Traveling and the Beauty of Connection
Traveling and the beauty of connection, and no I'm not talking about your wifi connection.
Just moments after touching down in Hanoi, I am quickly reminded why I love traveling so much. Believe it or not, it's not the 24+ hours of travel time in airports, plane food, or watching new movies on the flight, (though to be honest I actually don't mind any of these things either); it is the possibility and power of human connection even in unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and foreign environments.
Waiting in line for my Visa documentation to be processed, I turned to the girl next to me. She looked about the same age, was sporting the quintessential solo travelers backpack, and looked confused.
Airports and systems are much less organized overseas, so instead of a nice and neat line you have to just make your way to the front of the counter and wave down one of the immigration employees. Having been through this process before a few times I asked her if she was waiting to get her visa processed and directed her on how to get started.
While we both waited for our documents (mind you it was already close to midnight) we started chatting, found out we are from neighboring states (what's up Midwest!?), and added each other on Facebook only to discover we even have a mutual friend. Not even 5 minutes into landing in Hanoi I had made a new friend. The next day we got together for lunch and a walk around the city and ended up getting together several times over the first few days before she continued along on her travels.
My first day in Hanoi as I was standing in the lobby of my hostel a friendly guy introduced himself and started up a conversation, asking me where I am from and when I arrived. After we had known each other for all of 3 minutes, he invited me for coffee with him and his group of 5 friends. Instantly, I had 6 new friends and over the next few days we shared many meals and beers together.
On my first night out on the town in the middle of a crowded dance floor I became friends with this amazing Australian couple and their group of friends. I could barely even talk to them over the loud music, but I had SO MUCH FUN dancing the night away with them in downtown Hanoi. (The group of people I came with actually thought I already knew them prior just because we hit it off so well!)
And in addition to meeting many, many new people during my first week back, I have been able to connect with a few familiar faces and friends from past travels. Nothing feels as good as the anticipation of a reunion and giving a huge hug to friends you haven't seen in a while!
Connection is so powerful, and when traveling, almost instant. While backpacking, it is the norm to just approach strangers, strike up a conversation, and get to know people. For some reason, back home, everyone, including myself, is guilty of being ultra plugged in, head down, headphones in, only concerned about getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible.
On the road, when deprived of comfort and friendships and familiarity, you are forced to branch out, look up, look around, and connect, and I forgot just how much I missed it.
Though it is inevitable while traveling that these quickly formed friendships eventually end in a goodbye after a few weeks, days or sometimes even hours as everyone heads their separate ways, the overpowering feeling of connectedness is oh so worth it. (Not to mention more travel friends around the world to visit and reunite with down the road! Hello free places to stay and more of those sweet reunion hugs!)
Traveling or not, I urge you to look around, at the very least smile at a stranger, and feel the power of connection all around you.
Fueled by Vegetable Pho, Overcast Skies, and Lazy Saturdays.
