Connection While Traveling

I come from a relatively small family in a small town in the Midwest. My circle is small. Some of my favorite memories from traveling are those tiny, spontaneous moments of human interaction that help me expand my worldview and connect with someone new.

We once shared a crowded and very long train ride through the countryside in Europe. We were sharing a seating area with people from several different parts of the world. We all started out quiet. After a while, we engaged in a little small talk. Everyone else spoke multiple languages and all spoke English. I'm always impressed with people who are bilingual and dazzled when they are multilingual. We all introduced ourselves and shared where we were from. We met a couple from Spain, a group of young boys from Norway with zero plans except renting a car and driving as fast as they could on the Autobahn, a group of friends from Canada, and a couple from New Zealand. We talked about life, travel, and food. I can't remember their names or faces but for that moment in time, our paths crossed and we shared a connection.

On a recent Mediterranean trip, I met a woman from Gibraltar. We struck up a conversation as our kids played pingpong. We quickly learned that we had a lot in common including both being the mother to one son. We exchanged contact information and who knows, maybe some day we'll meet up again! I added Gibraltar to our travel wishlist.

When I meet people from somewhere I've never been, I ask them about the top thing I need to see or do or eat when I visit for the first time. Then, I jot it down in the notes app on my phone so I have this wonderful random list of travel ideas. My new favorite thing to do is ask people to tell me their favorite place they've ever been. Answers have included Alaska, Spain, New Zealand, and Japan. It's a difficult question and I like how people take a few seconds to really consider their answer.

Here are a few things I've learned from talking to people while traveling:

• When you tell someone you are from near Chicago, people usually associate it with one of three things: Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, or 1920s mobsters. Seriously, 9 times out of 10.

• We are more alike than different. People seem to want the same things. They want to appreciate the beauty of this world with the people they love.

• If you talk to a stranger long enough, you will eventually talk about pizza.

• The best micro-connection opportunity is offering to take a photo for a person or a group when you see them attempting a selfie. You can give them a wonderful travel memory of a photograph and usually they will ask to return the favor. It costs nothing but a few seconds and is a little exchange of positivity and kindness. I love those moments!