13 stranded strangers went on a road trip. Here's what
happened | CNN Travel
13 Strangers Rent Van Together After Canceled Flight - YouTube
A flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, was cancelled at Orlando
International Airport, USA, leaving 13 passengers stranded at the airport with
no way to get to their destination. The next flight was 48 hours away.
Rather than stay at the airport and wait for the next
flight, 13 complete strangers from the cancelled flight decided to hire a minivan,
split the costs and drive the 600 miles to Knoxville together. They documented
their travels on social media along the way and the story quickly went viral.
What do you think happened on the journey? Watch the video above (the youtube video is better than the video in the article).
No one
is exactly sure how the idea happened; “Michelle says it was her vision, but everyone else
made it a reality. Carlos thinks it was Amy's idea, but he put down the credit
card. Carlos' partner Laura says she'd never normally do anything like this.
Laura's daughter Mikayla was in disbelief; "When they first told me I
looked at them like they were crazy. I'm like, 'You want to get into this big
van with a bunch of random strangers?'"
To make sure no one was left behind, they numbered
themselves 1-13. People shared stories about their families and lives and one
of the passengers started filming on tik tok, which got attention and over 1
million views within an hour. People watching tik tok were sending in messages that
the group read out in the van to keep them going. Alanah says, “We were all so
different and I think a big part of why people like it so much is because you
could literally see our differences in real time.”
One of the passengers, Laura, was on her way to an
interview at the University of Tennessee. When she arrived (in time), the
University had heard about her story through social media and treated her and
her family to a free lunch. Laura says she has been left heartened by this
experience. She says she doesn’t want to make people think they can just get in
a car with strangers, but she felt secure because she was with Carlos.
"I take away the fact that there are some really good people in this world. We were all different cultures, we were different backgrounds. It couldn't have gotten more perfect. So I don't have any regrets. No regrets whatsoever."
Alanah says, "I feel like this situation for me specifically kind of restored my trust and humanity a little bit. There's definitely hope for people -- people can be good. And also, if you get the opportunity to go on a crazy adventure, you should take it, because you never know what's gonna come out of it."
Carlos says the experience is a reminder of the importance of
trying to "roll with the punches" when you can, especially while
traveling, and to take a positive outlook on the tough and unexpected
situations which will inevitably crop up from time to time. "Things happen
that none of us want or can control," he says. "Don't let the small
stuff affect you. And you make the best of it."
The group have remained friends and are planning a
reunion.
-
Why
do you think this story went viral so quickly?
-
“We were
all so different and I think a big part of why people like it so much is
because you could literally see our differences in real time.” What does this
mean?
-
"I feel like
this situation for me specifically kind of restored my trust and humanity a
little bit. There's definitely hope for people -- people can be good” why does
Alanah say this?
-
Is
it ok to get in to a car with strangers? Did these people make the right
decision? What do you think made people feel this was a safe thing to do? (was
it a safe thing to do?)
-
"roll with the punches" what does this
mean?
-“Don’t let the small stuff affect you. And
you make the best of it.” What does this mean
No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat
www.no-outsiders.com
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