Hostel friendships are odd. I’ve met a few people in hostels which I’ve hung out with, shared stories and drinks with and even travelled temporarily with, but nine times out of ten these friendships fizzle and you end up losing touch with these ‘friends’. However, that one time out of ten it can be the start of a great friendship. I’ve read about examples of these on these on other blogs (here is an example) but I have a real life example of this.
In 2008 I became friends with someone I met in a hostel in Istanbul on weekend trip (You can read more about how we met here) and four years later not only are we still friends but he is also one of the best men at my wedding later this year. Had someone told me a couple days after meeting Leo that we would end up meeting in seven different countries and work in the same godforsaken hole of excrement in Africa, I would politely ask them to stop smoking whatever substance led them to this conclusion. But that is exactly what happened, four years after meeting, having met up in Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Guatemala, Miami and Portugal, we now work together here in Guinea (read here about how our paths crossed).
Friendships across borders and oceans
So yeah, most hostel friendships are transient and temporary however sometimes a great friendship comes out of the coming together of two travellers in a hostel. This is for me is one of the great reasons to travel, the possibility of making great friendships
