Sometimes I travel with a group because of logistics.
This is not my favorite travel option due to its limitations, but admittedly, I would not otherwise get exposure to places like Siem Reap, Cambodia or Halong Bay, Vietnam, if I were to do it on my own.
What mostly makes traveling in a group interesting, is spending extended time with complete strangers.
By day 3, it is given, that with very little prompting, you learn a significant amount of interesting facts about your new friends’ lives.
While traveling with a group I’ve met…
… a woman who decided her husband should stay home in order to teach him a lesson in being independent and making his own decisions. I've often wondered if that strategy was successful.
… widows, who after painful life experiences acknowledged life's unpredictability and purchased plane tickets thereafter. I met a woman, whose husband shockingly was murdered in a park, who opened up to the world, instead of shutting down.
… a woman who confessed that she still shares her house with her ex for economic survival. No judgement there.
... a fearless couple who met jumping out of airplanes. They helped me with crossing the streets in Hanoi to protect me from waves of motorbikes.
… a closely knit family with 3 adult unmarried children, enjoying each others’ company, giddily sharing their adventures. Each had a specialty, like navigation, or history, to share with the others.
... a woman born with a spinal defect, whose family was advised by medical professionals to be institutionalized, only to obtain a doctorate and counsel people with traumatic brain injury.
… a mother cut-off by her successful, ostentatious son because he was embarrassed by her cultural traditions.
… another mother treated like royalty by her successful son who appreciated all she did for him.
Each trip is a discovery of new places but also a discovery into the depths of people’s lives. This is why travel can be so intriguing.
Travelon World Travel Essentials
Passport and Currency Organizers
(Shielded Pouches)
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