When time stops making sense: travel relationships
One of the coolest things about solo traveling for me is how time stops making sense when it comes to the people you meet. Some connections click instantly, like you’ve been friends forever, even if you just met over coffee, shared a bus ride, or ended up lost in the same hostel reception (yes, Jayden – you).
Other times, a few days with your hostel crew feel like years of inside jokes and shared stories that make 5 days feel like a full-on summer camp reunion.
Ericeira, Portugal
And then there are those people you wish you could bring back home with you, but life has other plans. Maybe that’s the beauty of it? Knowing that for a short while, you had something real, even if it was never meant to last. (Ouch.)
Ever had one of those random meetups that just click?
I did. You grab a drink, explore a city together, and next thing you know, you’re swapping life stories like old friends. You're opening up about the monsters inside your head, your worries, your big life questions like What do I want to do with my life? I don’t know. You? I don’t know either.
Isn’t it wild how complete strangers can feel like lifelong friends in just a matter of hours?
Travel speeds up these connections in a way that real life rarely does. There’s a kind of freedom in travel, maybe the shared experience of being in an unfamiliar place, without the weight of long-term expectations, people tend to be more open, making conversations feel raw. Maybe it’s the freedom of knowing you might never see each other again or not fearing judgment because you simply don’t know who’s on the other side.
Split, Croatia
But then it just clicks. Suddenly, you’re talking like you’ve known each other for years. It’s one of those rare moments where time feels like it’s moving slower, and all the noise of everyday life fades into the background. It becomes a memory that feels strangely permanent, like you’ve shared something meaningful, even if, in a blink, you’ll be miles apart.
Then the goodbye comes.
Sometimes it stings: you find people who just get you, and then you realise they live on the other side of the world. But that’s the deal. At the end of the day, it’s not about how long you knew someone. It’s about those random, unexpected connections that shift your perspective - the ones that make you think of them before going to sleep, or smile when you hear a song that reminds you of a shared moment.
Because time on the road bends in ways we can’t explain. Some people pass through like a flash, yet they leave a mark for much longer. You may never see them again, but for a moment, in some corner of the world, they were exactly what you needed - and maybe you were the same for them. They just show up, fit into your story like they’ve always been there, and leave you wondering how life can feel so perfectly unpredictable.
