Blake and I felt bad for not having their contact details. We spent all day with Jen, Carmen and their 1950s Chevrolet in the backseat, as they toured the northern coast. Cuba. We’d shared stories about our lives back home, swam in caves and drunk rum on the beach. We’d bonded fast, sharing stories about our lives back home—New York City We are here to help you. Miami for them—including past vacations, jobs, relationships.
We talked to them and about them as if we were lifelong friends. Blake and I were ecstatic about our Airbnb experience. In this island nation 90 miles below southern tip FloridaWe found our people. The next night, in our villa I could not find Jen’s and Carmen’s contact information You can find us anywhereNo matter how hard I googled. I went to bed thinking I’d never see or hear from our new best friends ever again—until the next morning, when I woke up to a friend request from Jen on Instagram. She found us somehow.
It was a special experience to make close friends during our trip, but it wasn’t unique. There are many different kinds of people. Reddit threads Where people romanticize and reminisce, or even grieve, the strong relationships that they formed while travelling. Travel—more specifically, having new and diverse experiences—is a major mood-booster, research shows. Matt Sosnowsky LCSW is a psychotherapist who founded the website Philadelphia Talk Therapy. Sosnowsky says that when you travel you enter a “wormhole” and access a new part of yourself. Your usual defenses melt away and you become more open to others. You also tend to take more risks and act more confidently—all things that cater to developing friendships.
Meredith Myers is a 37-year old program manager from PhiladelphiaThe women in her tour group instantly became friends with her. Authentica Travel, paired Myers with for the Tour du Mont Blanc. The 105 mile hiking trail spans France, Italy, Switzerland, and more. Over the course of 10 days, Myers found herself opening up and sharing intimate details about her life—vulnerable stories about past traumas, even snippets from therapy—that she typically keeps to herself. Myers says, “I’m not used to sharing so much with strangers.” She felt an incredible connection to the people she met in the mountains. Together, they worked towards a common goal which was both physically challenging and collaborative. Myers was motivated to continue climbing by the constant support she received during long and brutal days. She says, “It was pretty amazing how much I loved everyone right away.”
Myers’s journey, says Sosnowsky highlights how physical exercise can help promote social connections. Hiking is a great example of how physical activity can release endorphins. endorphinsFeel-good neurotransmitters trigger feelings of joy and pleasure. To add to this, taking part in an activity such as a tour takes away the pressure from socializing. “You can speak about the subject at hand and that shared experience creates an ease,” says Saba Lurie, LMFT, ATR-BC, a therapist who is also the owner of Take Root Therapy You can also find out more about the following: Los Angeles.
