Sometimes when you travel you have the serendipitous occasion to meet others and form a group. This is exactly what happened when I visited Mary and Joe. They had two guests visiting from Alaska and we all travelled to Sorrento for the weekend. During our time there we visited restaurants, shopped and did a group tour of the Amalfi Coast. I named us the “Lemonheads” to pay homage to the lemons Sorrento is famous for.

I have to admit it was fun traveling with other people that weren’t my family. I had company and conversation yet I didn’t feel the same level of responsibility to make sure everyone was having fun that I do when I’m with my tribe.

We were a group diverse in age, background, and character and yet, somehow it worked. Laughter, eye rolling, and unusual revelations became expected in our group. We shared small spaces, appetizer plates, and stories.

During our group tour, I found myself in the way back of the minivan. Kids at the back of the bus are notorious for being trouble makers. Mary, Nick and I fulfilled our roles. I was quick to swear when it appeared our bus driver was veering off the cliff edge. I also let out a yelp when it seemed inevitable that we were going to collide with an oncoming vehicle on one of the narrow roadways. Nick and I were the only obstinate two that would not go on the tour guide’s HIGHLY recommended boat tour.

All of us “kids in the back” snickered and laughed and generally were up to no good. I found my kindred spirit in Nick who was the son of my hosts. Together we made fun of ourselves and the others and plotted on ways to get what we wanted out of the trip.

I would recommend that when traveling you try out different groups. I don’t mean to say you should blindly approach strangers and ask to hang out, but at least be open to hanging with different people to have a shared experience. Shared experiences are not easy to come by when you are traveling alone. My advice is to go ahead and smile at someone, strike up a conversation on the ferry or bus and see what comes.