Who has found travel pals?

[kristilew]

Sparked by a comment on another thread, I am wondering how many of us have made "travel friends" with folks they've met on an ABD? For example, we are joining a couple we met on our Peru trip fora weekend in Charleston next month. I know some people like to do another ABD with families from their first group. Any stories?

 

[Christyvoltron]

We've made friends with several people going to London/Paris in May 2009.

 

[wdwsos]

Love this thread!

We met a family on our first trip (Viva Italia in 2006) and became very good friends. We've since done two more trips with Mary and Len (brother and sister) and are traveling with them and their daughters to Italy next year. They live quite far from Boston but Mary's son is local and when she and her daughter visit, we always try to get together. I can't imagine my life without them -- they're very special!

One large family (parents with three grown sons and one son's wife) from Viva have also become good friends and two are joining us for Bella Italia next year. I'm working on the parents -- we talk every week and I'd love to travel with them again!

There are three other couples and one sister (hi Anne!) who we've stayed in contact with from that first trip. Actually, there are 14 of us already booked for Bella Italia from that first Viva trip -- all the trips are wonderful, but this one had its own special magic, I think!

On our last trip, we met the most wonderful family from California -- parents and two incredible teenage daughters. We actually just had lunch with them two weeks ago in L.A, and then they joined us for a theater event that my son's friends were hosting at their outside amphitheatre. They drove an hour to see us -- some of my longtime local friends won't even do that!

Maybe that's why I'm such a cheerleader for AbD -- I've gotten so much more from the trips than I could have ever imagined. We were in France discussing how the location doesn't even matter as much anymore as seeing our friends again. Okay... maybe wine tasting in Aix-en-Provence is better than meeting up in Boston for lunch, but you get the idea. LOL.

Speaking of wine tasting in France, this is a funny (at least for me!) little video of my younger son at the wine tasting on the Flavors of France tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugXQDe-s040

and this is my middle son singing Winnie the Pooh in French with our Adventure Guide in Paris: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DLl_GIHJAg

How can you not have fun on one of these trips?

Dotti

 

[Magix]

I went on the London/Paris trip by myself in 2006 and met some wonderful sisters (who now call me "sister"). In 2007, we took the ABD La Bella Costa trip together, along with another friend of theirs (who's now my friend, too). They live locally, so we get together now and then, just for fun. They also traveled with me to Arizona for my birthday.

We keep talking about taking another ABD trip together, which I'm sure will happen sometime. Very glad I met them and very glad we've become friends and traveling companions!

I'm also still friends with some other girls from that 2006 trip. One of them went out sailing on the Lady Washington with me in 2007. I'm currently making plans to meet up with another when I visit Florida in January. We also had a get-together from our 2007 Italy trip, which some people drove an hour to be at. It's wonderful, the lasting friends you make during these trips!

 

[trampslady]

We just returned from a fabulous Fairytale Adventure of Germany, and we met the greatest people, and have already planned the Storybook Adventure of Austria and the Czech Republic next year with two of the couples.

So many aspects of this trip were fabulous, but I'm convinced it was the folks we traveled with and our fantastic guides, Steph and Dave (and our super bus driver Rudy) that made it an adventure of a lifetime.

I hope to maintain friendships with our new travel buddies for years!

 

[krdisneybound]

Ah - yes, RUDY - I spent one day with him on the bus and we went grocery shopping 'cause I chose not to do one of the adventures. What a wonderful day traveling around other than the routine tour.

Steph was on an alternate tour, but Dave was one of our guides.

DAVE


One family I met up with on the Germany trip lives in FL and we correspond quite frequently. Hope to plan a trip with them in the future. Several others have gotten together also.

On the Backstage Magic trip, there were many friends made. One family is coming to visit with me in November and December. We will be making more wonderful memories.

A couple of year ago when we went to Tokyo with Disney we made friends on that trip also and to this day we stay in touch with each other.

We just returned from a fabulous Fairytale Adventure of Germany, and we met the greatest people, and have already planned the Storybook Adventure of Austria and the Czech Republic next year with two of the couples.

So many aspects of this trip were fabulous, but I'm convinced it was the folks we traveled with and our fantastic guides, Steph and Dave (and our super bus driver Rudy) that made it an adventure of a lifetime.

I hope to maintain friendships with our new travel buddies for years!

 

[HorizonsTraveller]

I think this is my first post to the Disboards..but I just had to reply to Dotti's comments as my partner and I were two of the people she met in Italy!

One thing Disney does better than anyone is putting people together to make lifelong friendships.

I've made many lifelong friends by going to Disney events on both coasts and the tradition continues by making lifelong friends around the world!

Therefore, I would expect nothing less from an ABD tour that not only will you have an incredible adventure..but you will make great friends that you just might want to travel with again sometime!

See you in June Dotti!

David

 

[wdwsos]

Welcome to the DIS, David! And June can't come soon enough for me!

Dotti