I sat next to a 95-year-old solo traveler on an international flight. Now my pen pal, she's taught me a lot about life.

"I typically enjoy spending a transatlantic flight watching a couple of movies, listening to music, and catching some sleep (if I'm lucky). This trip was different from the moment I sat down. Instead of keeping to myself, I became engrossed in conversation with my seatmate, Anne, a 95-year-old woman returning from a three-month stay in Paris. I was immediately captivated by her positive energy, boundless curiosity, and enthusiasm for life."

"As a frequent solo traveler, I quickly learned I was in good company with Anne, who's said she's been traveling alone to Paris every year since 2015. She doesn't go on group tours, rents a single room in the city, and prefers exploring by herself. Still, she connects with people wherever she goes - over the past 10 years, Anne has built a vibrant community of friends in Paris. Anne told me about how she even started teaching herself French because locals appreciate visitors who make an effort to speak their language. Hearing about her relationships inspired me to make more of an effort to form friendships while traveling, too."

A traveler onboard a Paris-to-Boston flight switched from solitary in-flight habits to a lengthy conversation with a 95-year-old seatmate named Anne. Anne, a solo traveler to Paris annually since 2015, prefers renting a single room and exploring alone but cultivates friendships locally. She taught herself French to engage with locals and has developed a vibrant community in Paris over the past decade. The in-flight conversation, punctuated by brief cat naps and prosecco, led to a pen pal relationship and inspired the traveler to prioritize making connections while traveling and to travel more.

Read at Business Insider