BY SHANNON VALENTINE

With the chill of Melbourne’s cold weather still biting in the air, it's time to reminisce on the European summers and Bali escapes everyone seemed to be posting about this winter.

It’s the first Australian holiday season, since the pandemic, that we’ve been allowed to travel overseas. So I knew it was time for me to visit my family in England after four long years without seeing them.

It wasn’t just me who took this opportunity to travel. Aussies flocked to Europe in droves, spending all the savings they scraped together over the past years of lockdowns and spent them on a serotonin filled summer of spritzes and suntanning.

Some backpacked, others splurged on fancy seaside villas, others spent time - like myself - with long-unseen family. But one thing was consistent among all of us winter travellers: we all had the pleasure of encountering unique - and often wacky - people, resulting in some cool stories to share.

I've compiled my experiences with some cool people I met into a helpful list. From foreigners to friends, here are the five types of people you meet on vacation.

OTHER AUSTRALIANS

We’re everywhere. There’s no escape!

From the man I met on a 6am hike to Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh. A Sydneysider who’d spent June hiking the Scottish highlands and England's Lake District. To the owner of a tiny cafe in a nonchalant town on the North West Scottish coast - you bet, the coffee was good. You can travel halfway across the world and still make jokes to people that Melbourne is better than Sydney. 

Melbourne 1, Sydney 0.

PEOPLE WHO SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE

The war in Ukraine is almost unimaginable to those of us privileged to not live in war-torn countries.

For us Australians, the war in Ukraine is horrific to witness, but still feels at a distance from our lives.

But it got closer when I was in England. 

The village my grandparents live in and other neighbouring villages were preparing to host families seeking refuge.

Valentyna, and her two children were welcomed to a neighbour's home, leaving behind other family members, and travelling from Poland where they’d sought asylum after escaping Ukraine.

War is typically so far from Australian soil that the little things England did to prepare for the worst scared me the most. 

Air Force jets flying over the bay in Australia would be considered little more than a training exercise.

Jets flying overhead in England terrified the refugee women. This put into perspective how a mere sound could evoke the homeland horrors they had fled.

PEOPLE YOU MEET BY CHANCE

The day I set myself the goal of hiking England's highest mountain peak, I knew it would be a challenge. The weather cleared up as I set off hiking around the middle of the day.

The peak of Scafell Pike sits at 978 metres above sea level and, oh boy, did I want to rise to the challenge. With the lack of time to train for this prior to my trip, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Chatting to other hikers along the way is all part of the journey. It’s almost rude not to say “nearly at the top'' as you make your way back down a mountain, witnessing the tired faces of those still making the climb.

I was two thirds of the way up to Scafell Pike when the thick cloud began to surround me. Knowing my limits as a hiker, I didn’t want to risk going up further in thick clouds, unsure of the exact route, when I was as unprepared as I was.

I began to descend, passing two men on the way. We had a customary chat about the weather, before I admitted I had not made it to the top as I hadn’t wanted to put myself at risk. 

Before you know it, I was hiking up the last third of the mountain with experienced hikers Jon and Bernard, who understood my concern. They suggested I go with them because, as they said, “if we can do it at 63 years old, you can do it too”.

YOUR HEROES

While in England I made the point to visit as many bookstores as I could, as a lover of reading and writing. 

This mission extended to finding events where I could get involved with the literature community in a country that has such a rich and diverse culture of writers. 

Meeting my favourite non-fiction author Chidera Eggerue was a lovely twist of fate as she announced her eBook launch in South East London the first week I was in England.

They say don't meet your heroes, but who is “they”? Clearly “they” didn’t realise your heroes can be iconic feminist writers who bring their online persona to life at live events for their new book Patriarchy's Worst Nightmare.

Eggerue was high-energy and funny. We were cheering and clapping during her talk. There was fantastic energy in the room.

YOUR BROTHER'S FRIENDS

When you get along well with your siblings, it's often a good sign that you will also get along with their friends and perhaps discover they're incredible people. 

It’s not an every day occurrence to meet people for the first time over pre-drinks, before a sunny summer day festival in South-East London, but that is exactly what happened to me.

I felt especially validated when one of these friends joined me at Chidera Eggerue’s book launch; I was officially cool.

Meeting other people is an innate part of the human experience and can be a the most memorable part of a holiday. 

These experiences shift your perspective, forcing you to see how much more is happening in the world. 

It’s not just getting out of your own backyard, it’s about looking beyond the places you travel to, to the people that make those places special.