How do we find love?

Whether it be a chance meeting around a campfire, a shared adventure, perhaps skydiving in Byron Bay or gazing through foggy snorkels in the Whitsundays, love will take a chance when you put yourself into the world of travel and seek out adventure.

From the cosy little coastal town of Agnes Water/1770 https://www.visitagnes1770.com.au/ the love bug has struck in many forms. We’ve been a part of secret love surprises, love triangles, love on the run and long-term love…. Soon, we hope we will have our very first wedding at Cool Bananas Hostel.

Why is Love & Travel such a world phenomenon?

Is it because when we are travelling, we feel free of the ties of everyday life that we open our heart to the possibility of something magical? Do we feel more deserving or richer with time? Is it that we have more in common with other travellers’ than we would back home in our own little worlds of work/family/friends???

There is no doubt that when humans travel, they find love. Now I guess I am talking in the sense of ‘true love’ but I’m also talking about chance meetings, a fling, a one night stand, a holiday romance or even a deep friendship that will last a lifetime. All of these types of love have found their way into our hostel and we are always blessed by the happiness that surrounds our life in paradise.

Fate & Chance Meetings

One UK Couple’s Australian & New Zealand Journey

A cute couple whose names I will just call K & A, travelled solo from the UK to Australia with the purpose of work, meet friends and start a new life abroad. No plans of returning to their hometowns any time soon. As if fate had brought them to Cool Bananas, they soon became great mates, and part of our staff family.

It became obvious to us keen observers there was a spark here, and they fell in love. Needing the money to continue their travels, like so many backpackers, they made the hard decision to venture off to work on local, ground-fruit farms. They soon realized this was not for them! Instead, they called the banana phone and asked, ‘can we come home?’ Hahaha, so lovely to hear those words on the other end of the line. Instead of K & A digging their holiday hands into hard worked Australian soil, they returned to Cool Bananas to enjoy the beach, the surf and the serenity once again.

Travel does not involve sitting too long

It was not long before they both felt that well-known ‘travel itch’ in their barefoot, sandy toes. K & A made the difficult decision to move on from their Australian home and travel to new unknown destinations. This not only took them to popular cities like Brisbane to work for 6 months but to Cairns, Darwin and Perth and countless little towns in between. With sometimes only a few dollars between them, they found themselves the recipients of many a ‘good deed’ by Australians all over the country. These destinations they’d heard discussed around the campfire of an evening or whilst eating a communal evening meal in the courtyard. The pull was so intense, once they made the decision, they packed up their few travel belongings and left us.

One day, whilst enjoying a lovely day amongst our amazing guests, I received a long-awaited text message. A smile instantly sprawled across my face. I realized that K & A were returning to us, not next week or next month – they’ll be here this afternoon! What! Well that just demonstrates their love of spontaneity and respect for the Cool Bananas Family!

Where are they now?

Where are they now I hear you ask? They made for themselves a lovely home in New Zealand. Working, exploring and making a pretty sweet life for themselves. Sometimes living in their van, short stays in hostels and some camping too. However, as the world now knows, a pandemic hit all our coastlines, inland sweet spots and homes. K & A decided that family and friends back home were at the top of their list. A difficult course of action considering their travel adventure had lasted more than 2 years and taken them around the whole coastline of Australia and across the Tasman Sea. So, they’re back home (UK home, not Cool Bananas Home!), for now spending precious moments with family and friends. I’ve no doubt they’re planning, dreaming and manifesting that day when they can take their love back on the road once more.

Comments from ‘K’ herself

“I fell in love the second I walked through the door. I fell in love with how the place made me feel, by welcoming me with the warmest of hugs. Everyone that was there and everyone that came was just like a breath of fresh air.

I met my best friend there, which I soon learned was more than my best friend. He was my soul mate. We spent an amazing 3 years travelling in vans and working on farms and visiting every city! We spent weeks at a time staying on golden beaches or deep in forest gorges. But nowhere compared to Agnes Water.

Being barefoot all the time, the surf, the yoga, the campfires, the walks and the lookouts. Every evening the sun would light up the sky with the most beautiful colours and every night to be followed by thousands upon thousands of stars. Cool Bananas brought us together when we didn’t know we were looking for each other. But when it happened, it was magic. We returned a few times, it’s just so hard to stay away when you’ve found your slice of blissful paradise. We called this our Australian home.

The owners were just the best, from giving health advice on my swollen foot, my burnt leg and to love advice that ended up giving me my ‘A’ for the next adventurous year in New Zealand. I’ll be forever trying to get back to Agnes Water, definitely to see Linda and Cary. I have so much love for them both and their families. We made bobble heads of Linda and Cary, I hope their still doing alright!”

My Favourite Love Story

I’m going to name this sweet pair Apple Pie (AP) & Whipped Cream (WC) because – well – they just ‘go together’! They were with us for such a brief moment but this meeting of hearts has stayed with us.

AP & WC arrived separately. On the first evening, only minutes after his arrival AP made a special request. Could he use one of our dorm rooms, decorate it with candles and create a surprise for WC. You must know that WC had no idea that AP had already arrived and in fact she thought she was going to be arriving prior to him! Confused?? HMMMM…… ok, so AP arrived at Cool Bananas early to surprise his soulmate WC. Oh my this was about the most romantic gesture I’d seen. His enthusiasm and excitement to create this special moment was touching to say the least. Of course in hearing about this, the word through the other staff quickly spread and they all had to, in their own way be a part of this special surprise.

Between all the staff, we managed to set up a special room, candles, chocolates, 2 single beds made into a double and some romantic music in the background. You can only imagine the electricity between us, even the guests could not wait. AP with his chocolates in hand, candles lit and romantic eyes all ready, he waited patiently in the room. WC arrived off the bus and was shown to her room – of course not knowing what she was about to be met with.

Let’s take a step back….

It is important to note here that AP and WC had not seen each other for 3 months. They had met by a waterfall in Cairns the year before, romantic right!!! They’d quickly realised they had a connection and spent many months traveling around Australia together where their relationship grew in intensity. It was obvious to each of them, this was not a holiday romance but a love that they would definitely have to explore further when they decided to go home at the end of the year. As they’d organised separate activities throughout their trip they regrettably parted company with the promise to meet at Cool Bananas Backpackers in Agnes Water/1770 when all their pre-planned activities were done. Ok, back to now….

I think we as staff were more nervous than AP!! Wobbly legs and barely able to contain the surprise, we all waited patiently to hear squeals of joy coming from the room. We were not disappointed. First came an excited scream, then silence, then laughing, then silence (kissing perhaps???) then more laughing followed by excited chatter. Oh how we all wished to be flies on the wall at that chance moment. Needless to say the sounds of sheer excitement from the surprise was enough.

Once again, Cool Bananas had produced a moment in time that would last with us all and provided the chance to see the good in people and the desire to please others. We had all been shown how love can make us do crazy things, make us involve strangers in the most intimate of moments and be willing to wear our hearts on our sleeves.

Where will your next love story take place? https://www.facebook.com/CoolBananasBackpackers1770/