On my first ever solo overseas adventure, I happened to be allocated a seat on a Boeing 747 next to the friend of a friend.
We went our own ways in London, but ran into each other in the streets of Bloomsbury just two days later.
In Bangkok one day in June, 2016, I was waiting at the BTS (sky train) station, and when the train pulled up and the doors opened, one of my oldest and dearest friends jumped out at me.
And what are the odds that my nephew in Australia would spot me in a holiday snap one of his colleagues was showing him? Seems his friend and I were in the same place — in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — at the same time. We didn’t meet (and still haven’t) but I passed by her camera just as she was taking the picture.
Total coincidences. Those and many others.
Related: It's a small world after all
And then there are moments of great luck — such as wandering into the midst of a religious parade in Barcelona, or a wedding party in Luxor. Or finding a fascinating museum or a shop in a street that wasn’t on the map.
Even when our plans are ruined, or we have to change arrangements hastily at the last minute, something serendipitous can happen.
When time is short and precious, we do everything we can to plan our holidays. But sometimes the best experiences happen by sheer chance.
The best thing to do is to go with the flow.
(Updated, January 25, 2017)
