The People You Meet While Traveling: A Magical Time in Munich

Besides visiting some epic places and creating memories in those locations, my favorite thing about travel is the people you meet. As I discussed in my post about "Why You Should Always Compliment Someone on Their 1920s Dress," I even have a special term for meeting those people: travel magic.  

My definition of travel magic is meeting a stranger and spending the day(s) or night(s) with them, and for that time, you become this family, even if it's for only a few hours. You will always have a bond with them even if you never see them again.

After returning from Germany, I mindlessly scrolled through Instagram stories one day. This well-known solo traveler posted something on his story that made me laugh but put the biggest smile on my face because I felt like someone understood my travel magic.

"Shout out to all the five-hour friends for being my bestie for a day. Hope you live a good life!"

Words cannot describe how true that is. Think about when you were wandering around on your travels and met someone. You hung out, had the best time, added them to social media, and never spoke to them again, but you wished them well because they are forever part of your travels. How do you feel when you recount your time with them? Do you have a smile on your face or even start laughing? Do you have to say to people, “Man, you just had to be there with us to get it?” Or do you send them quick well wishes and safe travels when they pop up in your feed?

I have often had this happen in my travels. I have met people and had an epic night of dancing on a rooftop in Prague. I’ve also played some random-ass games with people, then bar-hopped. I even met a total stranger at an airport bar, exchanged numbers with them, and kept in touch for just that one night as we were on different planes heading back to mainland USA from Hawaii.

There have been many epic days and nights. Still, none of them introduced me to the same level of travel magic as my time in Munich, Germany, and it all started because I visited a concentration camp.

10-Hour Layover and Hofbräuhaus 

My first story happened when I decided to head to Hofbräuhaus (a famous beer house). It is a touristy place in Munich, but I really wanted to go since I spent many nights at the Hofbräuhaus in Pittsburgh during grad school.

Upon arrival, I was still mentally processing my earlier adventure in the day, which was going to Dachau. It was a life-changing experience, and it was also mentally challenging. As I was walking into Hofbräuhaus, kinda still in my head, thinking about how I walked through the walls and the buildings where thousands of people died, I tried to find a table—you share long tables with strangers here.

Finally, I asked this random girl if I could sit across from her. She agreed, and we spoke for a few minutes. I thought we would just sit there and do our own thing.

Nope.

Travel magic.

We became friends for about 4 or 5 hours. She said she was on a 10-hour layover from London to Georgia and wanted to check out Hofbräuhaus since she used to do PR for them.

We talked and talked and talked some more. I told her about my day and how I was still processing everything. Ironically, I came to a place that had its own interesting history when it came to the Nazi party. For example:

• Hitler gave his first speech to the Nazi party here.

• Though most of the Hofbräuhaus was destroyed in WWII, some believe you can still see a few swastikas even though they were carefully painted over with the Bavarian flag.

We talked about life, solo traveling, politics, and many things. Then we proceeded to head across the street to get dinner and more beer, and we talked more before she had to leave for the train station to catch her flight.

Those four or five hours went by in a flash. She really helped get my spirits back up by reminding me of how much I love solo traveling and its people. The traveling magician gifted me with this experience when I needed it the most.

I should have known that would be the start of the travel magic that would continue to unfold.

Beirgartens, King's Cup, and a road trip to Cinderella's castle

After my trip to Dachau, I went back to my hostel to change because the weather in Munich was all over the place. While I was in the hostel, this guy came back, and we started to chat—the one you do in a shared room: What's your name, where are you from, how long are you in town, etc.

As we headed out for our separate plans, he asked for my number to see if I wanted to meet up with him and a few other people he had met. We exchanged numbers, but I didn't think he would text. Again, I have traveled solo for a long while, and most people don't follow up.

But to my happy surprise, he did, and I headed out to him and the people he was hanging out with after spending time with my 10-hour layover friend. I met them at a biergarten, had some beers and food, and played King's Cup, a drinking game I hadn't played in a long time.

That night, we went to many biergartens and shared:  

• beers

• stories

• thoughts about American politics (I was the only American)

• our travel plans

• our thoughts on life

• pop culture…and more!

Then, we returned to the hostel to drink more German beer, play more King’s Cup, and adopt more people into our circle.

That night, my heart was so filled with love from everyone I met that I fell asleep smiling.

The next morning (a late morning), he and one of the girls came with me on my short road trip to Neuschwanstein Castle. I had offered them a ride the day before while we wandered to one of the beirgartens.

It was a magical ride. Less than 24 hours ago, I planned to go solo, but now I had two other people going on this adventure with me. It was also a magical ride because all of us were seeing the German Alps for the first time. We all got quiet while in the car, enjoying the moodiness of the mountains; the clouds played hide-and-seek. This is a core memory I will cherish.

I can’t say for certain if my new friends felt like this, too, but I think we all knew this was a special moment that we were sharing. Besides the mountains, my favorite part of the drive was taking turns playing our favorite songs, getting to know new bands, and talking about life. 

After exploring the castle and getting a bite to eat, our trip naturally ended with us running down the side of the mountain from the castle in a heavy downpour. Me and the other girl in our group looked like drowned cats, but somehow, our other friend looked like nothing had happened. We all laughed in the car and documented the silliness.

We returned to the hostel, warmed up, and grabbed a beer downstairs. I wasn't in the mood to go out for the night, especially since I had a call at 2 a.m. (Germany time) for the official book launch of my short story "Let's Be Grey" in Blood Sweat Tears.

But somehow, I mustered up the energy to go with him and another girl I’d met the night before. I am so glad I did. It started off as a calm night . . . but then he invited the people at the table beside us to play King’s Cup with us.

So, we played the game with six random guys, and I never laughed so hard. Tears fell down my face, and it was ridiculous what was happening. You see, in Kings Cup, the Jack is used to make up a rule. For example, “no cursing.” If you curse, then you have to drink. Two guys decided to make up a rule that you couldn’t use nouns and pronouns. We all sounded like cavemen trying to talk! For a moment, I had one of those out-of-body experiences, the ones you get when something tells you to pay attention to the moment and enjoy every second. It will always be another core memory from this trip!

We ended up closing the place and went back to the hostel afterward. I was getting nervous about my book event on Zoom, and each person, even the people we randomly met that night, calmed me down and cheered me on from a distance.

It was an unforgettable moment.

Epic nights while traveling

My few days in Munich were the most magical traveling experiences I had, and I will hold on to the memories forever. I advise you not to assume you know how your trip will begin or end. Don't try to predict an outcome based on your "previous" experiences because, as you read above, I did that, and I could have easily missed out on these fantastic experiences.

Each trip you take teaches you something and puts you where you need to be in life. Sometimes, you will not have someone to talk to, which gets sad and boring, but you need those times to appreciate the times you meet new people. Enjoy those moments.

I thank each and every one of you for the most magical few days I’ve had.

My friends, I hope you have epic travel magic on your next trip. Be sure to share your own magic in the comments below!