Over the last few weeks, people have asked me about where I came up with the notion that someone could travel around the world relying on benevolence.
I might be taking benevolence to an extreme, but serendipity is certainly not unfamiliar to travelers, especially travelers who shy away from all-inclusive vacation packages and try to truly immerse themselves in foreign cultures.
That effort is often noticed, and good things often happen. I call it travel magic.
I’ve been the recipient of travel magic throughout my past journeys, but one of my favorite instances happened in Poland back in 1992. I was traveling from Germany to Warsaw to meet my brother, who had been traveling in Estonia.
The first travel magic happened when a Polish businessman unexpectedly gave me a ride to Warsaw and offered to drop me off at the rendezvous spot for my brother. He wasn’t there.
Rather than leave, the businessman took me on a tour of Warsaw and bought me a typical Polish lunch. When we returned to the rendezvous spot, my brother still wasn’t there, so the businessman took me to meet his wife and children.
Finally, it became apparent that my brother wasn’t coming that day (he had missed the bus), so the businessman dropped me off at a hostel for the night. Before he drove away, I asked him why he had gone to such trouble. I’ll never forget his response.
The businessman said that he had a 16-year-old daughter who dreamed of one day traveling to the United States. He said that he always tried to help foreigners with the hope that someone would return the favor if his daughter ever needed assistance during her visit to the United States.
That’s travel magic.
In an earlier comment that she left on my first post, Elizabeth Mahlou shared some of her own travel magic. (I hope you don’t mind, Elizabeth, that I quoted you in my post).
“I have gone to many countries with very little money and often come back with the same amount of money that I went there on…I have been stranded in foreign lands on multiple occasions when arrangements went awry, and strangers helped. Once, with my daughter in Siberia, we had planned to take a bus back from the airport where I had gone to make changes in a ticket, and I found out that there was no bus back, only a bus to the airport…I had only 9 rubles to my name at the time -- for a 75-kilometer ride back to the tiny town where we were living. I explained the situation to a cab driver, and he took us there for the 9 rubles. Every time the meter ran over 9 rubles, he would re-set it. People are amazing!”
I agree that people are amazing, and you don’t have to travel overseas to experience it.
Individuals who hike the Appalachian Trail often receive unexpected gifts such as food, medical assistance and even offers of accommodation from people who expect nothing in return. The hikers call it “trail magic”
As I’ve said repeatedly, I believe the universe is a benevolent place, but we must travel through it and trust it to experience the magic.
Over the last month, I’ve received more financial magic. I have now collected $34 for my trip. Thanks to all who have donated. Also, thank you for continuing to read my blog.
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