Machu Picchu, Peru – 2022
I arrived in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, just ONE DAY before the country completely closed itself off due to COVID-19. Needless to say, I was feeling confused, nervous and above all… alone. So one of the first things I did was jump on Facebook Groups to see if I could meet some people. One person in particular was very helpful in answering my questions and we quickly developed a rapport online, chatting via WhatsApp every day during the country’s curfew measures. Eventually she invited me to her house and introduced me to some of the friends she had made in Tbilisi.
Borjomi, Georgia – 2021
Unfortunately, a couple of weeks later, I convinced myself that I possibly had COVID and decided to call the emergency services. This turned out to be a mistake since I was kept in hospital for days and after that, they sentenced me to an obligatory hotel quarantine for another 15 days. Since I had no idea all of this was going to happen, I still had dirty dishes at home, no phone charger, no clothes… not even a toothbrush. I also had no one to call for help since my friendships in Tbilisi were still at surface level. But eventually who else but Nicki came to the rescue washing my dishes, packing me a bag with supplies and even getting me some chocolates for my dreaded hotel imprisonment.
I learned an important lesson about travel insurance that year. Had I hired some insurance from a company like SafetyWing (which covers COVID-19 by the way) I wouldn’t have needed to call the Georgian public health services and I definitely would not have been stuck in a hotel quarantine for 15 days. I started using SafetyWing that year and never looked back. Their policies are made by nomads, for nomads. They really understand the unique lifestyle that we travelers lead. You can even start a policy after your trip has already started, which is pretty cool!
Cappadocia, Turkey – 2021
As you may have guessed, Nicki and I eventually started dating and we shared incredible travel adventures around Georgia in 2020 and then Turkey in 2021. After Turkey we decided to go our separate ways romantically buy we continued to link up through travel. In 2022, we hiked the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, in 2023 she showed me around her hometown of Lafayette in Colorado and as I write this story, she’s sitting across from me. We recently spent 20 days exploring Egypt and we’re currently spending two months in Tunisia. So next time you’re traveling, get out of your shell and try to make new friends because they just may stay for life.
Dendera Temple, Egypt – 2024