even speak english walked me a mile up a hill to my hostel. We couldn’t even communitcate, but he was nice enough to go out of his way to show me where I needed to be. “The Helping Hands” are people that help you out when you’re lost, confused, scared etc. for nothing in return. It makes you realize how many good people are out there in the world.

The New Best Friends:

“The New Best Friends” are the people that you have nothing in common with but somehow you still get each other.  This could be the bartender in Berlin who lets you join her crowd for a night out or the people at the hostel that become your family after one night. This could be the couple you met at Oktoberfest that you referred to as mom and dad the rest of the day. These are the people you meet over a glass of wine in the lobby of your hostel, who tell you about some country off the coast of Australia that you never even knew existed. Even though everyone comes from a different background, you all have one thing in common, which is your love for travel and meeting new people.