I assume we are all picturing a cloaked wizard perched on a wooden chair adorning a long white beard with a curious gaze hiding behind his glasses- when in doubt just think Gandalf. Fun fact: wise people don’t have to have cloaks and facial hair or smoke a pipe. Vulnerable youth who shyly talk to you, drunken strangers who mistook you for their friend, even the person sitting next to you could be wise (your cat doesn’t count).

You may have noticed, for some reason travellers have a tendency to over share. I think it has something to do with the fact that you choose whether to see this person again. So if you tell them your secrets or your less-than-perfect choices, you can part ways and never have to owe the stranger an explanation. Someone knows your secret but they will never interact with you again. That being said, if you make bad choices in front of a group of travellers, chances are they have cameras and you will have to race home to untag yourself from Facebook photos.

Of course, you get those weird conversations like how many STD’s the person has or how a guy thinks girls in knee-high socks are sexy. But through all the useless clutter of crap that people say to you, sometimes people surprise you with some generally good shit. No, I didn’t just make up a load of quotes and act like people said them to me.

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I asked someone once why does that happen- why do we meet the people that we do? Why do we get our hearts broken? Their response was quite simple for such a heavy question.

‘It’s necessary.’

Now, I haven’t quite figured it out and maybe the person who said it doesn’t even know themselves. Maybe it is to remind us of something we forgot or to show us something we have yet to discover.

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‘If you do the things you love and live in a place you love, you will attract people who you will love and love you back.’

Profound, right?

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“I hate getting comfortable because for me it often leads to underappreciation and taking things for granted.”

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Some people are beyond funny, and some are super smart and insanely nice. Some people just aren’t, for whatever happened that shaped them into it, there are some people who are just assholes. Guys, girls, it doesn’t matter there are all types of people- that incorporate the good and the bad. You can meet them for 5 minutes on a train or spend days with them on an island.

Most memorable people I have met:

• A girl who went from being a prima ballerina to working in a sex shop in Amsterdam.
• A former (unknown) child actor- you can stop trying to guess since he was only in some Milky Way chocolate bar commercials. The fine lass (not ass) squandered most of his savings on cocaine.
• A girl who was struck by lightning
• A die-hard rock fan with straggly hair and a tough outer appearance who liked to have band performances between midnight- 5am. When inside he was sweet as candy.

Pretty sure a magic 8 ball is better at giving advice than I am but here are some things I have learned:

-If you heat a glass wrong while trying to make a Flaming Lamborghini, the glass will explode into a million pieces, and some of the shards will land on the unsuspecting person seated in front who was hoping to actually consume the drink

– If said wrong in Spanish “Ducharme” can lead to giggles and embarrassment

– In an overcrowded train in India you can fit at least one more person… and a chicken and a dog and suitcases