Finding love whilst travelling may sound a little too idyllic and far-fetched, but it’s not as rare as you might think. Hostel love stories do exist – but don’t take our word for it. We’re collecting the tales of those who have fallen head-over-heels in hostels, gone crazy for someone in the communal kitchens, or found a kindred spirit on the other side of the world, whether that’s a better half or a best friend.
We speak to Allison about her story.
Where are you and your partner from originally?
I was born in California, but moved to Utah when I was 5 and lived there since. Julian was born and raised in a small town called Feuchtwangen, Germany.
What made you travel to the USA/ California?
He always wanted to travel to California because of the combination of cities and nature and I was moving from San Diego up to Arcata, taking Highway 1 up the coast.
Were you looking for a relationship when you went travelling?
No way, Jose. We were just both at the right hostel at the right time!
What made you decide to stay in a hostel/ hostels?
Julian wanted to see the shoreline since Point Reyes hostel has a very unique and beautiful coast. I wanted to stay there because some of my friends went on a trip to the area and said I had to visit sometime.
Tell us a bit about how you guys met
Well, I just got to the Point Reyes hostel and found out that it was in the middle of nowhere and all the stores back in town were closed. I hadn’t eaten in a couple days, so I was scavenging in the hostel kitchen for some communal food when this woman came out of the dining area and invited me to sit down at this large table where her, her friends, a couple from Australia, and Julian were all sitting. The woman introduced me to everyone and when I saw Julian, I just knew there was something special about him.
Later, after the women went to bed, the four of us started playing a game of cards and talking, and I found out Julian was going to be traveling through Arcata in a few weeks time, so I told him I would be glad to show him around, but soon after that we all went to our separate dorms without giving each other our information.
What was your initial impression of him?
My initial impression of him was that he had the most gorgeous (or as he would want me to say it, ruggedly handsome) eyes I had ever seen and even though he was quiet, he seemed like a really nice guy.
What was his initial impression of you?
He told me it was mostly my smile and eyes, but also my hair even though it looked kinda grimy at the time. He also said he was like, “DAMN, GIRL!” in his mind and that I was cute and friendly.
The mini love story: how did things develop?
The next morning, as I was driving out of the parking lot, I remembered that I hadn’t given him my contact information, so found a small scrap of paper in my car, scribbled my number down, and ran back into the hostel. When I couldn’t find him, I asked the Australian couple to give it to him.
About a week later, I got a text from him and in the end, I actually ended up telling him that he should save some money and that I would happily host him on my futon for the time he was there.
Once he got to my house, he was only supposed to stay for 3 days, but we were getting along so well he ended up cancelling part of his trip and staying for a week. In that week, we had a fantastic time exploring the town, the redwoods, and the dunes.
It was so hard to say goodbye on the grey Monday morning. After he left, we texted each other everyday and Skyped a couple of times as well as he finished his last 2 months of his trip.
Tell us about the long distance: did you have to make any difficult relocation decisions?
He asked me to come to Germany. The initial decision was easy, I wanted to be with him, but it was also hard because that meant I would have to leave everything I knew for this person I had spent a week with, and go to live in a place I had never been, where they didn’t even speak the same language.
Where do you live now?
We live together in Fürth which is a city near Nuremberg.
How do you think travel contributed to you as a couple?
I think in the beginning, travel contributed to us as a couple because the night we met, we were both thinking of not staying there, so if we had decided not to, we would have never met, and now and in the future I think it will keep bringing us closer since we both have a passion to travel and explore new places.
Any future travel plans together?
Of course! We’ve already been to many places around Germany, and we also visited Austria and Spain. At the end of March, we are headed to Tunisia for a week, and in August we are headed back to the US so Julian can meet my family.
Actually, the last 2 nights we will be in California, we are going to stay in the Point Reyes Hostel again. We are really excited!
What advice would you give to people going travelling with your story in mind?
I would say don’t go out looking for love, if it happens, it happens.
Overall, when travelling, I would say you should just be willing to meet new people and be open to letting them into your life, because you never know what will happen… You could end up like us! But even if that doesn’t happen, you can end up with some really great friends and make connections all over the world.
We want to hear your stories! Got someone you love travelling with? Tell us your crazy, romantic, or life-changing experiences in the comments below and you could feature here on our blog.
