Something magical happens once nomads venture across the border of the United States. It occurred to us in the past and then again, recently. As van dwellers and RVers for years in the US, we rarely connected with fellow travelers. Campers generally stay to themselves – especially during the pandemic – in familiar areas: RV parks and official campgrounds, which we don’t frequent, or out in the boonies, which we enjoy. Conversations are short and shallow. All this seems to change once we leave the country and are confronted with like-minded, universal travelers.
Bumping into friends – unexpectedly – at our Loreto campground
Kathi and Mary from Missouri, USA
It started with the Facebook group Talk Baja, where Kathi replied to one of my posts and we discovered that we both had entered Mexico on the same day, at the same border crossing. We even thought we’d seen each other’s vans along the eastern highway, Mex 5. Eventually, we shared a campground in San Ignacio and later in Mulegé.
The campground in San Ignacio, where we first met Kathi and Mary
Our acquaintance led to a few (masked) chats, the women buying and reading my travel memoir Plunge, and remaining in touch. They even invited us for a visit to their home in Missouri, which we considered on our journey back to the US East Coast. Due to our schedules, however, we never managed to spend quality time together. Yet.
(As always, hover over or click on the photos in the galleries to read their captions.)
You can find Kathi’s Facebook page here and Mary’s here.
Ivan from Spain
One of our first evenings on a (rocky) beach in Baja, Mark, Maya, and I sat in our chairs enjoying the view, when a man purposefully walked towards us, masked. He appeared to be the only other camper at Papa Fernandez and had braved a mile of sinking-in-the-pebbles effort to reach us. We chatted, became friends, and met up several times afterwards, expectedly and unexpectedly. Ivan introduced other seasoned travelers to us in Mulegé, some of whom we ran into again later.
He also bought a digital copy of Plunge and read it while we were Sprinter van neighbors. Each evening we’d chat over happy hour (outside), his knowledge about my and Mark’s life had increased, while we knew next to nothing about him. Interesting dynamics to say the least, but it was nice to not repeat the same old story of how my husband and I met and learn more about him. We shared dinners, campsites, walks, friends, and wonderful evenings.
Ivan is a photographer and fellow ex-teacher. You can find his photography website here and his Facebook page here.
Gail and Jon from South Dakota, USA
On the beach of Playa La Perla, we met a new set of neighbors – experienced Baja visitors – and talked about what we should be doing (promoting our books) instead of what we were doing (hanging out on a beach). That’s when it dawned on us that Gail and I both wrote and published our books in the last few months. And, we discovered that Jon was an incredible, talented, and renowned painter.
So we did what all traveling authors (should) do: we exchanged books and started reading each other’s creative works immediately. Jon gifted us a handful of his watercolor prints. Talk about conversation material for happy hour! Not that we needed extra topics with both of them being artists and the four of us resembling avid, open-minded adventurers. We spent three evenings together, eating, drinking, and chatting and managed to meet up with this generous pair again when passing through Yuma, Arizona, later.
You can find Jon Crane’s Facebook page here and the couple’s impressive and inspiring art gallery here.
Dave from California, USA
One afternoon, when our family of three was hanging out in our palapa at Playa La Perla, a new neighbor arrived in his minivan. Soon after, Dave introduced himself and we started talking; another impromptu meeting that led to a lasting friendship. He became part of the “La Perla gang.” The six of us (including Maya) experienced a nice evening together, Dave bought a copy of Plunge (which he was hooked on immediately and read in two days), and we ran into him unexpectedly in Loreto.
Dave is a water truck driver during California’s forest fires and just finished his divemaster program in Cabo San Lucas. We hope to meet him again – like anyone else mentioned – in Baja California next fall. His Facebook page can be found here.
Sandie and Karsten from Germany
Walking Maya to the beach in Mulegé one afternoon, we bumped into Ivan and two sets of his friends who were boondocking at the water’s edge. Names and formalities were exchanged and we immediately liked Sandie, Karsten, Jon, and Heather. The next time we spotted the group walking towards town, we followed along to the brewery for drinks and dinner on the patio. The intrepid band of five continued their explorations of Baja and we had no idea when we’d see any of them again.
Until Mark, Maya, and I found ourselves in Loreto and noticed Sandie and Karsten’s impressive overlanding vehicle in the campground. The same discovery had happened with Dave’s van a few days prior. This chance reunion resulted in a couple of fun evenings, a birthday dinner out, another run-in further north, and a quick in-person update in Tucson, Arizona, two weeks later.
You can find Sandie and Karsten’s extensive adventures (in English and German) in Ewald here (click on any post to find it in English as well) and their Facebook page here. To get a tour of their overland vehicle, check out this video.
Friendships on the road – especially off the beaten track – are something to cherish and occasionally last a lifetime. I have to add that these Baja encounters were relatively subdued and “adjusted” because of the pandemic and Mark and my decreased alcohol intake.
Reading Gail’s book in the hammock
There is one other thing I learned on our two-month sojourn in Baja California, Mexico: when you don’t have internet access, the days are MUCH longer!
Suddenly there is time for many different things – read books, walk the dog more and longer, stare at the sea, clean areas you usually ignore, discuss life, travel, and the world, and hang out with others in a leisurely manner. Not having deadlines, stress, guilt, frustration, and responsibilities (for the most part) felt great! ????
Ivan’s nighttime photo of his own van and Zesty
In upcoming posts, I will dive into other – less enjoyable – matters that have affected and defined our lives the past three months.
Read our other Baja California blogs here (including Encounters of the Whale Kind).
Have you made friends abroad? Are you still in touch with them?
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April 22, 2021 at 13:06
What a lovely, sociable time you had, though the ending sounds ominous. We have made friends abroad, but it never lasts and we quickly lose touch. A bit like holiday romances without the romance!
April 23, 2021 at 15:07
Hi Anabel!
I love that comparison with holiday romances without the romance. This is exactly what happened to me when I traveled in a “normal” manner. When travel is one’s lifestyle, maybe the connections run deeper?
The ending of this post did sound ominous, didn’t it? Thanks for pointing that out. I was trying to say something about upcoming posts, but without worrying people. I’ve changed my wording now. 🙂
April 22, 2021 at 13:36
Made a ton of new friends and sold some books – a win-win!
Those brave enough to venture out of the country during this mess are certainly brave enough to have conversations with new people.
April 23, 2021 at 15:09
Yes, Alex, it was a productive and fun little Baja trip! 🙂 Funny thing is that we often travel and embrace nature to get away from people. We had to get used to being social again in Mexico…. to be reminded of the joys of connections.
April 22, 2021 at 14:25
Liesbet, I am currently reading Nomadland by Jessica Brueder. It has held my interest for many reasons, but most notably because of the ‘community’ that develops among nomads. If you haven’t read it, you might want to. The author, who is a journalist lived a nomadic lifestyle for three years while exploring the culture. She seems to be a realist and doesn’t sugarcoat the experience, which I appreciate.
Glad you are meeting up with people and making connections. I will check out some of the links you offered. Take care and enjoy every day.
April 23, 2021 at 15:15
Hi Suzanne! I have heard of Nomadland – the book and the movie – but I haven’t read or seen it yet. My mother-in-law read it and Mark, too. Neither really liked it, though. I should check it out one day, but my TBR pile is huge right now, mostly with books from authors I know. 🙂 People who live on the road and work in certain areas repeatedly do create communities, like neighborhoods. We have never really been a part of that, because we travel to explore, not to work. The exception was CamperForce, which you remembered correctly. There, we met several campers belonging to that culture. I could totally see myself live like that if the need arose.
April 22, 2021 at 15:09
We were honored to a part of your new collection of friends in Baja. What fun we had sharing our stories, our pets (Cosme says to say hi!) and our food. We never wanted the time with you to end. Here’s to another gathering and sharing new adventures sometime down the road!!
April 23, 2021 at 15:24
Hi Gail! It was such a blast meeting you and Jon. Let’s do it again this fall. Maya sends her love to Cosme, from a distance… 🙂
April 22, 2021 at 15:09
Liesbet, you have always been brave enough to seek connections, and now you have had some time to savor friendships. I’ve seen some of these photos on Facebook. Now it’s good to see them in context. 🙂
April 23, 2021 at 15:26
Thanks, Marian. Mark and I have mixed feelings about meeting new people and hanging out. Our moods and energy levels have to be up for it. But, always, always, always when we do hang out with people we like, with friends, we have a good time and wonder about that reluctance!!!
April 22, 2021 at 15:39
Hi Liesbet, I have always imagined that making connections is a typical part of the experience, since there are so many forums devoted to the lifestyle. Malcolm and I typically meet like-minded people when we cruise, especially on the longer cruises, but not so much when we travel since we are constantly on the go. We are still in contact with one couple that we met ten years ago on 36 day South Pacific tour. We talk a lot and have gotten together several times since that cruise.
On the same subject, I am reading Nomadland by Jessica Bruder. You might know of it. Anyway, the author did a credible job of explaining the nomadic culture (which she immersed herself into for 3 years) and much of that had to do with the connections. She even did a stint at Amazon’s CamperForce program. If I recall correctly, Mark did that also. I’d love to know what you think of the book, and how relatable it might be to your own experiences.
April 23, 2021 at 15:23
I’m sorry you had to post two comments, Suzanne. Not sure what went wrong. With the first one, you seemed to have been signed out, as I had to moderate it. That is probably why it didn’t show up after you posted and then you most likely tried again with this one…
Good point about not making connections when you are on the go. That might be one of the reasons why we rarely make friends when we travel around in our RV in the US. Once in Baja, we slowed down and there are only that many places where one can camp and shop, which also leads to running into the same people and getting to know them.
I’ve never done a cruise. One day… 🙂 So nice you are still in touch with one couple. Thirty-six days in a ship is a long time to get to know likeminded folks!
I think the people in Nomadland live in their RVs for very different reasons than us, but I could see myself be in their position – by choice, however – to feel free and live and work on the road. I would definitely not see it as a destitute thing to do. One thought: while some of them might be “forced” into this culture, I know of some who could easily do something else (find a job and live elsewhere), but they enjoy the lifestyle, the culture. Like Bob Wells, who is pretty much a millionaire by now.
April 24, 2021 at 07:16
Hi Liesbet, yes, that’s exactly what happened. No worries. Thanks for expanding your answer to my question about nomad living. Until the book, I had never thought of it as a lifestyle choice out of desperation and I am grateful that it opened my eyes to that segment of society. But, I wish the author had spent some time balancing out the equation by interviewing people like you and Mark.
April 26, 2021 at 14:59
Thanks for that wish, Suzanne. I’d love to be interviewed for a project like that! 🙂 But, our lifestyle could easily take up an entire book… Hmmmm. It did. 🙂
April 22, 2021 at 17:12
I love making connections while we travel. Some are just for a short time and others last forever… but all enrich our lives and our travel experience. I also love running into people we have met in other places. It makes this big world feel a little smaller and friendlier.
April 23, 2021 at 15:29
Well said, Janis. It is always a surprise to run into people when you are somewhere short term. It makes us feel as we live in that place or have a community going. For us nomads, this is a very novel feeling. It might be another reason why we enjoyed Mulege so much. We started recognizing locals and expats and bumped into friends… It was nice. 🙂
April 22, 2021 at 20:18
That is so fun. I love hearing that.
April 23, 2021 at 15:29
Thanks, Jacqui. We had our own little community for a short amount of time.
April 23, 2021 at 06:09
What a lovely post about connections we meet on the path of life, Liesbet. I can’t help but notice how wrapped up you all were in some of those photos, but you did mention that there was a chilly breeze during the evenings.
I’m sure you’ll make many other connections on your travels. It’s good to hear something about theses people, where they come from and what they do.
April 23, 2021 at 15:32
Hi Hugh! I’m glad you enjoyed this post. We managed to travel Baja in the coldest, windiest winter in 25 years. I’ve mentioned it before in my posts; Mark and I have a tendency to “bring” unique (usually in a negative way) weather with us to the places we go… Usually it is rain, heavy wind, or cold. Making connections like these has been rare for us, but I’m sure it will happen again, depending on the location and how long we stay put.
April 24, 2021 at 06:36
Lol, I love what you say about the types of weather you bring with you, Liesbet. It’s a little like telling my sister-in-law to go on holiday, because whenever she does, you can guarantee the weather gets nice.
April 26, 2021 at 14:58
Do you mean the weather gets nice where you are when your sister-in-law leaves, or it gets nice wherever she is going? If that’s the case, she sure makes me jealous. I do think this attraction of bad weather is a family “trait,” as my parents have the same things happen – each time they go on a weekend away, it rains!
April 27, 2021 at 05:56
When she leave, Liesbet. It never fails to get better when she goes on holiday. But with the current restrictions none of us are allowed out of the country at the moment. That’s due to end on May 17th, but it’s not set in stone yet. We have a staycation booked for late June though.
April 28, 2021 at 18:42
Glad to read that the UK travel restrictions are finally being lifted in a few weeks. Hopefully!!! It is nice to discover one’s own country a bit more, though. Not all has been lost. 🙂
April 29, 2021 at 05:04
It’s not the whole of the UK, Liesbet. Just England. The other countries in the UK have not announced any dates for lifting travel restrictions outside of the UK yet. However, we’re looking forward to our staycation this year.
April 29, 2021 at 09:41
Thanks for clarifying that, Hugh. Enjoy your staycation this summer. Hopefully the weather will be splendid – I know the company is. 🙂
April 23, 2021 at 13:34
For us this is the best thing about travel. The people we meet. I would guess that sharing such a similar lifestyle is especially connecting. Yes we have remained friends with people we have met. Not always of course but in some instances.
I’ll be watching for your next post of ‘less enjoyable matters’. Hope you are both well.
April 23, 2021 at 15:35
Hi Sue! We are both relatively okay. Thanks for the wishes. Connections while traveling are fun, but sometimes we are just as happy to be on our own. Finding this balance in Baja was nice. You two have been to so many places and going on tours means being with the same group for an extended period of time, which I would think often leads to long-lasting friendships as you already have a few things in common when you meet.
April 23, 2021 at 23:27
YES! The best part about being nomadic is the people one meets and befriends along the way and that is definitely a THING. Global nomads with a shared experience of no permanent home and being open to adventure.
We have made many friends on the road and stayed in touch or had our paths cross more than once and even in different countries! An example that comes to mind is Andrea whom we met in line at the airport heading to Morocco. She ended up staying at our home exchange for a few days and years later she visited us again in Sri Lanka when her job took her there. Now she is planning a trip to Mexico, inspired by our blog…
Enjoyed all your stories, photos and new friendships. Yes, interesting thing what happens when WIFI is not available.
Peta
April 26, 2021 at 14:55
Hi Peta! I remember Andrea from your blog posts. Such amazing coincidences of crossing paths with her, becoming friends, and then visiting each other. How are they doing (Andrea and her child – I believe she had a cute one in tow.)? I’m sure there are plenty other connections like these. They surely make travel worthwhile, on top of a few other factors. 🙂 I could see why your friends are inspired by your blog and would enjoy a visit. That’s what really made me “dream” about a trip to Sri Lanka!
April 25, 2021 at 20:00
How much fun did you guys have? there is something about traveling in another country to bind folks together. Hans speaks fluent Spanish and German so when he goes anywhere he makes friends (social hooker, LOL). We also made some friends during our 2-month stay at the North Spokane RV park. People stayed there for a variety of reason and it was fascinating to visit and hear the stories as only Hans can draw them out. great shots of your connections and hope all is well with you guys!
April 26, 2021 at 15:07
Speaking multiple languages sure helps with (local) connections, Terri. I’m jealous of Hans’s fluency with three of them!!! Another factor that helps shape friendships, as you experienced in Spokane, is staying put for a considerable amount of time. Creating deeper connections would then depend on people’s personalities and having things in common, I expect. We are doing okay. I hope you both are happy, healthy, and settled! 🙂
April 25, 2021 at 23:59
Hey Liesbet! How cool that you got you got to meet so many people when you were traveling! And yes, it’s not surprising that they turned out to be like-minded so you had much to talk about during your times together. We too have connected with several people during some of our travels that we are still in touch with and hope to see them sometime in the future. This is one of my favorite things about traveling and can’t wait to start it up again! ~Kathy
April 26, 2021 at 15:10
Covid still put a bit of a damper on any meetings, Kathy, as is to be expected. But we were fortunate to be able to share some fun times together and run into a couple of friends several times. All I can hope for is a do-over when spirits and times have improved. Quite a few travelers deem connections with other people a big bonus and highlight of (international) travel. I wonder if it would be in my top 3 of travel-related joys. Probably. 🙂
April 26, 2021 at 00:22
So glad you made some new friends on your visit to Baja. 2020 was going to be my year for meeting people on the road. I had decided to really put myself out there are make some connections through some of the internet groups I lurk around in. But then, of course, it wasn’t a year to be social at all. I find making lasting friendships on the road is harder than it ever was on the water. I am also kind of realizing that I have really been missing social connections.
We had our own little tribe there for a while at the beginning of the year and I so enjoyed it. It was great to be with people you really feel comfortable with.
April 26, 2021 at 15:13
Hi Duwan! Yeah, the pandemic messed up a lot of things, plans, and outcomes. But, you did meet up with that girl in Arizona a few times and all of us had a fantastic time together in the desert as well. Although, we were already friends in the past. I miss those times as well. I just love our little bubble as we could combine doing things on our own and exploring in a group whenever we were up for it. Having that choice when camping is perfect! We find that we miss social connections as well, usually after being on our own for a while.
April 26, 2021 at 08:50
Hi Liesbet, The friends we make while traveling make the trips and destinations more memorable. When I travel, I’m open to make new friends, especially when I travel solo. It’s easy to do as me and the other travellers already have travel in common. Some of the friends I’ve made abroad have lasted a couple of decades now and we’ve met in Canada and their home country a few times since we first met.
April 26, 2021 at 15:15
That’s a good way of saying this, Natalie! Yes, meeting new people with whom you connect does make travel more memorable and when these friendships last, it becomes even more than that. Traveling solo (or with a dog) helps initiate conversations and therefore contacts and the potential to turn the encounters into memorable ones. I remember the woman of Eastern Europe (or was it Western Russia?) you became friends with and visited with a few times “here and there.” 🙂
April 27, 2021 at 08:33
Liesbet, how interesting that travelling across the border into another country makes people more open to make connections with other travellers. I wonder if that is true here in England also? Brian and I are setting off to tour Cornwall (Southwest of England) on Sunday, so I will let you know how we get on with connecting with other RVers. Certainly when travelling with our RV in Europe there were so many opportunities to connect with people, something that we really enjoyed. Brits abroad do appear to be more friendly, so perhaps it is the same effect?
April 28, 2021 at 18:45
I’ll be curious to find out about your observations regarding this topic, Gilda. I have a feeling it might be similar in Europe than here, outside of the US. Of course that doesn’t mean meaningful in-country connections couldn’t be made. That has happened to us as well. You never know when – and where – you will run into like-minded individuals or couples!! Have fun this weekend.
April 27, 2021 at 21:41
Hi Liesbet. Truly amazing the people we meet along our paths. Keep enjoying life my friend. <3
April 28, 2021 at 18:46
Hi Debby! We are enjoying life in very small doses right now… I’ll have to post a current update one of these weeks. Thanks for swinging by, my friend. I truly hope you are doing okay. You’ve been on my mind a lot recently. <3
April 29, 2021 at 11:20
Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts. A very rough terrain. <3
May 1, 2021 at 21:01
I’m so so sorry, Debby! <3
April 28, 2021 at 18:48
Wow, you meet such fascinating people in your travels! That overlanding vehicle is truly impressive.
I can’t remember the last time I had even one day completely free from internet access, which is a little bothersome. I think it might be time for an ‘electronic detox’. 🙂
April 28, 2021 at 18:52
Oooh, “electronic detox”! I love that expression, Diane. Once I’m caught up with a few things (am I ever???), I am playing with the idea to go internet-free one day a week. I’m thinking Sundays. Of course, the weekend is when I actually do catch up on fun internet shenanigans. Before this Baja trip, I don’t think I had a totally internet-free day in years! Good luck! 🙂
April 28, 2021 at 20:23
Strangely enough, Mark JUST stumbled across this video on his YouTube feed! It’s about those friends in their overlanding vehicle. Someone interviewed them and received a tour. They get around. 🙂
https://youtu.be/coZGskglx8Q
April 28, 2021 at 22:14
Wow, how cool! That’s a beautifully-designed vehicle. The composting toilet is an innovative idea – how smart that they’ve done away with the need for a sewer hookup. Is a vehicle like that in your future? Or are you focusing on options for a small ‘home base’ now?
April 29, 2021 at 09:25
Haha, Diane. A resounding “no” to your vehicle question. This beast is too big for us. We like to be able to maneuver our camper through small towns and find parking spots at grocery stores internationally. 🙂 Sandie and Karsten are trying to convince us to go with a composting toilet in our (next) camper… The intention to find a “home base” is unrelated to our desire to keep traveling. It would be nice to have the best of two worlds. 🙂
June 30, 2021 at 19:52
Liesbet, how nice to meet a number of new friends in Baja. I rarely meet new friends when I travel (I guess because I’m shy). But, I have moved a lot, and made good friends everywhere I’ve lived whom I keep in touch with year after year. I feel lucky to have many friends. Meeting people is one thing, and maintaining friendships is another part of the puzzle.
Jude
July 1, 2021 at 06:00
Jude, it is interesting how easy it was for us to meet like-mined travelers once we left the US. We have always had that experience. Camping internationally creates deeper connections and for some reason, many of those “stick,” like these ones. Happy with our circle of friends, but it does require a bit of time and effort to maintain relationships. The thing about my Belgian friends is that we could be apart for years, without communication, and from the moment I’m back in Belgium and meet friends again, it’s as if I never left. I’m very grateful for my friendships here as well. 🙂