Backroad Odyssey : Travel Stories, Van Life & Road Trip Oddities
Traveling America's backroads, road trip experts - Noah and Noodles - explore fascinating locations overlooked while traveling.
Living out of a van, they unravel the - often shocking - story behind each neglected story or location.
If you love travel, exploration and unique locations - join us on the road!
Backroad Odyssey : Travel Stories, Van Life & Road Trip Oddities
Travel Stories : The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Welcome to our inaugural collection of travel stories from the depths of Reddit, where my dog Noodles and I react to online tales that range from bone-chilling to heartwarming.
After two years on the road, Noodles and I craft informed commentary on Reddit's wildest travel stories; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
What I like and dislike about the USA.... as a tourist:
What's your favourite "crazy life experience" travel experience?
https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/117e2cx/whats_your_favourite_crazy_life_experience_travel/
Travel mishaps: Do you have any funny travel stories?
https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1cyuwuc/travel_mishaps_do_you_have_any_funny_travel/
Tell me the stories from your solo travel trip that you never got to tell anyone else (because no one else is usually interested)
https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/11hk4m9/tell_me_the_stories_from_your_solo_travel_trip/
Noah and Noodles here!
We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.
Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.
Follow each adventure visually at:
https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/
Welcome to the Van, into our very first collection of travel stories from the depths of Reddit. After traveling in our van for over two years researching lost locations and histories, meeting wonderful people across the nation, my dog Noodles and I will react and provide commentary as we read sections of Reddit posts about travel. We'll get into the dark, the weird, the inspiring and beyond. We'll also, of course, continue with our deep dive into the overlooked and undervalued locations across America. That's what we do, that's what we love, but we'll also do this and I hope you're on board. It'll be very fun, very different, very casual, and there'll be surprises along the way. We'll see you at the end of the episode, but for now, enjoy Mine and Noodle's thoughts, reactions and commentary on the stories of fellow travelers. Safe travels Cruising down the street. I wonder where this road would lead. So many possibilities. Care to share what you think. Oh, noodle Dolls, what do you see Back? Road odyssey. Our first story comes from AskReddit. The question is solo travelers what is your creepiest travel story? Okay, and right off the bat, I know there'll be a ton, because solo traveling inherently has a tinge of creepiness to it. You have to be on your game, you have to be ready. It's fantastic, it can change your life, but also there are risks that come with it. So let's see where this goes goes.
Speaker 1:Traveling in South America by myself. As a 22-year-old woman arrived in Santiago, chile, by bus really late at night, like around 10 pm. Shortly after I got off the bus, a guy comes up to me from the general area of the taxi stand and asks if I need a cab, and I say yes. We start by walking to his cab and it's really far away, like at least five blocks. Uh, first red flag. A little bit, you know, but he hasn't done anything creepy yet. I start to feel kind of uneasy, but I'm also in the middle of this big, unfamiliar city and just try to reassure myself. It's fine. I double check. His cab has all the normal brand markings. When we finally get up to it and sit up front with my bag, more out of habit, it's common to do this in Ubers in South America. Okay, so she is a conscious traveler, she knows what she is doing.
Speaker 1:I gave him the address of the hostel I booked and we small talk in Spanish for the first few minutes of the ride and then there's a bit of a natural pause, which he breaks by looking over at me and saying very calmly are you scared? Yeah, second red flag there, especially after the pause flag there, especially after the pause. Of course that really freaked me out, but I tried to seem calm. I just laughed a bit and was like ha ha ha, no, I'm good, just tired and it's late and he goes. Hmm well, you seemed pretty scared back there when we were walking. You know there's a lot of bad people around here. Sometimes they pretend to be taxis. You never know who to trust. Are you traveling here alone? Some thoughts. If this guy is in the fake taxi business, he is very forthright and I'd be scared too. That's actually terrifying after a moment of silence like that.
Speaker 1:There have been so many locations in the van when I pull up to a place to park for the night or what have you, where people come up to me and start to talk and if I ever feel uncomfortable I get out. You know, you just have this feeling in the pit of your stomach that something might not be right and the first thing to do for me is to get out. This is while we're still driving through the middle of a city. It's dark and it's late and I'm now painfully aware. Literally no one knows where I am. I was going to message my family with an update when I got to the hostel. They don't know I'm in Santiago. They still think I'm on the coast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's a mistake. Anywhere you go, you tell people where you're at, where you're going and what your plans are when you're solo traveling. Of course I don't say that and I tell him that I'm always very careful and actually my group of friends know I'm on the way and are waiting for me at the hostel. I see a stoplight coming up and was literally just thinking as soon as the car slowed down I was going to make a break for it and just jump out of the car, probably the most scared I've ever been. Out of the corner of my eye, I see this guy reaching down for something under his seat and my brain is just going gun, gun, gun. It's going to be a gun. Instead, he. There's always one thing we can trust, right, the Lord. Do you believe in God? He then proceeds to try to convert me for the remainder of the ride, but in the moment that random religious cab driver scared the absolute shit out of me. Yeah, that could have gone any number of ways. It's good that she told him that her friends are waiting. Yeah, I mean, you know, best case scenario would be someone trying to convert you to their religion in that particular instance.
Speaker 1:Let's see what we got for our next story. All right, this is under solo travel and it is entirely different than the story we just read. The question is what's your craziest slash? Funniest travel story Starts simple enough.
Speaker 1:I went to Japan with a friend to see a concert. We were exchange students in Kyoto, so it wasn't that far, but we only had one day to see the city. We got to the middle of town and had no idea how to get around. Sometimes that's the best way to see a city. Noodles and I actually will park near downtown and just walk around. No research, no anything beforehand, just experience the city, one of our favorite ways to experience a new place. We had a map, but were stuck on how to get up the giant hill in front of us and we didn't know how to get anywhere on foot.
Speaker 1:Just then, as we panicked about what to do, a man came up to us. We both spoke Japanese, so we told him we were lost. He told us to follow him to his house. He then had a car and told us to get in. My friend and I looked at each other like WTF, but Japan is pretty safe and we had no other way to get around. So we got in his car and he took us to his house Right away. Similar situation, but you have a friend, it's daylight and you have no other option. Sometimes you know it's that line of being safe and taking risks and you know where will it lead. I don't know, but let's find out. His wife made us tea, oh, and gave us snacks, and they talked about how their son was living in the US and they were so sweet, see, you know, sometimes it works out getting in a stranger's car. Then I guess the man changed or something and took us back out to his car. We then drove up the big hill and told him to just drop us off near a museum we wanted to see, but instead he insisted on waiting for us. This is either really nice or exceedingly creepy. He walked with us around the neighborhood after we went to the museum and he took us to an ice cream place that his friend owned. We got free ice cream and then his friend told us to come upstairs and look at his jewelry collection. He made and sold pearl jewelry that was gorgeous. It was fun to learn about that kind of work. Then the man drove us to Chinatown and we said goodbye. We ate in Chinatown and went to the concert, but the best part of the day was being toured around by a local. Had we said no, we would have missed out on a cool way to see the city. I'll probably only do that in Japan, though. Okay, glad it worked out.
Speaker 1:I actually had a similar situation in Montana. So I was in Western Montana on the 4th of July and Noodles and I went to a campsite in the forest just to avoid the fireworks I don't think Noodles likes them very much and there was this older man across the way. Sometimes with these campsites that you don't have to pay for, there's nobody. Sometimes there's a lot of people, and in this case it was just me and this older guy. So when I get there he comes up, introduces himself and seems very friendly and we talk for a while as I'm setting up the van, and then he asks I wonder if I can show you a place around here. He had an ATV. Is that what that's called ATV attached to his motorhome. And kind of reluctantly I'm like, yeah, definitely, could we do it tomorrow? Because I had just driven a lot and wasn't really feeling social and also just met this guy. So he's like, yeah, sure, sure, all right, you have a good night. So the night passes and he comes up to me really early in the morning, knocks on my van and says, all right, let's go, your dog can come with us. So me and Noodles go all around and this really, really nice guy shows us different spots around Montana, different lakes, different forest trees, and it turns out he was a tour guide for a long time at Glacier National Park.
Speaker 1:And it just goes to show with the last two stories you never know when you're traveling and it's this fine, minuscule line between accepting what's happening, being open to new experiences but also being cautious, especially when you're solo traveling. Next story this next story comes from solo travel. Yet again, the prompt is tell me the stories from your solo travel trip that you would never tell anyone else, because no one else is usually interested. Man, I can relate to this All right. I live on the west coast of the United States and took a solo road trip to the Midwest States and took a solo road trip to the Midwest Because it's the normal thing to do to bash it with the company I keep. I had to hide my excitement about seeing prairie dogs in North Dakota and touring the Deadwood Brothel Museum. I love it.
Speaker 1:I love it when people have open minds like this, and the drive didn't feel boring. All those cornfields and flat land felt, I don't know, meditative, like a zen garden. There are really some beautiful areas and people everywhere. If you're just willing to open up your mind, alright, I want to see and meet this person, because that's what Noodles and I are trying to do with this podcast. Anywhere you go, any people you meet have a story, an interesting story, if you just look for it. I love the way it was described like meditative. A lot of people say it's boring. Nebraska yeah, boring Nebraska yeah, boring. But Iowa, the driftless region which we're going to dive into next week, it is infinitely fascinating and beautiful to drive through and not many people know it. So I love when other people have the same mentality. Good for you.
Speaker 1:This next one gets into the weeds a little bit, but it's fascinating. All right, so it's under travel and the prompt is what I like and dislike about the USA as a tourist. It's always fascinating hearing different opinions, even from different states, people from the West visiting Midwest or Midwest going to going to California or New England or what have you. But I think conversations like this are what makes traveling interesting, this exchange of ideas. I have been touring the United States for several weeks now, visiting multiple states.
Speaker 1:I am from Europe, the Netherlands specifically. This is not my first time in the US, but it is my most extensive. It strikes me how vastly different the USA is compared to my country or Europe in general. I just like to give my thoughts here from a European perspective, which things I think are better here and which things are worse. I'm also keeping this limited to tourist perspective, so I'm going to stay away from things that are only relevant when I would actually live here, like healthcare, taxes and politics. Okay, okay, okay, okay, let's sear it.
Speaker 1:Things I like Nature, raw, wild and untouched. Most of all, vast. The sheer vastness and variety of nature and pure wilderness here is definitely unmatched in Europe. Specifically, the little nature we have in the Netherlands is laughable compared to the USA. That is a good point. I wonder where specifically this person who posted this went what states. But yeah, the nature here is just absolutely gorgeous, particularly out West, the diversity of it all.
Speaker 1:People are generally approachable and friendly. Yes, I do like Americans, at least their overall demeanor. I would be greeted and asked where I'm from, even by someone at the 7-Eleven. In general, dutch people are quite rude. Free refills this is a small thing but really unheard of in the Netherlands. In my country you pay the same price for just one tiny cup of coffee. In fact, all drinks you order are tiny in the Netherlands and you pay for each one. You know I like this, but I'll actually disagree.
Speaker 1:Here's a weird thing about me Anywhere I go, I like to have especially coffee. I like to have smaller portions of it. I like it to be concentrated. Sometimes I feel like let's say, coffee here a little watered down Traffic lights across the street. I can't for the life, life of me understand why we still have to lean over the steering wheel and get a sword neck looking straight upwards at the traffic lights in Europe. Oh, interesting, I actually didn't know that. So you can't see, unless you like, lean forward. Well, the more you know. Let's get to the final positive Tipping.
Speaker 1:This is a widely contested topic. Why the heck do I need to be partially responsible for a proper salary for these people? There you go Also. It's just annoying to have to calculate the tip every time. It is also annoying that listed prices are almost exclusively without tax, that listed prices are almost exclusively without tax In my country and across most of Europe, as far as I'm aware. You pay exactly what is listed as the price, no hidden surprises. You make some good points, good points there.
Speaker 1:The food Ooh, we'll see about this one, especially breakfast. Almost everything contains sugar. Well, okay, yeah, you're right about that. Breakfast is never with fresh bread and fresh good meats and cheese. In fact, american cheese is awful. You know what I will chime in and agree with that American cheese is the worst of the cheeses. But maybe I'm spoiled, living in my cheese country, living in cheese country. For dinner the price isn't quite as bad, but it's still nowhere near the quality and variety that you find in Europe.
Speaker 1:Plastic Too much plastic is a problem for Europe also, but the amount of plastic and styrofoam and other disposable crap used here is bizarre. I also find it really bizarre that in every hotel breakfast is all disposable cutlery and plates. Also, you really never see this in Europe, not even in the cheapest hotels. You're making some good points, yeah. Yeah, the disposability of it all is kind of all around here. Depends on the state, but you're right.
Speaker 1:And finally, for negatives, imperial measurements Gallons, miles, feet and especially Fahrenheit is so bizarre. Also because the conversion factor to metric is odd. Almost all the world, as well as the scientific world, uses metric, which makes so much more sense in every way. Why does the US hold on to such an archaic system? Your guess is as good as mine, my friend. I would be so curious to look into the history of that. Maybe that could be a future episode. So here are some of my thoughts. Feel free to add your own or tell me where you agree or disagree. I'd love to read the same perspective from Americans who have visited Europe. That's what it's about, right Conversation, talking about the goods and the bads of any place you go, and that's what makes these conversations absolutely fast.
Speaker 1:Our next story is from travel. The prompt is craziest thing that's ever happened to you while traveling. Okay, this could get crazy. Let us see. Went to a Finnish sauna somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Finland because I wanted the real experience, not the touristy stuff. No one spoke English, and Finnish looks like made-up words to me. Everyone was completely naked, except for a teeny tiny towel you were supposed to sit on. It wasn't large enough to cover anything up. You know, sometimes when you're in one of those experiences you just have to dive right in. So I mustered all my courage and went into one of the three bungalows. As soon as I opened the door, I realized this wasn't right. About 15 very drunk men and women holding beers were sitting in this teeny sauna house. Since everyone stared at me standing in the open doorway, I decided to just go for it and go in, figured it would have been weird to mumble sorry and disappear. That's the right mentality. That's the mentality you have to have just going for it. For example, I have a quick story.
Speaker 1:So when I hosted a beer podcast, I would go all around and interview brewers about how they got started, why they enjoyed brewing and the breweries that they were at and or created. And one time in South Carolina I went deep into the woods. It was far away from any main town because I was going to interview this brewery. I kept going and going and I'm like man. This is kind of in the middle of nowhere. So I got there and it was a garage, just somebody's garage, and there was five men sitting there, three of them bearded, and a dog. And there was five men sitting there, three of them bearded, and a dog, and there was definite proof that this is where I was supposed to go, because the brewery sign was above. So I thought to myself you know what? This is going to be great, I'm going to make this an awesome experience. And I talked to them all night.
Speaker 1:At some point, the owner of the brewery in the garage took me back, poured a pint and said watch this. We went out to a field, two donkeys came up, and one of the donkeys, right away, made a noise and chugged the pint that he brought out. Yeah, so it turned out to be a great experience. So when you're in those kind of experiences, you just got to go for it. Glad that this person did. We'll see what happens, though.
Speaker 1:As soon as I sat down, the naked guy next to me started talking. After realizing I don't speak the language, he switched to English. So how do you know Micah? Huh, who? Well, it's Micah's birthday, oh, so I started to get up and leave because I didn't want to crash a naked party of strangers, but the guy next to me had already called Micah over to introduce me. Before I could even apologize for crashing and making my excuses, micah had already pulled me into a massive hug. Yep, you read that right. I got a hug from a very naked, very large and sweaty Finnish dude in the middle of nowhere in Finland, while being naked as well For context, I'm a pretty petite girl. That adds a little spice to it. He put a beer in my hand, invited me to join the party, and that was certainly one of my more weird experiences while traveling. Love the fins, though. You know it's a story. It's a story that's awesome.
Speaker 1:So our final story is from Solo Travel. The prompt is share inspiring travel stories. I wanted to end our very first Reddit travel story reading reaction to a positive story, something to uplift the spirits, because I feel like that's what travel is supposed to be and that's what we're trying to do with this show. Without further ado, let's get into it.
Speaker 1:Me and my girlfriend were having some quiet drinking in a quiet bar in far north Vietnam. The owners started to set up a table with a cake, food and other celebration-style things. Up a table with a cake, food and other celebration-style things, it became obvious that it was their young child's birthday party, maybe five years old. Aw, I always love seeing that. Since we were the only customers there, we decided to leave so they could get on with their party, but they insisted we stayed. They shared their food and gave us more drinks and didn't expect any money. Of course, we gave them a decent amount, no more than what we would have paid if it was a meal plus generous tips. There was such a huge language barrier that all we could do was say to one another cheers and just smile and laugh with one another. Lovely human interaction, and we were very fortunate to be there. Love those moments. Now. I love this story.
Speaker 1:This speaks to the core of what it means to travel, in my mind, to connect with people that are from different places, speak different languages, have different points of view. You can connect with people in a fundamentally human way. Whether it's taking an impromptu trip to the Midwest, even though your friends say that it's lame, whether you cheers with somebody who doesn't speak your language, there's something fundamentally human in us all that we should try to seek out and acknowledge, and that's what's great about reading stories like this except for the taxi guy who asked if you're scared, that's you know, but mostly it's Noah here. I hope you enjoyed our new segment into deep dive Reddit travel stories. It's fun to feel like I can sit down and casually talk about travel and travel stories with you and travel stories with you.
Speaker 1:This is not to say that we're not going to continue with our deep dives into locations and the history of places people normally overlooked Far from it. We've got some very exciting things coming in that regard, but we'll also add casual talks and reactions like this, as well as some interview episodes coming up. So we're expanding. We're doing some very exciting things and if you find value in what we're trying to do here, in bringing the joy of travel, finding new places, stories to people, rating and reviewing is the best way that you can help us continue to do that. So thank you for your time. I appreciate you all. Be good to each other. Where to next?
