Me and Danielle
“The people that you meet define the experiences that you have.” This is the most important thing that I have learned while traveling and it has grown to define the way that I think about life.
I came up with this quote after meeting a really crazy person in a hostel in Paris (not the girl in the photo – that is from St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin); and, I now believe that this is such an important concept that I am going to devote a section of this website to the description of the people that I meet and the experiences that follow.
Let me explain what I mean.
I have seen many sites in many cities that many people say are the coolest things in the world. They say that you must see it; that you must experience it; that you must do this and this in order to have a great time in this city or a great experience. But, I have learned that you can be in the most beautiful city in the world with the most amazing attractions and sites yet, it doesn’t mean a thing if you are not around good people. In this sense, “good people” simply refers to people that enhance your experiences in a positive manner; in other words, it is completely subjective.
If you are in the most romantic city in the world in the nicest restaurant or sculpture garden (my personal favorite), it is not necessarily going to be a good experience if the girl you are with is a total bitch. However, you could be in the crummiest pub in the middle of nowhere but have the best time of your life because of the girl on the other side of the table. So, you tell me which you would rather have as an experience! Yes, it is nice to tell your friends back home that you saw some ‘amazing’ site, but that site doesn’t make you feel better inside the same way that a great conversation with a great person can make you feel.
Perhaps a more practical example is this: I travel in hostels and I have been in many hostels in many cities in the last year. When I go to a city like Paris, sometimes I have a bad time due to the people that I meet at the hostel. But, one of the best times that I have had was in a city called Maribor in Slovenia. This is a small city and there is not much to do there, if anything. But, the people with whom I spent my time in Maribor made this one of the best experiences that I have had in the past year of traveling.
Now, back to the section that I am starting on this site. I have been wanting to write this section for such a long time, but I just never seemed to get around to it. I wasn’t sure if I should talk about the people that I have met or the odd or interesting situations in which we have ended up. But, now, I have decided that these stories, the stories that add the real spice to the trip and which are really the most important parts of the trip, should be told.
I’m not going to be calling anyone out and I’m not going to identify anyone in the stories. The important part is the story, not the identity of the protagonist.
I have been traveling for just under a year straight and I’ve got a lot to write. 😉
And, if you are wondering, the girl in the photo above is Danielle and I only used that photo so this story would have an image with it, not because she is the focus of an article; plus, it’s a funny photo!