I arrived to a train station outside of Graz, Austria, clueless if I would make my connection after a delayed overnight train from Florence. A sleepless night of listening to movies and music on my now dead I-Pod passed the 9 or so hours. Knowing that the delay had pushed back my itinerary, I quickly hopped off the train to view the monitor, scanning frantically to see “Graz” somewhere on the screen. As I gazed at the glowing box covered in funny German words (funny to me for their length and that I can’t pronounce a single one of them), I realized I had about 40 minutes until the next train to Graz for I had just missed my intended train. My gaze was quickly interrupted by a woman’s voice. “You going to Graz?” she questioned, and so began my first travel conversation on that gloomy day in an Austrian train station.
If you have traveled anywhere, Tulsa to Taipei, you have had these exchanges with strangers. Someone initiates a conversation or you start some sort of exchange en-route to your destination. You meet someone you wouldn’t have met if you stayed home. No one can be a snob here and say they are worldlier than the other. Travel conversations are universal no matter where you are. You could be sitting on a plane to Chicago or waiting for the bus to Budapest.
I answered this young woman with her bursting curly hair, “Yes, are you as well?”. Without hesitation, without asking me anything further, the woman whose name escapes me today, shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand. “Come on. Let’s have a coffee”. Perhaps it was the early hour or my non-existent sleep hanging over after the night train. I was baffled someone would so casually approach me instantly after coming off of a train and want to have coffee, no questions asked, not even my name.
I followed her somewhat shyly and awkwardly. Was she going to rob me and this was her plan, invite me to have coffee? Her kind eyes seemed trustworthy and genuine as her springing curls flopped like a mop in the rain-wind mix outside the platform. We found a café in the station and sat down. She quickly jumped up and asked me what I wanted. I said I would get something and just sit here and watch our bags while she ordered first. She insisted with an accent I couldn’t place, “No, my treat. I get you a cappuccino”. Now I realized she was putting her trust in me. I had full access to all of her belongings. I could dash off in an instant, but for some reason, she knew I wouldn’t.
As she returned with two frothy cappuccinos in bright red cups, we started our travel conversation. What is your name? Where are you from? Why are you going to (destination)? What do you do? I quickly discovered she was a medical student in Kosovo. She had such determination in regards to becoming a doctor, bearing the same look of my own sister in medical school, tired but energized at the same time. I learned all about my new coffee friend and she learned all about me. The time quickly passed and I noticed just that, the time.
We gathered our belongings and boarded our last train of the day to Graz. As the train pulled into the platform, my new travel friend declared, “Well have fun in Graz. Maybe our paths will cross again.” I thanked her for the coffee just one more time and wished her the same.
The gloomy day that met me in Graz, Austria
These episodes aren’t important to some. Although, I am one to talk, not even recalling her name. However, this conversation masked my loneliness while waiting for that train. The back and forth uncovering of a new person not only occupied my time, but also reiterated to me just how important these conversations are to travel.
I can remember her kindness so vividly, the taste of the hot coffee, my astonishment at how clean the Austrians keep their train stations, and how heavy my eyelids felt. (Note: I was born with abnormally large eyes so keeping them open can be a struggle without 10 hours of sleep). Because of this conversation, due to this exchange, I was able to capture a moment on my travels that would have just washed away with the many other train stations visited of no significance. I also felt I was getting to know some small piece of the world, a part of Kosovo, even if it was for only 45 minutes.
Who knows why this woman so openly and quickly motioned me to get out of the rain and have a coffee with her. Perhaps she saw the confusion on my face and wanted to ease my worry. Then again, she could have been just like me, lonely after a long night train of talking to no one, but now enriched with another priceless travel conversation for the memory books. I will gladly take these coffees with strangers while traveling, just with a little cream.
What are some of your memorable travel conversations or exchanges with strangers? Do you feel they are important to travel or am making a big deal over a cup of coffee? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
I like the article Suzy. While I am not the kind of person to initiate random conversations, I do gladly remember the ones I have had while traveling after being approached by a stranger. They make my travel more memorable and mark certain points of trips I have had, such as the two-hour conversation with a German man wearing tight leather pants while stuck on a train…
That’s a really nice story. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like that happen to me; nothing comes to mind, anyway. But I do hear about it from other travelers, and it reinforces my belief that travel really makes us realize how much good there is in the world.
Lovely story Suzy. This is exactly the moments that I adore about travel and what sends me places. It is also one of the primary reasons I take the train or boat everywhere. I will slog 22 hours in on a train across the continent and just one conversation like that will make the whole thing worth it. The great thing is that I get into conversations on trains all the time. Starting them is great practice for social awkwardness. If you make a “mistake”, you sit somewhere else on the train.
A few years ago, I was traveling through Alaska and did not realize what I was going to encounter. As with any travel experience, my tentative itinerary changed within the first day. Instead of hanging out in Anchorage at my couchsurfing hosts then going to Denali, I was about to be in Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Homer. Although I have stories of conversations with strangers in each of these respective places, Talkeetna is the most memorable.
I had lunch with Casey, my couchsurfing host, and she invited me to road trip with her and her boyfriend down to Homer at the end of the week. Jumping on the opportunity, I quickly changed my plans and was on a bus within the next hour to Denali National Park. On my way, I had booked two nights in the Talkeetna hostel – which I learned that night was the destination for Mt. McKinley climbers to stay prior to heading off to base camp.
I was settling in my room at the hostel when we were served fresh salmon and halibut by the hostel’s owners (a free Tuesday evening tradition during summers by the gracious couple). I decided to talk to some of the climbers, ask where they’re from and figure out their journeys. It wasn’t this part that stuck out; rather, after talking for several hours into the sunlit Alaskan midnight, one of the guys said, “Hey, there’s another guy from Colorado out there, have you met him?” I said I had not and quickly made my way out to the porch on that fateful night.
I finally found the Colorado guy and introduced myself. He said his name was Aron. We talked about Colorado, his plans for climbing Mt. McKinley, and what we did for work. I found out he was a motivational speaker. We quickly learned that he knew of my brother and he knew my brother’s friend, Zander really well. We talked about his life in Aspen and his traveling opportunities. Finally, after some thoughtful discernment, I questioned an observation. “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened to your arm?” Explaining why he had a prosthetic arm, he told me, “Well I was climbing in Utah a few years ago, and a boulder fell on it. After awhile, I realized I had to amputate it if I was going to live…” “You’re THAT guy?!” I ignorantly blurted. He laughed and said he was. That is the night I met “THAT guy” – Aron Ralston – the guy that amputated his arm while climbing in Utah.
We proceeded to talk for awhile longer but were both getting tired despite the deceivingly light night. After we agreed to separate our ways, we got ready for bed and got in our sleeping bags. Apparently, we were not supposed to be done talking as we happened to be in the same room. We proceeded to talk for another hour just like college roommates reminiscing about spring break. I told him that, including Alaska, I had been to 49 states. He told me he had been to the highest point in all 50 states. His motivational-speaker career made more sense to me. We finally fell asleep, and when I woke up the next morning he was gone.
The story would be quite complete if it had ended there, but it did not. A month and a half later I got a message from my friend Zander. He found out that I had met Aron, not from an Aspen party but a more emphatic happenstance. He had been visiting family in California for 4th of July. As he caught a plane back to Denver from California, Aron happened to be en route to Denver from Alaska via California after successfully climbing Mt. McKinley. They happened to run into each other at the airport and were on the same flight. During the conversation, Aron turned to Zander, “Guess who I met in Alaska. Sean Janelle.”
Great article and instantly gave me those itchy feet again 🙂
Agree, it so is those random unexpected meetings and conversations that make traveling the joy that it is. That connection with someone that you would have never met in any other circumstances. The realisation that no matter where you are from, where you are going, or what you do – it is possible to find common ground with most any other human being. In essence we are all the same 🙂
You’ve just reminded me of a good story I’ll have to share in the next few weeks…it’s about a guy I met my first day in Istanbul. I’d had no sleep in 30+ hours but ended up having this several hour conversation with him that started in the most innocent (at least on my part!) way.
I don’t think you’re making too big a deal over the cup of coffee. All of the small moments can mean a lot. There’s lyrics I really like, in fact, that are my quote on Facebook (in the space just under your photo): Every little piece of your life will mean something to someone. (from the Editors)
Not saying this woman became a significant part of your life, but that one interaction stuck with you and meant enough to be shared 🙂 That’s pretty cool.
This is a great post, Suzy. One of my favourite parts of moving around the world are all the people I get to meet, from other travellers to locals (especially the locals). I’d much rather get my information about interesting happenings or other places to check out nearby from people I meet instead of guidebooks. For me, it’s the people that make travelling interesting, so much more than all the sights. I try to keep this going when I’m at home as well and always jump at the chance to talk to strangers. While I feel you have to maintain a certain degree of caution when you’re travelling, I try not to let safety concerns prevent me from enjoying an engaging conversation.
That’s an amazing post,Suzy. Most of us are travel bugs I found …as I have started to travel all around the world for the last 2 decades.More often then not you happen to meet some interesting people who can really be a boon in a strange country.I generally am travelling with my husband….when he is on business & I , purely on my pleasure trip….travelling everywhere with the map as a companion……for me , the locals have always been a part of the pictures which i cherish as loving memories.
Oooh, what a lovely story! So cool! How amazing to have a stranger approach like that? It’s too bad you never stayed in touch, but in a way, it makes the experience richer. Imagine if you did cross paths again at some point?
Great post. I’ve also had a lot of experiences like that and I know what you mean about getting used to people inviting you out for drinks or meals. My favorite was getting tea with people in Burma, which happened again and again during my trip there. Good luck and keep meeting strangers!
Great post, Suzy. Sometimes it seems like my travels are one instance after another like this. Just random events, meeting random people from all corners of the world. These experiences are easier to cultivate when I have no plans, no agenda, no expectations. And those are the best travel moments for me.
I could write a book on my AMAZING coffee with stranger moments!!! It’s seriously my favorite part about traveling. I have met the most extraordinary people and they have enriched my travels in numerous ways. It’s a shame you didn’t exchange info with your curly haired friend. You might have been able to have a place to stay in Kosovo 1 day! 🙂
Great story, this is what I am looking forward to whilst travelling. It’s always so interesting to find out about someone you would never normally talk to.
When I was on a train from London to Birmingham and learnt all about different shops and how they are struggling because of such high rents in the bullring (massive shopping centre). The guy I was talking to managed the tenancy agreements for the whole of it! Really interesting guy… again I don’t remember his name.
Hi Suzy,
This is a great story. It reminds me of the time I was stuck in the airport in Paris overnight and a Japanese guy brought me coffee because he saw me shivering. It was the sweetest thing.
I’d love for you to write for Pink Pangea, a travel site specific geared towards women travelers. Submit a photo of yourself in Austria and write a post like this one about your experiences, providing some tips for other women travelers to Austria.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Rachel
Stories like this (and all those in the comments above!) push me to get out of my introverted, keep-to-myself attitude and actually say “Hi” to people who are obviously travelers like me (I’m in rural India, and when I see someone with white colored skin it’s almost a guarantee they’re not a local).
What’s the harm in saying, “hello”, to a passing stranger with whom you most likely have plenty in common?
Thank you for the reminder and the awesome story, Suzy! 🙂
I agree – conversations with people we meet while traveling can be some of the most memorable. Maybe it’s in part because we want to remember all we can when we travel, whereas in day to day life, sometimes, what’s there to remember? Your time at the train station might be something you barely even have a memory of today, if not for this person and this conversation. And, it makes for a great story.
I love this post! I’ve actually dedicated my blog to coffee with strangers. Please check it out if you’ve got a moment!
That was so sweet of her! I usually tend to let others make the first move, but I think I will start approaching other travelers myself now 🙂 The kindness of one stranger can really change your whole impression of a city. Thanks for this!
Very nice, I love meeting strangers, it’s one of the best parts of traveling.