They are next door neighbors, but they didn’t realize it until they took a solo trip together halfway around the world.
Annaliese Cunniffe and Lauren Brown live across the street from each other in an apartment complex in Washington, DC, but they didn’t meet until they went on a trip to Iceland, 2,800 miles away.
And they didn’t realize their apartments were across from each other until after they returned.
They are now good friends and are urging people to “go out and talk to strangers more.”
The couple’s first meeting was at the airport, thanks to the trip’s tour operator, Here & Now Travel, which created a WhatsApp group chat a week before departure.
Lauren Brown (left) and Annaliese Cunniffe (right) in Iceland. They didn’t realize they were next door neighbors before the trip.
Lauren, a supply chain consultant, discovered that Annaliese was from DC and was on the same flight when they exchanged messages in this group.
They then coordinated to meet at the door.
Lauren, 24, told MailOnline Travel: ‘Despite living across the hall from Annaliese, I couldn’t have identified her at the airport when I first met her.
“I had to text him and tell him what I was wearing so he could find me.”
About 15 minutes after meeting each other, they realized they lived in the same apartment building and on the same floor, but assumed they were far apart.
After the six-day trip ended, they shared an Uber house and were surprised when they walked to their respective apartments, facing each other.
Annaliese, a 27-year-old mechanical engineer, said: ‘Who knew I would have to fly around the world to meet my neighbour? I’m so excited to have done it.’
Annaliese and Lauren didn’t realize their apartments were across from each other until they returned from Iceland.
Lauren and Annaliese at their DC apartment complex
So why did they miss each other before traveling together to the wilds of Iceland?
Lauren said: ‘In my first few months living in the apartment, I tried to make friends with the neighbors by attending monthly resident events, such as dinners and ice cream socials. Unfortunately, these events were not successful: many residents quickly grabbed the free food and were on their way.
‘I heard similar stories from friends outside my building and accepted that this was the status quo. As life got busier, resident events fell off my calendar and I prioritized seeing friends over connecting with my neighbors.’
Annaliese had similar experiences. She revealed: “I talked to a few people at the pool and attended a community event, but I never made a lasting connection.”
Has the experience changed your outlook on life?
Annaliese said: ‘Traveling around Iceland reinforced my mindset that the world is very big and there is still so much to see. So it was quite a mixed experience when Lauren and I realized that we had spent the last few days traveling with our next-door neighbor. Suddenly the phrase “the world is such a small place” rang true! The experience taught me to take more time to greet and appreciate the people around me in my daily life.’
Unlike what our parents told us when we were little, I think our generation needs to go out and talk to strangers more because that’s the only tried and true way to meet new people.
Lauren said: ‘In a world that moves ever faster, especially in a city like DC, this experience was a reminder to slow down. It reminded me of the importance of human interaction. Slow down, smile at the strangers you pass in the hallway, on the street.
‘Unlike what our parents told us when we were little, I think our generation needs to go out and talk to “strangers” more because that’s the only tried and true way to meet new people.’
And what would you say to anyone who resists traveling alone?
Lauren said: ‘Book the trip! I can’t emphasize it enough. I was very nervous when I booked my trip, especially since it was about a year away, but the closer it got, the more I realized that everyone going on the trip would have the same mindset as me: wanting to make friends and see the world. With great people!’
Annaliese added: ‘Travelling alone helped me clear my mind of the stressors that come with daily life. I especially enjoyed traveling with Here & Now because it was a very easy process. The hardest part was figuring out how to fit my wardrobe into my suitcase!’
Does the couple have any plans to travel together in the future?
Annaliese said: ‘We don’t have any joint trips planned yet, but we have discussed what other Here and Now trips are on the agenda! And we’ve been able to get out of the apartment and explore DC together.”
Here & Now Travel said: ‘This is high on the list of Here and Now’s most interesting stories and is an example of why we founded H&NT in the first place.
‘Life gets so hectic. Forty+ hours a week at work, commitments to friends and family, exercise, shopping, cooking, cleaning and the list goes on and on. All of this adds up and makes meeting your neighbors so low down your priorities that it doesn’t happen, or you simply don’t have enough capacity left at the end of the day to make it happen.
“That’s where travel comes in: it takes you away from the whirlwind of your everyday life, slows you down, and allows you to connect with others.”
For more, visit hereandnowtravel.com and www.instagram.com/hereandnowtravel.